Sweethearts Candy Blog's

I recently learned about Lauren's Hope medical ID jewelry from some other parents at the FAAN conference in Chicago. Kids allergy bracelets are a crucial item once we receive a diagnosis of severe food allergies, but many times kids don't want to wear them. What I liked about Lauren's Hope is the the fashion factor--they are so wearable! I ordered my daughter a "mood-changing" bracelet (like the blue one pictured above) and necklace and she loves them--and at 11, they have to love it to wear it. The red bracelet pictured is for swimming, perfect for summer. To provide more information to readers about medical ID jewelry, I asked Lauren's Hope to do a Q & A about their fabulous jewelry and kids allergy jewelery in general. Here's what they had to say:

Me: What is the inspiration for Lauren's Hope jewelry?

Lauren's Hope: In the past, medical ID bracelets have been big, bold, and not at all pretty. They can draw attention to a person’s condition, which can make people (especially kids and teenagers) feel “different” and self-conscious. Obviously, if they aren’t wearing it – it can’t help. At Lauren’s Hope, we are trying to change that. We want to encourage the use of medical ID jewelry, so making the medical ID bracelet attractive and worthy of their wardrobe was the answer. Through the creativity and expertise of our designers, we have created hundreds of beautiful pieces of medical jewelry that even the most style-savvy teenager would love to wear. Our motto is Safety with Style and that’s the balance we try to strike with every product.

Me: What are your most popular styles for boys and girls, respectively?

Lauren's Hope: The most popular medical identification style for boys would be our medical ID dog tag necklaces. These ID necklaces are durable enough to wear 24/7 and come in stainless steel and colored aluminum. Each medical ID dog tag can be custom engraved with up to 5 lines of information. Our most popular medical ID bracelet for girls would have to be our groovy color changing mood bead medical ID bracelet. This style has stood the test of time and changes color with each change in mood. This is also great for parents! Generally speaking, younger boys and girls tend to gravitate toward medical ID's that are bright and cheerful, yet durable enough to provide lasting protection from the playground to an awards banquet.

Me: Any new or innovative products that you want to tell us about?

Lauren's Hope: The heat of summer is upon us and with that in mind our designers have created dozens of new styles that are water friendly and durable. We've focused on bright colors with hot pink and flowers being the theme among our medical ID bracelets for girls. Boys are always on the go, swimming and playing with friends and the go-to summer ID has to be our waterproof adjustable medical alert bands. Our designers have done a fantastic job of keeping up with the trends, so for women we have dozens of brand new multi-strand beaded medical ID bracelets and necklaces galore! The classic durable stainless steel medical ID bracelets are always a popular option for men.

Me: What information should be on medical ID jewelry?

Lauren's Hope: Determining what you should engrave on your medical ID tag can be tough - especially with multiple allergies, medications and conditions. Thankfully, we offer plenty of room to engrave your most vital medical information in a clear and concise manner. You doctor will be able to provide you with their suggestions on how to phrase your medical conditions, but there are other key pieces of information that should be included on your medical ID. Let's talk about what you should engrave on your medical ID tag if you have a severe allergy.

First and Last Name - Typically customers will request we engrave their first and last name on the very first line of their medical ID tag. This makes it easy to drill down to your medical records in the event of an emergency.

Medical Condition(s) - If you have a medical condition other than an allergy such as Diabetes or Epilepsy you should list this directly underneath your first and last name. EMT's and ER doctors should have as much medical information as possible in case you are unable to communicate.

Life Threatening Allergies - Many of our customer's have severe allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, stinging insects and shellfish. If you carry an EPI pen that should be administered in an emergency, be sure list that as well. Remember, with room to engrave up to 5 lines there's almost always room to fit everything you need.

In Case of Emergency - This would be the first person you would like called in an emergency. For children, this is often times mom and/or dad. Simply listing MOM 555-888-7777 is just fine.

Doctor's Phone Number - If there is room, you can also list your doctor's phone number. You can simply have DR. 555-888-7777 engraved here.

Helpful Tip: If you find yourself running out of room to engrave everything on your medical ID tag you can choose to have 1 line engraved with SEE WALLET CARD. Lauren's Hope will then send you a free wallet card which you can fill out with additional details and medical information. You can also download a free wallet card on our blog by visiting: http://blog.laurenshope.com/download-your-free-wallet-card/

Me: Lauren's Hope has such attractive products--how do emergency medical techs know to distinguish medical IDs from regular fashion jewelry?

Lauren's Hope: This is always first and foremost in our minds when designing new products. Emergency medical personnel are well aware that they shouldn’t just be looking for a stainless steel chain anymore and are trained to look at the wrist and neck for medical identification. Medical jewelry now comes in all shapes and colors. Each of our medical ID bracelets and necklaces feature a brightly colored medical caduceus symbol top and center. This is the universal symbol for medical information and is always featured prominently on our medical ID jewelry. Our medical ID tags are an 1 1/2" in length which is large enough to be seen in the event of an emergency and also allows plenty of room for your most vital medical information. We have had customers request a smaller medical ID tag over the years, but because we feel so strongly that you want your tag to be noticed in an emergency situation we've kept our original size and design.

To view Lauren's Hope complete medical ID jewelry collection please visit www.LaurensHope.com. We invite you to browse our site and call us at 1-800-360-8680 with any questions you may have.