A few weeks ago I posted about wearable GPS trackers for kids and why this may be a trend for parenting of the future. I am not by any means a helicopter parent and I won’t be tracking my teens everywhere they go but even with my more relaxed, free range parenting ways I saw a need for devices like these.
As I explained in that post, I am the mom of two special needs children (autism spectrum) and one in particular has a tendency to wander. Parents of high needs children have enough on their plates as it is. Anything that can alleviate some of our ever constant worries, gets an A+ from me.
For a couple weeks I have been able to test drive the Not Your Child GPS trackers.
I love that the device is small and sturdy. It is after all going to be in the hands of littles who don’t quite grasp the concept of being gentle. It can easily go in a backpack pocket, pants pocket, or it can be put on the custom lanyard that comes with the device. That way it can be worn on their person. I personally liked to use it in a cargo pants pocket. That way my son didn’t even have to know it was there…and frankly no one else would either if something nefarious is your concern. The lanyard option though is great for travel or a trip to the state fair where you can put it around their neck when you head out.
It is so small and light that it would be amazing to take with you while traveling. Congested subways and busy cities would not be so nerve racking if you had this little bit of piece of mind with you. It works in 103 different countries.
The device and service allows you to set a variety of alerts to be delivered to your cell phone by S.M.S or via email; alerts including…
- S.O.S – emergency
- Geo-fences – notification of them leaving and leaving a predetermined address or area
- Landmarks – What landmarks are nearby
- Speeding – how fast they are going and if they have reached or exceeded the speed threshold you have set
- Status – idle, moving, stopped, speed altitude, direction of movement
- Low battery (threshold also customizable)
I can see the value in GPS trackers as an autism mom but if you are the type who just wants to spy a little on your older kids…well it would be easy to do. It might also be a good way to look into route and speed information for the transportation services you use for childcare or schools.
As your children grow up and start using smartphones, Not Your Child can still grow with them. With their Track Now software, you can turn their phone into GPS tracker that has the same functionality you loved in wearable GPS device plus speed alerts to see how fast your child is driving, SOS alerts to notify you with the push of a button if they are in trouble when they cannot call or speak on the phone and more. Traffic accidents in rural areas and teen parties are two scenarios that come to mind where that would be handy.
It is a great device and service and I highly recommend it if your circumstances require it.
This post was written in partnership with Not Your Child Corp. but as always the opinions I share here are my own and based on my own world view.
