Child Location Devices: They Come In Many Sizes and Prices

The episode got me wondering about the current state of child location devices and whether they are useful in keeping track of your little one. I’m not talking about child abduction cases where police and other law enforcement agencies get involved. And, I’m not referring to older children who could be easily found if necessary through their cell phone or similar device. I’m referring to the type of product that a parent might use while she/he is at the park, at a friend’s house, a birthday party or a similar situation where it might be wise to keep track of their very young child.

Lots Of Choices

I did a little research and quickly found a wide variety of such devices. They vary in size and certainly by price. You can spend anywhere from $20 to a couple of hundred dollars for a child locator/tracker or system.  But, cost may be the last thing you worry about if a device can – at the very least – give you peace of mind.

With that in mind, here’s a run-down on several of the products I found.

1. AmberWatch – This is a GPS-based system. It works by having your child wear a small tracking device on a lanyard or easily carried in a pocket or backpack. It costs around $100 plus a $10 monthly fee. This might be a little more complicated than most people want and requires some level of awareness by the child about how to operate the device and that might be more than a parent can expect from a toddler.
2. A similar device is the AmberAlertGPS. It is also GPS-based and costs $125 with a monthly service/membership plan of up to $5. It too might be a little more technological advanced than a child can easily use. But, the monitoring feature is attractive and the SOS button that a child can use to summon help is nice.
3. The Spark Nano GPS Tracker from Brickhouse Security comes in at pricey $150 but it is a stand-alone device – there’s no membership or monthly service fee. The device sends information about a child’s location directly to any smartphone, tablet or PC.
4. On the other end of the price scale is Brickhouse Security’s Toddler Tag Child Locator. It comes in at a thrifty $30. But, this is not a GPS system. It is very basic. It attaches to a child's clothes and sends out a loud siren whenever the child wanders 30 feet away from the parent or caregiver who is wearing a companion receiver/transmitter. The parent can also push a button on the transmitter to sound a loud alarm on the child's receiver unit.
5. Several phone/cell companies also sell child locators. AT&T for example has GPS-based devices for $130 to $150.
6. BuddyTag has a whole line of child tracking/monitoring devices. They have wristband versions (like a watch) that sell for about $15 as well as the BuddyTag itself with various means by which to attach it (like Velcro) for around $35.
7. A similar device, from the Home Security Store, is the Mommy I’m Here child locator. It’s a clip on in the shape of a blue teddy bear and wirelessly communicates with a receiver held by the parent. It operates, however, only in a range of 100 feet. It costs $35.
8. Yet another very basic child tracking device is the Giggle Bug Toddler Tracker. It’s available at Amazon for a mere $13. Like Mommy I’m Here it emits a noise when the child is out of range.

What To Do?

What I’ve noticed in researching these products is there are many, many of them. Some of the companies that make the products seem to be in business one day and gone the next. In addition, price does suggest quality. A very inexpensive device or system may leave you with concerns about its reliability and durability. On the other hand expensive systems may not do a whole lot more than separate you from your hard-earned money.

My advice is to check out similar devices in stores where you can handle the device before you buy. Also, check out various parenting websites or blogs to see what others are saying about their experience with a particular device. A particularly useful website about one person’s search for a quality device is momswisdom.net.

Whether it’s high tech or low, high cost or economy, child locators are worth checking out.