Pink, blue or white… This little plastic bracelet on which your baby’s first and last name are written is one of the objects that you will keep as a souvenir all your life. But what is it really for? How to remove it? Explanations with Dr Catherine Salinier, pediatrician.
For forty years, the fitting of an identification bracelet to newborns is compulsory in French maternities. What is it used for ? Who puts it on and how do I take it off? Explanations with Dr Catherine Salinier, ambulatory pediatrician, head of the “Child psychiatry” and “Adolescent” groups of the AFPA.
What is a newborn identification bracelet?
“The newborn identification bracelet is a small white, pink or blue plastic bracelet with the baby’s surname, first name and date of birth. It is placed at the wrist or ankle. This system came into force about forty years ago., says Dr. Catherine Salinier. In a note from the High Authority for Health (HAS) concerning the care to be given to the baby after birth, fitting an identification bracelet is mentioned.
What is the role of the bracelet placed at birth?
The newborn identification bracelet is basically intended to avoid baby swapping, like the tragedy that occurred in July 1994 in a maternity ward in Cannes. Placed in the same crib to be treated for jaundice, Manon and Mathilde were mistakenly swapped when handing them over to their parents. A drama that would never have happened if the two babies had worn an identification bracelet.
Who puts on the newborn identification bracelet?
It is the midwife who puts the identification bracelet on the newborn in the delivery room. She makes sure that the bracelet stays in place throughout the maternity stay.
To remove the identification bracelet, simply cut it with scissors once baby is out of the maternity ward.
Thanks to Dr Catherine Salinier, ambulatory pediatrician, head of the “Pedopsychiatry” and “Adolescent” groups of the AFPA, expert on the parenting site Mpedia.