I discovered the Blue Bear Aware site a few years ago when, feeling helpless when my friend’s son was diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy, I went in search if something to buy them to show them my support. If you have a child with an allergy, this website is invaluable to your household – but even if you know someone who has a child with an allergy, this is a great site for gift giving as well.
When your child is diagnosed with a food allergy, as a parent you feel pretty helpless. Suddenly your own kitchen becomes a danger zone, restaurants are absolutely frightening, and the idea of your child at a birthday party makes you nervous and scared. I am the mom of a child with allergies (I don’t like saying ‘allergic child’ as the allergies don’t define who she is). Blue Bear Aware creates t-shirts and accessories for children with allergies. As the site says, “empower the one you love today.” I love that message. Knowledge is power, and Blue Bear Aware helps spread the message about allergies and how potentially dangerous they can be.
Blue Bear Aware sent me some great items to review (I’m so thankful for these items!) including this adorable Allergy Princess shirt! One of the important things the staff at our allergist’s office told us was to ensure that whenever we were at a big gathering (family bbq, wedding, etc.) my daughter had some sort of information clearly visible on her indicating her allergy (button, sticker, etc).
This shirt is perfect for that reason, but also just as an every day shirt for a child to wear – allergies are as normal as every other thing in life.
When I saw the sizes available in this shirt (starting at size 4) I was disappointed because I thought I wouldn’t be able to get one for my daughter who is 17 months old. Elizabeth from Blue Bear Aware let me know that the shirts are a slim fit, and that a 4 might not be too big for her after all. I am so glad I picked this shirt – the size 4 is still quite big on my daughter but she can likely wear it this summer as a baggy shirt and later this fall layered with a long sleeve shirt underneath. (ARV $24.95)
Another item that we were sent was the Allergy Alert Badge which is a great way to personalize a child’s outerwear or sports uniforms with an allergy message. I liked that they are available in a choice of colors and think little girls especially would appreciate having one in pink like this! (ARV $5.50/badge)
The third item Elizabeth from Blue Bear Aware sent us is the Playdate Cards. I have already used these cards by writing all the appropriate info on one to leave at my parent’s house.
Being a stay at home mom I’m rarely away from my kids (which is why I’m clearly a little insane by now), and on the rare occasion that I am, I love that all the information a family member needs is at hand on this card. It’s much better than a simple notepad – it’s clear, detailed, bright, and won’t get lost in a drawer this way.
The card has the following written with additional space for details: Please don’t feed me…My allergic reaction will look like…Do the following immediately…Then call….
These cards are excellent for family members, babysitters, schools, and anyone else who will be around your child when you’re not (or even when you are, it’s a good idea to keep one in your diaper bag or purse at all times). (ARV $19.95/20 cards)
Along with my review items, I thought it was time that we purchased in auto-injector case for our Epi-Pen instead of the ugly one we got from the doctor’s office. I picked this case, with the adult belt (since we will be the ones carrying it for quite awhile yet). What I liked about the case is that the belt is removable, so it can fit in my diaper bag without the bulk of the strap. It’s just a little bigger than a sunglasses case. (ARV $36.95)
Blue Bear Aware is offering a $25.00 gift certificate to 1 reader. To enter this contest you need to do 2 things:
1) Tell me what you would purchase with this certificate.
2) Tell me who it would be for. Please don’t enter for the sake of winning a prize, as the items on this site can be a huge asset to a family dealing with allergies. If you know someone who has allergies, enter to win them something they can really use and appreciate!
For additional entries:
~ Follow me
~ Subscribe via email
~ Grab my button
~ Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link
~ Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway
Please ensure your profile is public or leave me your email address in your comment. This giveaway will end on May 6th at 10:00pm CT. I will use Random.org to choose the winner, email the winner, and post the win here. Giveaway is open to Canadian and US addresses.
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