Double-Duty Tattoos Serve Safety Purpose

Fake Tattoo

1/24/08

Temporary Tattoos Can Help if Kids Get Lost

This past summer, my children were showered with a mountain of tattoos, toys and other goodies by their visiting uncle. Even a colossal, inflatable orca, however, could not compete with the oodles of vibrant tattoos he supplied. My boys grabbed a roll of paper towels, a bowl of water and went straight to work. I was so caught up in chatter, reminiscing and giggles that I was completely unaware of the undivided attention my boys were granting this body art. As the minutes raced by, the number of tattoos applied rapidly increased. By lunchtime, two colorfully decorated boys had reappeared.

There was a fire-breathing dragon on my first-grader’s forehead, while my pre-schooler’s face was lavishly covered with butterflies and the like. Nothing was untouched — arms, legs, backs, necks and tummies were a collage of suns, moons, jungle animals, Celtic band logos, roses, dragons, knights, dogs, boats, cars, clowns and more. Needless to say, they had fun. That’s not surprising, and is exactly why Lost & Found Tattoos, by a company called Tattoos With a Purpose, are such an exciting product. Now parents can embrace these kid charmers not only for entertainment purposes, but also as a safety measure.

The minute our Lost & Found Temporary Tattoos appeared in the mailbox, my kids were begging me to “please, please, please” put them on. I received the boys/girls kit, which included six tattoos, moisture wipes (for application), alcohol wipes (for removal) and a marker to customize each tattoo with an emergency contact number. I’m sure most of you moms out there are familiar with simple temporary-tattoo application, and these are no different. Once they were on, I used the marker to write my cell phone number on the blank area of the tattoo and, voila — my kids were smiling at their dinosaur and rocket tattoos, and I was pleased with the safety check. Now we were ready for … the bathtub? Yep, how else could I ensure this product would last at a pool or water park, as advertised? Or how about a rigorous 20-second scrubbing of hands, wrists and forearms, which my children perform after each and every bathroom visit? (I wish!) I’m pleased to report that after extensive splish-splashy water play, my phone number was still completely legible on my sons’ arms (and for days to come, to boot).

Although my first-grader knows our phone number by heart, I suspect that in a stressful “I’m lost” situation, he could easily confuse digits. With these tattoos, which he happily wears, he would still have our phone number, just in case. Lost & Found Temporary Tattoos even offer designs specifically for autistic kids and adults suffering from Alzheimer’s and nut allergies. No more worries on outings to the zoo, museum or mall, or on school field trips. Now that’s a tattoo with a purpose.