LM: Kids Smart Watches

My 6yo daughter is starting to play with friends more around the neighborhood and ride her bike to her friends' houses. She also has some reminders she is required to do every few hours.  It was recommended to get her a smart watch.  We'd like to get her something so we can know where she is and remind her when it's time to come home (I know, 80's kids are shouting get off my lawn about now - me too, me too...)

Some quick research says the Gizmo Watch3 and the T-Mobile SynchUP KIDS are the two best ones out there. Any GRMers have any experience with the kids watches?  Any recommendations?

Thanks!

No direct experience but I have heard good things about Gabb wireless. 
 

https://gabb.com/

Man, I had a hard enough time remembering my glasses and underwear as a kid. A smartwatch would be a GHOST inside of ten seconds. 

My 10-year-old nephew has a Gizmo of some description - it's an older one. It's a nicely constrained device from what I can tell - it lets him make calls and send texts to specific people (every time he calls to wish my wife good night, she melts) and can be tracked. It also counts steps which is a Big Deal amongst that set.

If you're a T-Mobile user, they have what looks like a good option (I'm sure the other major carriers have similar).

https://www.t-mobile.com/smart-watch/t-mobile-syncup-kids-watch?sku=610214674203

Cliff Notes:

• Talk & Text with Approved Contacts
• Real-time Location Tracking
• Virtual Boundary Alerts
• Help & 911 Button
• Long-lasting Battery
• Snap, record, and share magic moments
• Keep on track with tasks and reminders
• Get in the zone with School Mode
• Splash-friendly & water resistant
• Interactive character animations, themes and games
• Factory Installed, User Replaceable Screen Protector
• Two Watch Band Options: Nylon and Silicon
• SyncUP KIDS Parent/Guardian App (iOS & Android)

We have been using T-Mobile SynchUP KIDS for 2 kids since last year. They ride the bus to school and that is helpful. Been very happy with them.

mr2s2000elise said:

We have been using T-Mobile SynchUP KIDS for 2 kids since last year. They ride the bus to school and that is helpful. Been very happy with them.

Moved over to the SynchUP a few months ago, it is okay. It kept going offline every week or so requiring a restart, but it seems to have stopped doing that now.

We had a TIMEX FamilyConnect that straight up died after a little over a year. No abuse, just overheated on the charger and dead. And out of warranty of course.

slefain said:

mr2s2000elise said:

We have been using T-Mobile SynchUP KIDS for 2 kids since last year. They ride the bus to school and that is helpful. Been very happy with them.

Moved over to the SynchUP a few months ago, it is okay. It kept going offline every week or so requiring a restart, but it seems to have stopped doing that now.

We had a TIMEX FamilyConnect that straight up died after a little over a year. No abuse, just overheated on the charger and dead. And out of warranty of course.

Interesting. Ours haven't had any issues.  One kid will be getting a phone next year, other will remain on Sync up for another year.

my kids have gabb phones until they get to  highschool.ove their products. Super great for parents. But the earlier stuff had bugs like needed to be reset constantly.  Now my youngest son has a Syncup watch from t mobile.   I like it a lot. 

Gizmo is the answer here.  We have two, one for each daughter.  They are amazing.  They can only call the people we let them call.  We get notifications of when they call.  They can't just text anything (pre-set messages and emoticons) but we can text them complete messages.  You can also see their location based on GPS.  It's been a game changer for when they want to go up to the neighbors house.  Another plus is this will significantly delay them getting a phone because it takes the argument of "I need one so you can call me" argument away.  I heard that no one ever regrets waiting to get their kid a phone, but they sure as hell regret giving it to them too soon.

I think we pay $11/month through Verizon for ours.  Again, I can't recommend them enough.   

So based on recommendations here and from my wife's friends, we tried a Gabb 3 watch.  I've already returned it.  Mainly due to customer support.  I got the watch and followed all instructions. It would never connect to a network.  Tech support just had me repeat everything (understandable, but frustrating after I told them everything I had already done). Still no luck. Then they basically told me they had to end support for the day and would have to get back to me on Monday, leaving me high and dry.  When I worked tech support, if I was on a call, I finished the call even at the end of the day.  It just set me off so I canceled service and returned the watch.  

I'm going to try the Gizmo next.  Mixed online reviews, but you guys seem to like it :) Thanks for all the advice!

Good luck.