By Scott Irwin

Here are some questions:

- Have you taken the time to record your childs fingerprints, gather a hair sample for DNA purposes, record all his/her specific identification, including specific identifying features and a photograph of your child in a Child ID kit ? If so, is it up to date?

- In the event of a motor vehicle accident, in which you have been rendered unconscious, do the emergency medical professionals have a quick way of accessing your childs specific medical history, including your childs blood type, medical provider, allergies, any medications they may be taking at the time, or, even your familys doctors name and phone number?

- If you were on vacation with your children and they became lost or separated from you, or worse, arrived at a hospital, unconscious, as a John Doe, how or who would notify you and how would they know to do so?

- Do you or your husband, for that matter; carry your childs specific identification, including an up to date picture?

- Do you, as responsible parents, take the time to talk with your children about child safety?

- If you became separated from your child in a crowd, would someone be able to contact you directly, or even know who your child was?

If your answer was no or I dont know, dont worry, you are not alone. The sad fact of the matter is that children do not carry identification; if they did they would likely loose it!

Given todays world, its becoming a necessity for children to carry identification. This fact was clearly illustrated through recent tragic natural disasters such as the tsunami, hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Pakistan. With each of these disasters, weve witnessed far too many unidentified children.

When thinking of child identification, often, fingerprints and hair samples are the first things that enter our mind. There are far too many companies that profess to provide your child with identification. Let me inform you that 99.9% of those companies are passive in nature.

Fingerprints, DNA information, pictures and even dental records will and are only ever used after the fact. Passive information. Think of it as locking the barn after the horse gets away. Its unfortunate that as parents, we feel that we have done all possible to protect our children by having recorded this information. This is the first step, and a very important step in the safety of your child; however, as a parent, the only time you ever want to look at your childs identification kit is and should be when you update it. This is a very important step towards safeguarding against the unthinkable. Few people are aware that childrens fingerprints are actually changing for the first 4-5 years of their life; therefore, it is imperative that this information be updated at least once a year, and every 6 months for the first three years of a childs life.

When looking for a child identification provider, keep in mind the old adage ' An once of prevention far outweighs a pound of cure'. If all the company provides you with are a fingerprint kit, keep looking! One of the only truly proactive and preventative providers of child identification is Child ID Labels inc.

The purpose of this article is not to alarm you but to inform you, as we are all aware, information is a powerful tool. If, in reading this, you took a moment to think about your childs safety, please email this article to as many people as you know and encourage them to do the same. Your children are, after all, your most valuable possessions as well as our future.

Scott Irwin is the Marketing Director and for Child I.D. Labels inc., North Americas only true proactive and preventive child safety and identification provider. Child ID has been protecting children since 1995. Visit http://www.childidatlantic.com to find out how you can help protect and keep your children safe.

Scott Irwin is the Marketing Director for Child I.D. Labels inc. Child ID Labels has been protecting North American children for more than 10 years. For more information on their unique proactive approach to child safety and how you can help keep your children safe visit http://www.childidatlantic.com. Child ID Labels inc. is growing and open to distributorship enquiries. Email us at info@childidatlantic.com