A few years ago I saw an article in one of the parenting magazines that Amber Alert has come out with a new product. It’s a Amber Alert Child ID Kit datastick that contains software for storing info about your child in case they go missing. You can have it on you at all times so if your child went missing you wouldn’t have to go home and search for all the info and photos. I think it’s a great idea except I can’t afford to pay $29.95 or if you have multiple children it is $44.95! Since then they have come out with a new product called Amber Alert My Child ID that is an electronic device that you add your child or children info and photos and store everything in one place. You can connect it to your computer and it has it’s own screen so you can view the photos contained on it. It costs $39.99.

If you are like me and can’t afford to spend that much, there are other ways to keep all your important info at your finger tips. If you already own a flash drive (aka thumb drive or usb drive) you can do this for free. You can buy flash drives that don’t cost a lot of money. I currently use a 128MB drive for two kids, so a 1GB drive will be more than enough. To create your own child safety kit, all you need is the following items:

• flash drive
• an electronic document with all your child’s info
• photos

Of course you will need a computer to create it. To get you started I have created an excel spreadsheet that includes almost all the info I would need and then put on your flash drive. You can download the zip here: Child ID Kit (41). You may need to modify the file to better fit your needs. If you don’t have excel but would like to use the info in another program, you can view it at Google docs here: Child ID Kit Google Doc.

Before placing the excel file on my flash drive I would password protect it and then use a compression software (like winzip or 7zip) to compress it into a password protected zip file (using a different password for the excel file and zip file).

MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE FILE SECURE!! DO NOT STORE PERSONAL DATA ON THE INTERNET OR ON YOUR COMPUTER WITHOUT ENCRYPTING OR PASSWORD PROTECTING IT. IT’S BEST IF YOU USE AN EXTERNAL STORAGE LIKE A FLASH DRIVE OR CD THAT YOU LOCK AWAY OR PASSWORD PROTECT!!!

Make sure you also include  1 to 2 recent photos. One should be a frontal head shot. Also a full body shot will be helpful. Try to get basic shots that represent what your child looks like the best. No glamor shots. Make sure you update the photos regularly. I would monthly for babies and yearly for older children. Also if your child has a significant alteration in appearance (new hair style/cut, glasses, braces, etc) you should update it immediately.

You might also want to check with your local Police or Fire Department for Safety events. Sometimes they will finger print your child and give you the only copy of it (they will not keep it on record) for free at Safety events. Then if you have a scanner you could scan it in and it include it on your flash drive.

You can find out more about what info you may need at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website.

Some other websites you may wish to check out for more child safety information:

• Polly Klaas Foundation (safety info and free kit)
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (safety info)
• Take 25 (info on how to teach your child to be safe)
• Amber Alert (government website – safety info and Amber Alerts)
• Your Safe Child (safety info, kit, and free coloring book)
• McGruff Safe Kids (safety info and events)

DISCLAIMER: This post is for informational use only. The writer of this post and the blog owner are not responsible for the usage of this information or any ramifications from it’s usage.

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