In a sign of the times, child DNA identification kits are replacing hot dogs and balloons as the favorite giveaway of car dealers, toy stores and others seeking to do business with the parents of young children, according to USA Today.

Over the past three years, DNA kit manufacturers have distributed an estimated 300,000 kits at promotions in at least a dozen states in the East, South and Midwest. The kits are used to collect and store biological samples, typically skin cells from a cotton swab inserted in a child's mouth. The cells contain DNA, a genetic code that can be used

to trace missing persons.

The kits usually retail for $10 to $15. They

contain a swab for taking the sample and a specially treated slide or vial for preserving it. Businesses typically buy them at a discount and give them away or sell them for a nominal charge. Parents keep the sample, and if a comparison is needed, a lab must be hired to extract the DNA and analyze it, usually at a cost of $100 or more.

Mike Perlini, general manager of Tasca Volvo in Seekonk, Mass., says the DNA kit program is a natural for car dealers looking to attract safety-conscious young families. He says Tasca's kit giveaway on April 27 already has

provided a "positive afterglow for our business in this community."