Sharpie your cell phone number on your kid's belly

Jennfactor's comment -- a practical alternative to personalized rubber bracelets as ID -- was worthy of promotion to the front page:

When we go to crazy places like amusement parks and fairs, we just use a Sharpie and write on the kids' stomachs "My mom's cell # is...." The kids are all drilled on what to do if they get lost, and we have photos of them at Disneyland and everywhere else, flashing their bellies with the emergency plan.

Tags: Family travel, Parenting, Safety, Sharpie

Comments

[Nathan]

I think you are repeating yourself! :-)

You gave a hack of writing your kid's name and your cell phone number out before, and my wife and I do it every time we go out to big events.

[RookieMom Heather]

I love this so much! I can't wait to try it.

[Ed S.]

So, how long does it usually take before the writing comes off?

[Jill]

For that reason I prefer the masking tape with cell number stuck on their backs from the previous discussion.

[Lee]

Washable Crayola markers would work too. They wash off in the bath, instead of taking days to wear off.

[oddharmonic]

Ed S.: there are various methods of getting permanent marker ink off the skin, including baby wipes, toothpaste, rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, eye makeup remover, coffee... It's usually a matter of trial and error to figure out which method works best for one's skin.

Sanford, manufacturers of the Sharpie marker, do not recommend using them on skin.

[Chris Brogan...]

Funny, I was writing up a hack about stuffing their pockets with my business cards, but hey, why not Sharpie them?

Can I write other things?

"Warning. His toots smell." Things like that?

[hedra]

I told this one to my mom, and she busted out laughing... she wishes she'd thought of it for the crew of us.

Though with the sensitive skin in some of my kids, I'll have to try just plain non-toxic washable markers... Unless I want them trying to read the phone number in hives form. ;)

[Lea]

> Can I write other things?

Perhaps, "Reward offered?"

I'd be more comfortable with the masking tape or the washable marker, but seems like both of those could come off if the child sweats a lot (which, when I think back to amusment-park days, happens in buckets).

I like the idea that the label is semi-permanent, in case of kidnapping.

My husband and I have actually been talking about developing an RFID-based system, where the child wears an RFID-chipped bracelet that would alert when the bracelet went outside of the border of the mall or amusement park. Of course, it's temporary. The parent would remove the bracelet when the famly left the venue.

- L

[Elana]

We're flying in a few days.  I picked up a self-sealing badge maker at an office supply store, and I am going to put his name, our numbers and my parents address on a piece of paper and clip that to the inside of one of his pockets.  We'll use it each time we go out, and keep it in his backpack so if he loses that, it can make its way home.  

As well, his allergy info is going on one and being put with his medications, so if someone doesn't know, they'll be able to administer it to him in case of an emergency.

[Jack]

This reminds me of the story I heard about the tattooist who, during the Blitz in London (city being bombed regularly, civilian deaths all around the show, high chance of being separated from child in panic of rushing to air-raid shelter) tattooed popeye on his eight-year old son's arm. His rationale was that if he became separated from his son, asking strangers "Have you seen a small child, looks a bit like me?" wasn't going to get anywhere - but "Have you seen a small boy with Popeye tattooed on his arm?" would. Under the circumstances, I think it's a pretty reasonable response.

[Jill]

for -L:
The masking tape is to be stuck on the back of the child's shirt- not his or her skin. This way it would be visible to the adult needing the number. I guess it could be done differently for children old enough to use the phone themselves.

Washable markers would not survive sweat in a legible manner. I don't suggest testing that method in an important situation.

[Holly jo]

I think the Sharpie idea is an excellent one!! I will HAVE to use that one whenever we go anyplace that is crowded! Yeah, it may take a few days to actually wear off of the children, but if an instance came up that you had a lost child, and it worked, it would so be worth it!!
Thanks!!

[chefdad]

Great idea! -Olive oil removes permanent ink from skin and assorted fruits!
My son and I made photo IDs with our computer. They have all the important info+ recent pic. He and our family members have them for emergencies. And yes, he's lost his a few times.

[debbie]

I first heard of this from a childbirth instructor who advised (in the case of baby born in the car, etc) to scrawl a big x on babe's belly to alleviate hospital mixups.

[Renée Dumond]

Will use this from now on! Can't wait to tell everyone at work about it!

Thanks!

[Dave]

What a great tip. We were thinking alse how about those $#@# hard to remove hospital bracelets, or "party" tyvek bracelets? We found a site over here where they can be purchased: http://www.tabband.com/item.asp?iid=41

Let the toxic sharpie work on the bracelet, not the kiddos.

Regards,
Dave

[Joe]

This is great because it allows the kidnappers to know who to call for the ransom.

[Mieke]

I *loved* this hack. And was all ready to use it this past weekend... until I realized my daughter is in her "dresses-only" phase. Teaching her to lift up her shirt to show just the belly is not a problem, but I don't think I want to teach her to lift up her dress...
I modified it to write it on tape and stick it on her back.

chefdad: I like that idea too. Yes, they do tend to lose them, but you can print a stack, and put them in quite a few places (bags, pockets, etc).

[Jim]

When our kids were a little older and more responsible, we gave them a piece of paper with phone #'s and addresses of where we were staying. At the end of the day, if they returned them to us, we gave them a dollar. By the end of the week, they could have enough to buy whatever little trinkets they wanted. During the week, whenever they said they wanted something badly, we simply told them to remember it and they could buy it at the end of the week with their money.

[Kelly]

I think this is a good idea... for the most part, anyway. It seems that no one should be looking at your kid's stomachs in the first place. So unless the child is lifting up his/her own shirt, I am wondering what's really going on.

[ChristieNY]

I have a very distinct memory from when I was 4 years old. We went to the circus in a large group and we each had contact information written in blue ball point pen on our arms. It took several days to wash off completely.

I love the idea of the tyvek ID bracelet, those things are hard to remove and wont cause an allergic rx on my son's extremely sensitive skin if I write on it with a sharpie.

I think I'll also print son ID info and put it in his backpack.

Great hack, thanks! :)

[Amy Lu]

We used a sharpie when we went to the zoo a few weekends ago, a blue sharpie to be exact. At the end of the day I checked their bellies, and I guess because it was a warm day, it melted off a bit onto the inside of their t-shirts. Now the t-shirts are permanently stained.

I'm very disappointed.

Next time I'm going to get some tattoo paper for our computer printer and make some fun tattoos out of it. I think they will be safer in the sense that less ink will be absorbed by their skin, and I won't have to worry about it ruining their clothes.

[Louise]

Amy, where do you get "tatoo paper"? sounds like a great alternative!

[Serene and Not Herd]

LEGOLAND in Denmark already offers a GPS enabled bracelet that parents can rent for the day. The parents are given a phone number to dial on their cell phones, and approximate location is provided by text message.