The genius 'temporary tattoo' hack that keeps your kids safe

Is your little one a budding escape artist, ready to run at the drop of a hat? Perhaps you should try this clever little trick.

We recently published an article outlining this clever little trick to keep your kids safer in crowded places. It's genius really, and you don't even need to get them micro-chipped!

A California police department came up with the idea, in case parents and children become separated while out and about. They recommended parents, “Write your phone number on their [child's] wrist and cover it with liquid band aid in case you get separated.” Easy, right?

To make sure that this is truly kid-proof, we've given this simple hack a road test, using products you can buy in Australia, and (most importantly) on an actual toddler who, incidentally, had spent the large part of the morning throwing tantrums and being totally uncooperative.

Step 1:

The basics: Using a Sharpie, write your phone number on your  child's arm.

The reality: This should be simple really, but of course I didn't have a 'Sharpie' per se. Instead I used some other perfectly reasonable looking felt tip pen.

Surprisingly, my usually squirmy child remained perfectly still throughout the tattoo process. But it should be noted: writing a phone number on that soft, squishy toddler skin isn't easy. As you can see, mine didn't come out so good. Also, the colour was kinda faint. Should have used an actual Sharpie.

Step 2:

The basics: Cover with liquid Band Aid. I had to do a little hunt to find the stuff, but Elastoplast do a waterproof spray plaster that does the trick (I found mine for $13.39 from Priceline).

The reality: Naturally, the toddler wanted nothing more than to be the boss of the spray plaster. And of course, this was not something I was thrilled about (at that price it's practically liquid gold). Thankfully, the novelty of having something sprayed on him was just enough to ward him off.

Step 3:

The basics: Allow to dry for about a minute, and then LET YOUR CHILD RUN WILD AND FREEEEEE! (Well, you know ...)

The reality: I may have held the spray can too close to my toddler's arm because:

1. My intrigued toddler could NOT keep his little face away from the business on his arm;
2. The directions are very clear about NOT spraying the product on the face; and
3. Aside: face tattoos are never a good idea.

Also, I may have used an inferior brand of felt tip pen.

The result was that everything kind of ran everywhere. I gave my own child a bad tattoo. Rats.

BUT:

1.  I was SURE the child would rub that stuff off IMMEDIATELY, and he didn't - so, hooray!
2. Once it all dried, everything was legible enough and I could rest assured that if he ever got lost in a crowd, someone would have the details needed to contact me.
3. It's WATERPROOF! Genius. Absolute genius.
4. I later tried it out again, this time using a Sharpie and holding the spray at the the correct distance, on my own arm. I made a note to self: Where is your kid? It worked a treat!