Talking Allergies

I am thinking of getting a couple of spare epipen holders in case ours get lost, wrecked, etc. Both kids currently have a Kozyepi duo, old style that just fit the new style epipens. Has anyone tried these: http://www.spibelt.com/kidsbelts.htm ?

I found two allergy product sites selling them as epipen holders and found the original site which makes them for runners to carry stuff, and is also marketing them to hold diabetic supplies, etc.

The difference seems the pouch is thinner and more stretchy, but waist strap appears to be elastic as well, which might good for kids? I find we are constantly adjusting our kozies due to wearing them inside shirt, outside shirt, thicker vs thinner shirt, etc.

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

Nobody? Ok, I'll order two and post back when we get them.

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

I ordered one and received it a few days ago. I like the compactness of it and the elasticity of the waistband - it was frustrating to constantly adjust the Kozy with different thicknesses of clothing.

I haven't shown my daughter yet because I'm concerned the thin spandex type fabric wouldn't have the (albeit slight) insulating properties the neoprene on the Kozies have, and while the kids always wear them under their jacket in the winter, sometimes they are put in my purse or dh's pocket. Our city isn't all that cold, but I do worry about that. Also,I'm guessing the fabric isn't as sturdy and might snag on things?

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

I was wondering how you are enjoying your spibelt? I am looking into getting some kind of belt/carrier for my epipens for when I don't want to carry a purse. I am considering the spibelt and the leg and waist buddy from http://www.omaxcare.com/index.html I like the leg one since I can hide it under my pants and not have to worry about bulk around my waist but it wont be helpful when I am skiing in the winter or in the summer so I think I need a waist one too. Anyone have any opinions they are willing to share?
Thanks

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Sarah
Outgrew: Wheat, corn, egg, chicken, to name a few
Sensitive to Milk/Dairy products
Allergic to: Tree nuts, percocet, toradol, environmental allergies and chemical allergies
Migraines caused by scented products, barometric pressure

Both kids ar now using their spibelts at school, and both say it's more comfortable with the elastic belt. DS is a pretty rough and tumble kid, and so far it has held up fine.

Conversely, I'm using our old kozy type belt we got free from Epipen when I go running so I can take my phone and keys. I actually prefer the neoprene as it seems sturdier to carry heavy and/or sharp-ish items like keys.

There are spibelts on clearance and free shipping, the investment wouldn't be much ifyou use it occasionally for skiing.

I haven't tried the leg buddy, but think it's a great option for teenage boys or anyone who doesn't carry a purse or bag.. . .as long as they don't wear skinny jeans!

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

Thanks for the quick reply. I think I am going to go with the SPIbelt and leave the legbuddy for now. The shipping on the legbuddy is almost as much as the actually product so am going to see how the SPIbelt goes then get the other later. The free shipping and getting one on sale sold me!

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Sarah
Outgrew: Wheat, corn, egg, chicken, to name a few
Sensitive to Milk/Dairy products
Allergic to: Tree nuts, percocet, toradol, environmental allergies and chemical allergies
Migraines caused by scented products, barometric pressure

Thanks for the great option, I like the elastic waist band also. That is the reason I recently sewed not the pouch (use the MEC one) but our own waistband out of good elastic. I was so frustrated with adjusting the strap 3x a day. I bought the proper black (I think 1.5") elastic for waistbands. If it is slightly ridged it is the correct type for not twisting. Then I bought a black buckle to fit. Sewed them together and voila. A perfect fit for an expanding little boy belly and layers of clothing.
It worked for our case as the MEC case is already black and the loops on the back are the exact size of the elastic. I like the look of the Spibelt, keep us posted if you have any issues but it really does look like a good option.

And Sarah, good choice. You'll be even happier with your decision once you read the issues two different people on the forum had with omaxcare. Here's the link to the thread.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5673&p=38826&hilit=omaxcare#p38826

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

I love the SPIbelts I have. They fit snug, are small enough to wear under a shirt, and never bounce around whilst running. I'm a very small adult and other carriers I have tried either don't adjust small enough for my waist (without me altering them) and/or bounce around a lot (annoying whilst running!) or are really bulky. SPIbelts can hold 2 EpiPens and an inhaler, plus money and a key or two (or more if you don't have an inhaler). Beware that the hinges on the EpiPen case are sharp and the material is thin, so they can eventually wear through. I fix the problem by sticking my EpiPens in a zip-top bag before putting them in the carrier, which softens the sharp edges and keeps the EpiPens dry when I'm sweaty or out in the rain.

Any-who, that's my little review. My husband (without allergies) also has one to wear under his clothes whilst travelling to keep his passport and money secure. Multi-purpose little things.

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anaphylaxis to tree nuts and peanuts; asthmatic, dairy intolerant, vegan
other family members allergic to to dairy, egg, peanut, peach, banana, sesame, environmentals

Thanks for the heads up. Too bad, they seem like a great product if they would improve their customer service they would get so much business from us.

I ordered the double pocket SPI belt and a SPI pocket that can go onto a regular belt. I checked and I can return it to a local running room if I am not satisfied within 30 days! It should arrive in a week or two, just in time for me to go to Blue Mountain hiking I will let you all know what I think.

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Sarah
Outgrew: Wheat, corn, egg, chicken, to name a few
Sensitive to Milk/Dairy products
Allergic to: Tree nuts, percocet, toradol, environmental allergies and chemical allergies
Migraines caused by scented products, barometric pressure

Good idea about the ziploc bag, SpaceCanada. I'm always afraid of ruining my cell phone from sweat or rain in my pouch.

Sarah - hope you like the spibelt. I think it's a great product! The free shipping was a huge bonus, too.

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

Thanks for the tip on the Spibelt. Always looking for a slimmer model for my skinny little dude.

I just found this one on the web but wondered if it was too flimsy?
http://www.onespotallergy.ca/Stretchy-F ... sa0025.htm

We are currently using the MEC holder sewn onto permanent strapping (so it doesn't fall off of DS's belt at school). Wish I had thought of putting some elastic in that webbing.

For heavy sports like skiing he wears the medic alert one since it is a hard case. he says it is comfortable under his T-shirt for school too. http://www.medicalert.ca/en/members/pro ... p?typeId=9

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DS 1: anaphylactic to peanuts, allergic to fish
DS 2: asthma

I saw the onespot allergy one also, and it looks like it IS the spibelt. It had the exact same fabric choices.

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

With all these positive reviews, I decided to order 4 Spi-belts for our entire family. For $19.99 each and free shipping, I decided I might as well get them for all of us. I absolutely love the Spi-belt!! They are so comfortable and so thin - very little bulk. My daughter wore one to a Halloween party last weekend and carried my phone with her, and you could barely see any bulk at her waistline. My daughter has never worn anything like this before as she is not the one with food allergies, and it did not bother her at all. The main reason I bought them was so our son, my husband and I could wear them when we need to (skiing, etc.). I decided that it would also be nice for my daughter to have one now that she is getting older and may carry my phone from time to time. A few of her friends have lost their phones, and this way you know the phone is secure in a zippered belt.

The other thing I purchased was the waterproof pouches (3/pack). They are pretty good, but I find the Epipen has to be removed from the container as it will not fit in the pouch. We would only use this if we were at a very large water park or the beach.

One tip: if you want to use this to carry Epipens, make sure you order the 8.9" model (rather than the standard 6"). I needed to call about details for a specific product, and when I spoke with the customer service rep, she indicated that the 8" is the best for carrying the Epipen on a frequent basis.

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14 yr old daughter: no health issues
11 yr old son: allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, sesame, sunflower, mustard, poppy seeds, green peas, some fruits, instructed to avoid all other legumes (except soy & green beans), pollen, cats, horses

Well, we still love our spibelts, but am seeing very small holes in DS's pack that will get bigger over time. He is not a careful kid and likes to climb, etc, so I'm not surprised. He also didn't close his waterbottle one time and the bottom of his backpack was soaked, and it transferred onto his spibelt, which also go wet. Luckily it didn't get to the inside of the epipen case. So I have just ordered him a water resistant spibelt. They don't have this option on their site, but I got a custom one and am hoping this will work. I didn't get DD one also because they only have black neoprene and she hasn't spilled anything on hers yet!

Will post back when I get it. I hope it fits, now that I think about it, because it will be less stretchy than the spandex materials. . .

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

Hi Julie,
I am thinking about buying a spibelt for my daughter. She needs something less bulky. Which model fit the epipen best? Did your belts have a logo on them? I noticed on the website that there were nonlogo ones for children but I can't see any nonlogo adult ones. How long did it take to receive your order?
Thanks,
Kate

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11 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema
9 year old son - no allergies