Kids Cell Phone

There are some technological advances that we could do without, especially the ones that involve children, but cell phone technology, when used in the right way, is a practical approach to being there for your children all the time.  A kids cell phone, designed with the needs and maturity of those 12 year of age and under is an excellent way to always be in touch.

Allowing children to be more independent is what parents should be focussed on as they are raising their kids.  Age appropriate independence can be easier to nurture when you know that you can always contact them.  The beauty of cell phones for anyone is that we can constantly stay in touch.  Move this technology to a suitable design for children and we’ve got more parental connection for them and more reassurance for parents.  The various cell phone designs for children are recommended for as young as 4 years old.  At this age range the phone hardly even resembles a cell phone but it uses similar technology to connect with your children.

To start a child with a phone, the most common and worldwide options are for kids about 7 or 8 years old, but a couple of options that are currently only available in Holland are the iKids GPS Phone and the Buddy Bear phone.  Neither of these phones have screens or a typical phone button pad, but are very useful for the GPS tracker capabilities, which are still functional even when the phone is off.  The iKids phone has the ability to pre-program 4 phone numbers and the Buddy Bear phone has a SOS button that sends a text to parents as well as 4 pre-programmed number buttons.  Although these have yet to be sold worldwide, it may be possible to buy one on sites like ebay.  Just be sure to check the compatibility with your cell phone service provider to ensure it will work with your country’s transmitting technology.

The GPS tracking alone make these a peace of mind item for parents and can allow you kids to play in the great outdoors - going exploring and adventure finding - yet still have the reassurance that parents aren’t completely out of contact.  It’s also great to use exploring with your children, hiking through forests and trails, or other landscapes.  With these above-mentioned models being more of a glorified walkie-talkie than a cell phone, there are many other uses than just to stay in touch when you’re away from each other.  It actually creates a whole new way to interact with your kids.  Separating purposely just for fun so you can easily find each other again is a great game to pay outside.  This also allows for kids to take the step of more independence in a variety of situations as they may be trying something new like walking themselves to a friend’s house.  Knowing they can talk to someone the whole way there and that you can talk to them the whole way there, assists kids in gradually and safely be more self-reliant.  It’s an added security for their independent nature to bloom.

For a pre-teen cell phone with a few more features and activities the popular Firefly phone has been a favourite geared to 8-12 year olds.  With fun features on the phone and restricted calling, this is the next step for kids expanding maturity.  A kids cell phone is a worthy investment to be a helpful tool in raising and keeping in touch with your children.