A GPS watch allows you, as a parent, to know where your child is at any time of the day, which is always reassuring, especially if he has to travel alone or not accompanied by an adult. For children, the GPS watch is a fun and fashionable accessory that allows them to stay connected with their parents .
However, it is not always easy to choose the best model of GPS watch, so we offer this buying guide and our comparison so that you can make the best choice for your child.
The children's GPS watch, a guarantee of safety for parents
About 50,000 children are abducted or lost each year. Fortunately, most are brought back to their parents very quickly, but there are still 1,500 worrying disappearances reported to the police.
It is obvious that one should not live in anxiety and fear, but unfortunately, it is always possible that a child has a bad encounter or gets lost.
This is why offering a GPS watch to your child is a good idea, both for him and for you. This watch will alert you as soon as your child leaves the area you have defined, and will allow you to know the place where your child is, and therefore to have the possibility of finding him easily. For him, the watch will allow him to communicate quickly with you, and therefore reassure him.
Fortunately, very often, the child only gets lost, and it is not very far from his usual path, he left his familiar zone by mistake or to avoid an obstacle and ended up not finding his way again . Therefore, if he does not have a phone, his GPS watch will allow him to trigger an SOS alert which will give you his exact location or to contact you so that you can help him find his way easily.
Our Pick of The Best Kids GPS watch
LDB Direct Kids GPS Tracker
The LDB Direct watch is equipped with IP67 international waterpfoof and dustproof level. You will not stress about your kid damaging it while playing with water or swimming.
Additional features of this smartwatch include the GPS and LBS (local base station) tracking ability, giving your child a double security level.
You can also perform a two way call with familiy members. Finally the SOS key, when presses for 3 seconds can call family members in case of distress.
The watch support micro sim card (not provided with the device).
Waterproof Smart Watch for Kids With GPS Tracker
This is the best gift for Kids from 3 to 12 years old. The screen is HD colored rendering clear pictures
It has multi-functional configuration to provide a high level of protection to your child.
The device is capable of making a two-way call and is equipped with a one push SOS button for emergencies.
Finally it boots a duel technology safety with LBS and GPS Tracker. It's IP67 waterproof and comes with a free sim card.
Kids SmartWatch With Phone and GPS Tracker
You can donate this watch as a birthday’s gift to kids. It's also a phone with multi-function and remote monitoring features.
You can make two-way calls and by pressing an SOS button for 3 seconds, you can make distress calls.
This device is waterproof, has LBS and GPS Tracker with plenty of usefull applications built in such as voice chat and games.
How To Choose Your Child's GPS Tracker?
1- Ease of use
This generation has known from birth how a smartphone or tablet works, so it is very likely that your child will almost naturally know how to use their GPS watch.
However, ease of use remains an essential criterion, because this product is intended for children, and must often be used in situations that are otherwise urgent, at least not reassuring. So now is not the time to have to research for several minutes how the watch works.
This is why both children and parents will appreciate an easily accessible SOS button. The watch screen should also be clear and intuitive.
2 - Features
Obviously, the GPS functionality and the SOS function are the ones that should matter to you the most, since this watch aims to locate your child, but other functionalities are available depending on the models, which you can choose according to your needs and of your child's.
The second function which can be interesting for a GPS watch for a child is the “communication” function which works with a SIM card (and therefore a small telephone subscription), to call or send SMS to your toddler.
Finally, there is also often a pedometer mode on this kind of watch, which allows you to know if your cherub is moving enough, since the WHO advises a minimum of 10,000 steps per day.
You will therefore be able to choose between multiple functionalities in order to best adapt your choice
3 - Autonomy
The long lasting battery is also a condition sine qua non to choose a good GPS watch for children, since it will be paid normally every day of the week, most of the day with your child.
However, if your toddler is no longer under your supervision for only a few hours, there is no need for a very enduring battery, knowing that the child can recharge it every night.
On the contrary, if you leave your child for a whole day, or even several, it would be better to choose a battery that can last ten hours or more. Whatever happens, it is always better to plan a longer autonomy than necessary, in case of unforeseen events, so that the battery is not dead when the child really needs his watch.
4 - Design and size
Childhood and early adolescence is a time when appearance and style are important to the child. Therefore, design is a criterion to take into account. If you can, choose the watch in his presence, to be sure that he likes it and that he or she takes pleasure in wearing it. It is impossible that he or she does not find his happiness as the styles, colors, shapes, decorations are varied.
In terms of size, the watch should not be too large for the child's wrist, which is still small and fragile. Think that if he falls, and he catches up with his hands, the watch could hurt him.
5 - Manufacturing quality
The watch that you buy must be of quality, obviously, so that it resists all the movements and games of your child. It will run, play with others, sometimes heckle, or even fall, the watch must therefore be able to resist all shocks, in particular the screen which is the most fragile part of the device. The bracelet must also be held on the wrist so that the child does not lose it at the slightest movement.
No watch is obviously indestructible, especially in the hands of a child, but most GPS watches are thought to be solid. You can also advise your child to take off his watch during recess or while playing sports.
6 - Embedded applications
In addition to the classic functionalities, it is possible to find other on-board applications, to warn the child that he is leaving his usual path, or to encourage him to take more steps. Some systems work with a small animal which must be dealt with with the points earned by moving more (like the tamagotchi which was all the rage in the late 1990s)
If his friends have the same watch, the child will be able to compare his records with them, and even challenge himself where the one who moves the most wins.
How To Properly Use a Children's GPS Watch?
Most GPS watches sold commercially today require the purchase of a SIM card. It is therefore a question of understanding how to operate this watch.
You must first install the SIM card in the watch. Make sure it is a micro- SIM already. Then check that the card does not have a PIN code. If so, insert it into a phone, go to device settings, and deactivate the PIN code for the card.
This done, it is now enough to insert the card into the watch by unscrewing the back screws to open the watch. Then remove the battery and open the compartment provided for the SIM card. Gently insert the card into the slot in the correct direction, then close the compartment. Replace the battery and replace the cover screws, making sure to place them correctly.
To make sure that the installation worked well, turn on the watch and check that the watch detects a network signal and mobile data (same icons as on a conventional smartphone).
Now that the SIM card is installed in the watch, you need to pair the watch with an application on your personal smartphone. The SeTracker application is the most widespread.
To install, like any application, go either to Google Play (for an Android smartphone) or to the Apple Store (for an iOS smartphone). Once installed, launch the application.
Then, normally, you will find a barcode on the back of the watch, glued to the back cover, scan it or enter the code by hand.
Then fill in the form offered by the application (e-mail, name for the watch, your phone number, access password and region of use)
Once all this is done, the application will send you an email or a text message confirming registration.
To configure the watch, you just need to follow the instructions for the application and the watch.
GPS connected watch or GPS bracelet for children: which choice to make?
A GPS connected watch and a GPS bracelet have the same goal: to be able to monitor your child and locate him if he gets lost. However, the two gadgets do not have quite the same features and the same design.
As their names indicate, the bracelet does not indicate any additional information, since it does not have a screen, while the watch also indicates the time and has a screen, most often touchscreen.
In short, the choice will be made according to your needs. If you simply want to benefit from the “localization” function, a bracelet will suffice, whereas if you wish to offer your child a real object serving as an activity “tracker”, in addition to the possibility of knowing where your child is, choose a watch.
The GPS tracker for children should not become a means of spying!
If knowing where your child is and knowing that he can call you in case of danger reassures you, however, you should not fall into your child's continuous spying, especially if he begins to enter adolescence and he wants to start gaining independence.
It is therefore necessary to leave your child free, to show him that you trust him.
This kind of watch gives the child autonomy, by monitoring him, without necessarily being at his side.
If the child knows he is being spied on in his every move, he may also remove the device and even take more risks, to show you that he can very well do without you, which is not necessarily the case, so it can end up in difficult situations