Names on backpacks for PreK - kindergarten?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never heard of a real life crime/kidnapping resulting from a child’s name on a backpack. I am a huge worrier but this seems more like Internet urban legend. Kids are at much more risk statistically from people they know, who already know their name.

+1

[Anonymous]

The responses are so interesting here.

I look at it as an easy way to minimize risk.

Things do happen. Look at Relisha Rudd from DC many years ago. I’ll take every precaution I can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t even know I should have anxiety about this and I’m not at all convinced I should.

I've always heard this as a basic safety precaution. Particularly with pre-k/k kids, they're young and not streetwise and taught to respect adults. So if someone comes up to them and says "Olivia you're supposed to come with me" it's not remotely farfetched or paranoid to imagine that they will do exactly that.

We were warned about this TWENTY years ago. I have a sibling in the social services field and she confirmed it is not too paranoid to be worried about this.

[Anonymous]

No
And do lands end not Etsy
Bags will last for ever

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t even know I should have anxiety about this and I’m not at all convinced I should.

I've always heard this as a basic safety precaution. Particularly with pre-k/k kids, they're young and not streetwise and taught to respect adults. So if someone comes up to them and says "Olivia you're supposed to come with me" it's not remotely farfetched or paranoid to imagine that they will do exactly that.

It’s an urban legend. Watch the uncles and stepfathers and don’t worry about backpacks.

- child sex crimes prosecutor of 20 years

+1. Seriously. My kids are always with a trusted adult (pretty much a parent or school teacher) Also, we never did a stupid “code word” either. I told my kids, if something happens to me, I will NEVER send a stranger with a code word to pick you up. It will be Daddy or Grandma, or one of Mommy’s good friends that you know well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t even know I should have anxiety about this and I’m not at all convinced I should.

I've always heard this as a basic safety precaution. Particularly with pre-k/k kids, they're young and not streetwise and taught to respect adults. So if someone comes up to them and says "Olivia you're supposed to come with me" it's not remotely farfetched or paranoid to imagine that they will do exactly that.

We were warned about this TWENTY years ago. I have a sibling in the social services field and she confirmed it is not too paranoid to be worried about this.

Y’all act like your 5 year old is walking home from school a mile alone in the hood. Either you pick them up at school or your meet them at the bus! Exactly how do you envision a kidnapping occurring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, we used bag tags, that way the bags could be handed down and/or donated easily. No one wants little Aiofe's personalized bag, LOL

This exactly. No names or initials here, because of utility.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. I don't want some stranger walking up to my kid and calling them by name they got off their backpack. Initials only.

[Anonymous]

My kid isn't stupid enough to go home with a stranger. And she never was even at 18 months. Smh

[Anonymous]

I dont like people knowing my kids name, its weird. Not just a risk, but weird. My sister dresses her kids in monogrammed and name labeled stuff and it makes me cringe. Names can go inside the backpack. Also expect to upgrade to a bigger sturdier bag in a few years so dont put much effort or money in to this one.

[Anonymous]

Initials, definitely not names.

[Anonymous]

We did name on lunch box earlier, in a highly protected environment (locked gates, locked doors, and so on) where we were the only ones who took DC inside and picked her up from inside. No bus and no carpool. Name was just to differentiate at lunch time from other kids with identical lunch boxes.

Now that DC is in elementary and the school is not as locked down, we dropped both name and initials from backpacks and lunch boxes. We do put our name and phone inside on a card, just so a Samaritan could return it if it ever gets lost.

[Anonymous]

I did it. My kid understands stranger danger and 4 years of elementary it's not been an issue.

I figure when she outgrows her backpack we will just sew or iron on a patch to cover her name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t even know I should have anxiety about this and I’m not at all convinced I should.

I've always heard this as a basic safety precaution. Particularly with pre-k/k kids, they're young and not streetwise and taught to respect adults. So if someone comes up to them and says "Olivia you're supposed to come with me" it's not remotely farfetched or paranoid to imagine that they will do exactly that.

We were warned about this TWENTY years ago. I have a sibling in the social services field and she confirmed it is not too paranoid to be worried about this.

Y’all act like your 5 year old is walking home from school a mile alone in the hood. Either you pick them up at school or your meet them at the bus! Exactly how do you envision a kidnapping occurring?

People are so paranoid about weird things. Kidnapping by strangers is vanishingly rare. Most of them are custody disputes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No
And do lands end not Etsy
Bags will last for ever

Pottery barn is also good, the backpack we got is still going strong after 3 years of wear and tear