Well, the answer is… it depends on your kid!

Children under 3 to 5 years old are probably safest wearing a medical ID sports bracelet, or a snug-fitting metal-link ID bracelet that is unlikely to snag on anything. Because toddlers and pre-school aged children do not often wear bracelets, it is also likely that a first responder or daycare staff, for example, would be more likely to quickly notice a child’s medical ID bracelet. Necklaces often get tucked inside of shirts without being noticed, especially by little ones.

At My Identity Doctor, your safety is our concern—it’s why we use black engraving, and make the type of products that we do! And our littlest customers, well, we take that responsibility to keep them safe very seriously. If for whatever reason you think a necklace is a better option for your child, it may be best to order a tag from us, and a separate breakaway type necklace—often these clasps are attached to string and pop open if force is applied, making them safe for active children to avoid strangulation if caught on playground equipment, kitchen cupboard knobs, and so on—just make sure to not lose your tag!

Because strangulation is a scary potential hazard of young children wearing necklaces, especially to bed, it is important that chains are short enough to decrease this risk for everyone. However, for children who are very young, this risk is greater if they get tangled and cannot figure out how to fix the problem.

While some children under 3 to 5 years may be totally safe wearing a medical ID necklace, the safest bet for younger kids is a snug chain medical ID bracelet or a sport bracelet, which uses velcro and nylon webbing to keep the bracelet snug against the wrist. Another great option for kids is to attach our key chains or bracelet charms to shoes, so that they are safe when out and about, but pose little safety risk. Attaching these tags to zipper pulls on hoodies or key rings to belt loops of jeans are also ways that a child may find more appealing to wear a medial ID tag if they do not like items around their wrists (because, let’s be honest, finger painting at daycare is fun until someone is stuck cleaning the paint off of a kid’s medical bracelet as they try to squirm away!)

The most important thing is that if your child has allergies or a medical condition, that they wear some sort of medical ID so that people around them know how they can help if something happens. Children this age are most likely under close supervision of someone they know, however, substitute teachers, daycare staff, or babysitters may need a visual reminder of a child’s needs from time to time, or if they are in the midst of an emergency, it is helpful if the information they need is easily accessible—attached to your child! A necklace may be an okay option for some little ones, but for most, it may be a risk you are not willing to take. We’ve got a lot of other options that may be more appropriate for young kids—until they grow into that necklace they are eyeing and can wear it safely!