Once you become a parent all you want is to know that your child is safe no matter what, even if that includes using some of the best child tracking apps and devices designed for anxious parents. While protecting them is quite easy in the first few months, this becomes more and more difficult as time goes on. First they start crawling and toddling, bumping into things, and then they start walking, and they may sometimes take a fall that will make their screams be heard in the entire neighborhood.
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But safety inside the home is one thing while safety in the outside world is a different thing altogether. As soon as your child starts socializing with other children at the park there are a lot of new risks arising. What if your child ventures of and is lost? What if your child is lured away by some individual? There are many dangers that no parent really wants to think about.
Then, as your kid grows, he or she will want to venture off without you, whether by necessity, such as going to school, or by desire, such as spending some time with their friends. Should we even mention the teenage years when “independence” is the only thing on their minds? Of course not, because it comes with the territory. The truth of the matter is, however, the fact that parents will always worry about their child’s safety and that’s only natural.
Thankfully, however, this is the digital era. That means that there are easy ways to keep track of the kid’s location by using mobile apps or devices. While some will call this paranoid, others will completely understand and ask for more details. All these apps and tools are quite useful to have around and it’s a good thing they’re not on the list of the 7 most expensive useful Android apps of the year, since most of them are free to use, with additional features locked under a Premium account.
You’ll find here five apps and five devices that will make your life easier. We’ve searched high and low for a few apps that will serve your needs, whether those are keeping track of your child’s location or also being able to contact them. As for the devices, we’ve included some that are more sophisticated, allowing you to call your child, but also some that are quite low cost and enable you to know the physical location of those you’re tracking.
Best Child Tracking Apps
5. GPS Location Tracker
This is quite possibly the best app to have around because it is compatible with so many types of devices, not just Android phones or iPhones. In fact, there’s a version for Blackberry, one for Windows Phone and even one for Kindles.
The name of the app makes its purpose self-explanatory as it tracks the location of your family member’s devices, creating a trail of dots marking their position. All the history is stored on a server and can be accessed on the go if needed.
The app is free for download, but those who want more features can pay a few dollars for this. The price varies depending on the platform it is designed for.
4. Canary
Canary is an app that focuses more on teenaged kids. It’s not necessary a way to keep track of their location, but more of a tool to know when they’re not following your precautionary advices. For instance, the app can tell you whether they’re texting while driving or using the phone at all when behind the wheel, as well as whether they’re keeping below the speed limit or traveling to areas that you’ve specifically told them not to. Of course, this only works if you live in a country where teenagers are actually allowed to drive.
This is one of the best child tracking apps and is available for both Android and iOS and is completely free.
3. Find My Kids – Footprints
Judging by the name this is a pretty straight forward app. In fact, it does exactly what the name says, acting as a GPS tracker for your kid’s phone. You can add more individuals to track and their names will appear scattered over the map. It may not be a looker, but the app will give you exact locations for everyone on the list so it can be quite useful in times of need.
This particular app is available for iOS only, but similar tools are available for Android users as well, from other developers.
2. Lassy Project
Another interesting app available for download is the Lassy Project. Whether that was the developer’s intention or not, the name reminds me of the popular shows available while I was growing up, where Lassie the border collie would save the day by finding a lost child or two.
That being said, Lassy Project is designed for the darkest times a parent can face – their child gone missing. Since every second counts when it comes to missing persons, but moreover when it comes to children, the app allows parents to notify the entire local community about the situation. In a few easy steps, one can send a text alarm to mobilize a group of trusted family members, friends and even neighbors in the search for the missing child to maximize the chance of finding him or her. Since it can take quite a bit of time to notify the police and give out all the necessary statements, this app can obviously give people a head start.
The app is completely free to download and use and is available for both Android and iOS.
1. Life 360
One of the best-known apps for keeping track of your children, if they have a smartphone that is, is Family Locator by Life 360. This is an app that does a bit more than just act as a GPS tracker. Instead, it allows you to create your own group of loved ones, although you can obviously add more than just family members, including friends in there too. Then, it provides you with a real-time location of their phones and even sends out alerts when the members of your Circles arrive or leave various destinations. If your kids are old enough you can even share shopping lists with them and have them pick up a jug of milk to replace the one they drained in the morning.
The app is free to download for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone users. There is also a Premium version available for those who want more features, which costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 as a yearly plan. This is one of the coolest tools among the 5 best child tracking apps.
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Best Child Tracking Devices
5. Lineable
Lineable is quite possibly the cheapest version out there when it comes to tracker smart bands. The Bluetooth-based $5 device comes with a year-long battery that doesn’t need to be recharged (but you will have to replace the band), it’s water resistant and can withstand rough play from your child.
It’s super light at only 15 grams and there are three sizes, depending on the child’s wrist size. Four colors are available – orange, blue, pink and white.
The device can be paired with a special app that’s available for iOS and Android devices. These will alert you once the child wanders away and can be used to locate and find your kid. What’s more, other Lineable users will get notifications when your missing kid is near them so they can help them find their way back home.
As mentioned, Lineable, one of the best child tracking devices, is only $5.
4. My Buddy Tag
Another Bluetooth based device is My Buddy Tag, which is an affordable option. At $39.99, the bracelet comes in some really cute color combinations. There’s an app available that can be used to keep track of multiple kids by tagging a name on each of them.
My Buddy Tag is a device that’s waterproof, which is quite awesome as it can notify you if your child’s hand is submerged for more than 5 seconds. That can be quite useful if for some reason your kid is left unattended around a pool, for instance, and they fall over.
The bracelet has a limited range, however, so that’s a downer. On the other hand, each parent chooses whatever device suits their needs.
The $39.99 device can be bought off the company’s website or Amazon.
3. PocketFinder
A device that’s a little bit more low tech than the others before it, acting as a basic GPS locator. The PocketFinder gadget is quite small and can be placed in a backpack, for instance. The parents can then see where the children are on a map, tracking their arrivals and departures and checking out their travel history.
As with most other child trackers, the parents can set a safety zone and get alerts if the child leaves the area, while the entire activity can be managed via Android or iOS smartphone apps.
You can get one PocketFinder for $129.95. There’s also a need to get a service plan to use the device.
2. FiLIP
Another device created for the little ones is FiLIP, a wrist watch that comes with a built-in GPS locator and a cellphone that can be paired with an iOS or Android app on their parent’s phones. The device looks quite nice, is colorful and that will certainly be quite attractive for the children.
Since kids are known to play with water, FiLIP is water-resistant, while also being light on their tiny wrists. As mentioned, the watch acts as a cellphone and you can store and contact five numbers for the child to use. It’s also possible to create safe zones for your kids and get alerts when they go over the border.
The device costs $149.99 and can be ordered via various sites.
1. Tinitell
Most parents nowadays struggle to keep their kids away from smartphones for as long as possible, mostly because they were in their teens or later when they got their own. However, imagining a life where you can’t keep in contact with your child, as our parents did back in the day, is quite frightening. Tinitell seems to be exploring this exact niche and has come up with a way to keep parents and children in touch without actually buying the little ones phones – a really smart bracelet.
Tinitell can be connected to the parents’ cellphones and parents can easily call up their young ones and tell them to, for instance, come home for dinner. Even better, the bracelet can also be used by the kids to call back home as it comes with voice recognition.
The tool has a built-in GPS system that parents can check at any time, and it was built with durability in mind, which means it won’t give out the first time your kid bashes it at the playground.
The device comes in four colors (peach, navy, blue and black) and costs $129. Since the device is the result of a Kickstarter fund raiser, the devices are just now being sent out to buyers everywhere. Even so, it makes the top of our 5 best tracking devices for anxious parents.
