I don’t know about you but one of my biggest fears is that one of the kids wanders off and gets lost and I can’t find them.  Heck, I nearly had a mini heart attack when we went to our newly bought house and I was in the basement and I realized that Ellie wasn’t with me and it took me 4 calls to get her to answer me to tell me where she was.  I am super careful when we go anywhere.  Now, Ellie is old enough to know her full name, although sometimes she gets confused and calls herself Elyse Victoria or Ellie Dabama (long story short she calls me Mama Dabama so I guess she figures that would be her last name too LOL).  So, since she is too young to memorize any pertinent info about herself and since Eve is certainly too young, I needed to find another way to keep info on them if we ever do get separated.  And micro-chipping them isn’t an option…at least until they are teens.

I was approached to do a review for SafetyTats, a product that allows parent so temporarily tattoo their children with pertinent info like their name or their parent’s cell phone number; basically anything that will help them reunite with their parents in the event they got lost.  Now, being the cautious person I am I said yes to the review just to see if they really were something I could see using.  I received both the Original Tats customized with my cell phone number as well as the Write On Tats where I can put any info I want.  When I received these in the mail and opened them my hubby, who happens to be totally anti-stuff, was like “what the heck are those? More of your stuff?”  But, after I explained the concept and principle behind them he was actually like “well these actually sound useful…”  Thanks hon!

After I received these tattoos I realized that I had seen them before…in fact I had worn them before…where?  The Blogher conference I attended this summer.  After jogging my memory, I remembered that I was “tatted” for a contest, and the tattoo stayed on really well and was comfortable to wear, it took about 10 seconds to put on and since it was a Write On, I can say that it was really easy to write on.  My experiences was positive with SafetyTat at the Blogher Conference and when I tested them out on Ellie it was positive as well.  It was very easy to apply the tat to Ellie’s skin and only took a few seconds.  The tattoo itself stayed on perfectly with no peeling off …when it was time to take it off I used a bit of lotion to loosen the adhesive and then I gently loosened it bit by bit until it came off.

So, overall what do I think of SafetyTats?  I like the idea and the concept behind them, I think they are an easy and practical way of helping to keep your kiddos safe.  It may be a small thing, but by having a contact number or something like that on their body, you are much less likely to be separated from them for a long period of time if you are separated at all.  While I probably wouldn’t suggest putting a tat on your kiddos every time you leave the house, I do think they are a good thing for when you go on family outings like to the amusement park, to a fair, or even to a large mall….anywhere where your kiddo could possibly get lost or separated from you.  One final thing: try not to put them on areas where there is a lot of hair…they tend to pull a bit.

Updated with Reader Maggie M’s Questions

What if you get them wet?  They stay on perfectly even in the shower and after a bath for the kiddos.

Does the ink smear or run? No.  You write on the tat and wait a few seconds and then you are good to go…unless you use a washable marker…a marker is provided in the packaging…if you lose that go ahead ansd use a permanent one with a steady hand! LOL

Can the kids peel them off? They can, if they try really hard.  It’s tougher than a bandaid by far.  Ellie’s tat has stayed on (going on 4 days) and she hasn’t made an effort to pull it off.  And yes she had had a bath in those for days!

 Do you need to use a special pen if you write the information yourself? See the above. 

And, do they stain the kid’s arms? Nope, the tats are more like stickers than the other temporary tattoos on the market.  There is a layer of plastic where the info is written.  Think of it as more of a bandaid than a temporary tat you buy at the store.

I think I like the general idea of these “tattoos”, but I’m also a little concerned about putting the child’s name on them. I wouldn’t want “strangers” to be able to call my children by their real name or give them a false sense of familiarity. Or, do you just put down your phone number?  If you go with the Original tats you can write whatever you want on them…your phone number, your name.  I would highly suggest NOT putting your child’s personal info (name, etc) on there.  You want people to be able to find you, not have enough info to lure your child away from you. 

How much do they cost? Where can we buy them?  You can buy them at www.safetytat.com