How to Make a Child Identification Kit

An identification kit for your child consists of information that can help law enforcement track him down if he's missing. It's important to have data ready so that local police can enter it into the FBI's National Crime Information Center. This makes it available to federal, state and local law enforcement. Here's how to make your kit.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 8-1/2 x 11 inch piece of card stock
• Current photo
• Black ink pad
• Strands of hair
• 2 plastic bags
• Dental record

1. Fold the piece of card stock in half so it looks like a greeting card. Label the front page "Child Identification Kit."
2. Write the following information about your child on the front cover of the card stock page: full name (including middle), nickname, address, date of birth, sex and race.
3. Tape a current picture of your child on the left side of the second page of the card stock. Keep old photographs of your child with the information kit, but a current one should always appear on the second page.
4. Draw a large box underneath your child's photo that covers the width of the page. Divide it into 2 rows of 5 smaller squares.
5. Roll your child's right thumb on the ink pad and place it carefully in the first box. Make sure the fingerprint is complete and undistorted. Do this with each of your child's fingers.
6. Extract 25 to 50 strands of hair from your child's head from the roots. This allows law enforcement to identify her through DNA testing. Place the strands in a plastic bag and paper-clip it to the card.
7. Create a large box on the third page of the kit with 3 columns of 6 boxes. Make a growth chart by recording the date and your child's height and weight each year.
8. Record below the growth chart your child's hair and eye color, blood type, ear piercings, scars, identifying marks and any other features that can help law enforcement identify your child.
9. Have the dentist make x-rays of your child's teeth and keep them in a sealed bag with the identification kit. List emergency phone numbers like local police and hospitals for easy reference in case your child goes missing.

Tips & Warnings

• Update the information in the child identification kit once a year.
• Keep the kit in a safe, hidden place.
• Take the kit with you when you travel.