Many children have a lot of energy, but they also have a million indoor diversions, the majority of which are digital. These factors frequently hinder individuals from participating in more physically demanding activities. Now, let’s take a look at some of the most impressive Fitbit watches available for children.
Using an activity tracker will assist children in forming healthier habits by encouraging them to maintain an active lifestyle and obtain the necessary amount of rest that their growing bodies require.
Parents can put their faith in Fitbit, as the company is the market leader in the production of fitness trackers, making it a reliable and well-known option.
Kids are encouraged to get moving with the help of the Fitbit tracker and the smartphone software that goes along with it, mostly so that they may achieve the recommended minimum of sixty minutes of daily activity. The activity tracker may be personalized with nudges to remind them to take at least 250 steps each hour, which can be adjusted while they are at school.
Using a fitness tracker like a Fitbit is a great method to keep tabs on the number of steps you take daily and become more aware of how active you are throughout the day. Some of the models include extra capabilities for more strenuous jogging and training, which should motivate you to run and exercise more.
The engaging Challenges and Adventures, in addition to the leaderboard that encourages healthy competition, are excellent ways to get the whole family excited and engaged.
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Which model of Fitbit is most suitable for children?
There are five main models that Fitbit offers, ranging from straightforward trackers to feature-packed smartwatches.
Children do not require a Fitbit that is loaded with a variety of features. Parents may be hesitant to spend their money on a fitness tracker, especially because their children are unlikely to use the device for an extended period due to their limited attention spans.
However, the fact that they wish to monitor their activity should be encouraged, and certain Fitbit models are suitable for the purpose. If you both have Fitbits, you can compare your activity levels to each other and serve as motivation for the other person to keep moving.
The Fitbit Ace 3 was developed with the needs of children in mind. Personal Fitbit accounts are not available to children younger than 13 years old, as far as we can ascertain, at least for the reasons of protecting users’ privacy following US federal law. The age requirement for Ace 3 has been lowered to 6. However, to get around this provision, many parents register their children younger than 13 as though they are 13. Therefore, you are free to examine any of the Fitbits whenever you like.
Although four of our recommendations can be purchased right now, we have also selected others that have been taken off the market more recently. Despite this, they are still accessible online, albeit not directly. In this comprehensive and in-depth roundup review, all Fitbits are compared.
Price, aesthetics, and overall functionality will all be considered as we search for the ideal Fitbit for children.
The advantages of having a smartwatch for children
Keep tabs on where your kids are at all times.
Even if your child’s privacy is of the utmost importance, it may enable you to be a better parent if you always know where your children are.
Some people find that simply having the ability to monitor their children through built-in GPS trackers on smartwatches is enough to alleviate their anxiety and concerns, particularly when their children are in a new environment. This is especially true for individuals who find that just having the ability to monitor their children is enough to alleviate their anxiety and concerns.
Some wearables include a panic button that, if pressed, will send an alert to both you and the appropriate authorities in your area, notifying you that your children require assistance.
Build up their self-assurance.
You may feel more comfortable allowing your child to wander around your neighborhood or spending time with other children who reside in the area if you can keep track of their location at all times.
It’s possible that your child will experience a greater sense of autonomy once you remove the requirement that they update you on their locations and activities regularly. They can take pleasure in the fact that you trust them to make their own decisions and, consequently, grow more assured in their ability to do so on their own.
Communicate
Some parents might feel uncomfortable providing their children with a smartphone. A smartwatch might be the answer, whether it’s due to financial constraints or the awareness that their child does not have the sense of responsibility to take care of a phone.
Wearables designed specifically for children are not only less likely to break than cellphones, but they also tend to be less expensive.
The most suitable smartwatches for children are those with voice and messaging call capabilities, text messaging services that allow parents to pre-set content to be sent, real-time location sharing, and other similar features.
Wearable technologies pose a lower risk of being broken or misplaced by youngsters because they are always kept in the same spot - on their wrists.
Encourage exercise
Recent research conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) found insufficient physical activity as a significant risk factor for mortality worldwide. More than 80 percent of young people aged 11 to 17 are not physically active enough.
There is a bigger picture to consider here, and it involves walking a tight line between encouraging young people to engage in physical activity and possibly instilling in them negative ideas regarding their body image and their own sense of value.
On the other hand, the most effective smartwatches for children are those that only provide an objective method to motivate action, most notably through counting steps and several other capabilities.
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Help them sleep better
The capability to monitor and adjust one’s sleeping patterns is one of the many useful features offered by the vast majority of wearables, including those designed specifically for adults. It is common knowledge that parents can access the data stored on the smartwatches worn by their children. This also refers to practices around sleeping.
On many of the best smartwatches available for children, you can program nighttime alerts and silent alarms to wake them up in the morning. When children maintain a consistent sleeping schedule, participants in certain systems might earn virtual badges or rewards of various kinds.
Foster the adoption of healthy behaviors
If you use a smartwatch, you’ve probably already encountered this issue at some point. These badges and medals for having a good night’s sleep are frequently a component of a larger gamified system that encourages positive behavior. When people first start using fitness trackers, many of them, for instance, decide to step up the intensity of their training routines.
It’s possible that children will be more driven to do more than get more exercise or stick to a regular sleep schedule. The finest smartwatch for children may enable them to finish more chores at home or finish their schoolwork on time without requiring you to remind them to do so.
Create a bond with your children!
Because children are so fascinated with copying what adults do, almost all of today’s technology is designed specifically for usage by children. During your childhood, you probably spent a lot of time playing with toy record players or kitchen sets. Children today are regularly exposed to their parents using various electronic devices, such as telephones and fitness monitors.
You have the chance to engage with them on a deeper level over something that they are enthusiastic about when you give them their very own wearable electronic device. Children are already aware that you own wearables. Therefore it is only normal for them to approach you for advice regarding how to use the ones that they have.
Some smartwatches designed for children even include features that make it possible for the entire family to participate and compete in the pursuit of achieving daily or weekly physical activity goals.
The Detection of Incidents
Identifying falls and other incidents is a useful tool for monitoring youngsters and preventing accidents. This cutting-edge software can determine if the person wearing it has fallen; if it does, it will immediately alert the appropriate emergency contacts.
How does this functionality come into play?
This is made possible by the highly sensitive monitors that are integrated into the smartwatches. These high-end sensors can determine when the user has ceased moving and has begun to experience the effects of a fall. When the watch detects that you have fallen, it will sound an alarm, which you can turn off if you do not require assistance. If you do not deactivate the alert within the allotted time, the emergency contacts or local authorities will be contacted to ensure your safety. The same technology is used for the SOS function or button, but it enables users to make intentional calls to their emergency contacts or to 911 without falling over. It can also put the watch into a mode that will save battery life.
Does Fitbit Have a Detection Function for Falls?
Although this software would alleviate the concerns of a great number of parents, Fitbit has not yet integrated it into its products.
Health and fitness are Fitbit’s primary concerns, rather than safety. Consumers who want additional safety features will either need to research alternate wristwatch options or look into third-party safety apps that imitate fall detection. This means that consumers who want additional safety features will need to consider alternative smartwatch options. It is now not viable because Fitbit would need to grow its firm infrastructure as well as its design teams to incorporate additional safety measures into its watches. Many people who wear Fitbits are disappointed by this news because the firm delivers cutting-edge technology; the only area in which it falls short is being safety-focused.
You might want to think about adding other incident applications to your child’s Fitbit if you place a high value on the ability to recognize potential dangers. Take note that the Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Ionic of the first generation are the only ones that can use the Better Alerts feature. You may also look at many other brands of smartwatches, such as Apple and Garmin, both of which presently include this security software in their products. The main drawback to these options is that they are not always designed with children in mind, and as a result, they can frequently be more expensive as well.
Although Fitbit lacks these capabilities, the company is still one of the top smartwatch manufacturers available, and the watches they provide are excellent choices for parents shopping for their children. Continue reading to learn about how a Fitbit watch can help your child’s growth and development.
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Fitbit Ace 3
This wearable device is the next iteration of the fitness tracker that came out after the Fitbit Ace 2. Since it is designed specifically for young people, it is an obvious replacement choice. It has a condensed display for the time, straightforward readouts, and straps that are tailored specifically for individuals with smaller wrists.
It is advised that children above the age of six use the Fitbit Ace 3. It keeps track of your steps, your Active Minutes, and some basic statistics regarding your sleep. You can also monitor their progress on your mobile device if they do not possess a smartphone or tablet. This will ensure that they continue to participate.
Move reminders are there to urge children to get up and move around at least once per hour (during the day). You will also receive on-screen notifications, such as Caller ID if you need to contact them. In addition to that, it features alarms, a timer, a stopwatch, and a bedtime reminder.
Additionally, it is waterproof, which is a feature that is quite useful for a device intended for children. Because the battery life is up to eight days long, your children can wear the monitor continuously for the entire week. This is especially helpful for children because they typically lack the patience required to remove a watch each day to charge it. The excitement will not last for long.
Fitbit offers two perspectives. To be more specific, one is intended for the parents, and the other is intended for the child. Just like adults, children can earn badges and trophies by achieving certain levels of physical activity. These views are only available to guests staying in the Ace.
They also guarantee that all data is kept personal and not shared, ensuring that information about your children is kept safe and secure with you and no one else but you.
Fitbit Ace 2
Even though the Ace 2 has been replaced by the Ace 3, it is still possible to get this variant on the internet for a more affordable price.
Although it has the same set of features as its predecessor, the screen is narrower, and the overall design is boxier.
Even while its battery life of five days is sufficient, it is not as long as the Ace 3’s battery life of eight days.
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Fitbit Inspire 2
Because it is budget-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and simple to operate, the Fitbit Inspire 2 is one of the best Fitbit devices for children, and we strongly suggest it. Additionally, it is compatible with the fantastic smartphone software that Fitbit has developed. The Ace 3 is essentially an Inspire 2 with a few functions deleted, as described in the previous paragraph. It monitors the essentials, including the number of steps taken, the distance traveled, the amount of time spent in the Active Zone, and the calories burned. In addition to this, it offers notifications such as caller IDs, email alerts, calendar events, and reminders to move.
Because it monitors the user’s heart rate, it will encourage your child to engage in more strenuous physical activity. There are over 20 sports modes available, allowing users to get real-time stats as they participate in activities. SmartTrack automatically recognizes the exercises, and their registration is completed.
The sleep metrics on the Ace 3 are more developed than previous models. Provide several stages of sleep as well as a sleep score that indicates how consistently your child sleeps during the night
Bonus features like guided breathing sessions and swim monitoring are also really good additions.
Although the Inspire 2 can be worn as a clip, we’ve discovered that if it’s not attached to a person’s wrist, it’s quite easy for anyone to misplace it.
Fitbit Inspire
The first generation of the Fitbit Inspire, which has since been superseded by the Inspire 2, is still available to be purchased online and is regarded as one of the top Fitbit options for children.
It includes all of the same fundamental tracking metrics as any of the models described above, including swimming and sleep tracking. However, neither a heart rate sensor nor a floor-counting altimeter is included in this model. On the other hand, it can automatically track some types of activity, such as cycling.
Because of its built-in heart-rate monitor, the Inspire 2 is one of our top recommendations, although we recommend upgrading to the newest model if at all possible (s).
Charge 4 of the Fitbit
The Fitbit Charge 4 is a definite increase from the Fitbit Inspire 2, containing all of the fundamental functions and additional ones, such as an integrated GPS for precisely measuring longer walks if you go out with your family on an excursion. Although we believe that the new Charge 5 is now too advanced for a child (for $180), we recommend that you research pricing before purchasing the Charge 4. In the event that your kid isn’t interested in the Charge 5, you may always utilize it for yourself.
The Charge 4 keeps track of your steps, distance traveled, calories burned, and active zone minutes. Additionally, the HRM delivers advanced sleep measurements. Additionally, it possesses the same intelligent properties that were discussed earlier.
You won’t have a use for the built-in GPS if your family doesn’t conduct a lot of “outdoorsy” activities. You can rely on the GPS system that is built into your smartphone instead. You can save some money by forgoing the inbuilt altimeter (which isn’t accessible on the Inspire 2) and tracking the number of floors ascended instead. However, given that this isn’t a particularly useful metric.
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Fitbit Versa 3
The Fitbit Versa 3 is an excellent choice for those who are looking for a smartwatch that packs a lot of functionality but comes at a somewhat higher price point.
You are provided with the standard fundamental monitoring metrics and automatic tracking of your activity and sleep. You will also receive the smart features and move reminders we have already described for the further-up models.
The amazing thing about it is that it uses Fitbit’s new PurePulse 2.0 wrist-based heart-rate sensor. This sensor, which can be used to improve the quality of your kids’ fitness, activities, and sleep while also evaluating their heart health, is a real game-changer.
Because the Versa 3 can receive phone calls, it is possible that it will be less dangerous for your child to take their phone with them when they are away from home.
If you have a tech-savvy household, you’ll be happy to know that it is compatible with the voice assistants offered by Google and Amazon.
You can save money by purchasing a Versa, Versa 2, or Versa Lite rather than a Versa 3, but doing so will reduce the number of functions available to you. The earlier versions are no longer being produced, but you may still get them online if you dig around. If you’re lucky, you might also discover cheaper ones that have been used before and are in good shape.
Fitbit Versa Lite
The Versa Lite, which was Fitbit’s entry-level fitness smartwatch, has been discontinued but can still be purchased online.
The Fitbit Versa Lite can track your steps, distance traveled, calories burned, your sleep, and your Active Minute Zones. On-wrist smart functions include Caller ID, email notifications, calendar updates, and reminders to move around to meet the goal of taking 250 steps every hour.
Because it lacks an altimeter, the Lite Edition cannot track the number of floors that have been ascended (unlike the more feature-packed Versa 2 and 3). Additionally, it cannot stream music (though it does offer music playback). Additionally, it is not only capable of showing on-screen exercises via the Fitbit Coach app, which is a wonderful collection of health and Fitness statistics; however, in order to enjoy them, you will need a more recent version.
Swimming is not included as an activity on this watch, even though it is waterproof.
Alternative to Fitbit
Amazfit GTS 2 Mini
The Amazfit GTS 2 Mini is a scaled-down version of the company’s flagship square smartwatch, the Amazfit GTS 2, which dominates the fashion watch category for Amazfit.
Huami has dropped the price of the square watch to less than one hundred dollars, making it a more affordable option. Although it does make some concessions in terms of functionality and appearance, the square watch still maintains a significant number of the capabilities that are made available by the Amazfit GTS 2.
Although it now has a 40mm casing, it still uses the same blend of plastic and titanium alloy for the case; nevertheless, a little bit more plastic is visible. It has been shrunk down to a 1.55-inch AMOLED screen, which has a lower resolution but still gives a bright and vivid display for reviewing your fitness data and getting the latest weather information.
Functionality
It has the same health and fitness features as the GTS 2 and the GTS 2e, including Huami’s newest BioTracker health sensor, which is designed for continuous heart rate monitoring rather than watching your heart during high-intensity activity. Other features It has the same battery life as the GTS 2 and the GTS 2e.
It excels in tracking fitness throughout the clock and exceeds the leading Fitbit in terms of accuracy when it comes to its broad sleep monitoring capabilities. Although some of the additional information appeared a little off on the accuracy front, the built-in GPS worked really well for monitoring sports in general. It is useful to know that it is compatible with third-party applications like Strava if you want the data you collect to be stored in a different location.
On the GTS 2, there are no longer any offline voice assistants, built-in music players, or the capability to accept calls via Bluetooth. All of these features have been removed. Despite its lack of complexity, notification support is effective, and music controls may be accessed even while the watch is being used for exercise. Suppose you’re having difficulties keeping productive throughout the day. In that case, a brand new Pomodoro tracker is also available here, in addition to an excellent range of watch faces that can be customized to your liking.
Users report that the battery lasts closer to five days than Huami claims it will for a week of intensive use. Huami claims that the battery will last for a week. You will be able to get closer to the seven days that are stated if you eliminate power-hungry functions such as continuous heart rate monitoring and sophisticated sleep tracking. If you do this, you may even be able to get double the number of days in normal usage, but even that seems like a stretch.
The GTS 2 Mini provides a good deal of the functionality that is included in the more expensive GTS 2 and GTS 2e models, which are positioned above it.
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FAQ about children’s smartwatches
Should I get a GPS?
As parents, the possibility that something unfavorable would occur to our children is our primary source of anxiety. At least once or twice in our lives, we have experienced the terrifying feeling that comes over us when we have no idea where our child is. This is a terrifying scenario that no parent ever wants to have to face with their children.
You are in luck because there are now several watches designed specifically for children that are equipped with GPS technology. These watches allow you to monitor your child’s location in real time. You need only install a parental monitoring application on your child’s smartwatch, such as Find My Kids, which you can get from the app store. Because of the exact worldwide location, you will no longer be required to worry about where your child is at any given time.
In some applications, you may be able to use geofencing, a helpful tool that allows you to place geographical boundaries on what your child can do online. You will be notified as soon as your child crosses a geofenced border, such as when they leave the house or when they are let out of school. This might happen when they leave the house or when they leave school.
SOS Alerts The capacity of a smartphone watch to send out emergency notifications is one of the most important duties that it can perform. If your child is in danger, they can push and hold a button to send an emergency alert to your phone (using the app), ringing three or more predetermined lines continuously until the call is answered. If they do this, you will receive a notification on your phone. The peace of mind that can be attained through the use of the SOS alert is priceless and absolutely necessary. Look for this helpful feature when purchasing a GPS watch for your child to ensure they get the most out of their device.
Should I have a two-way calling plan?
It doesn’t matter what you want to say; you don’t need to use the two-way calling feature. In point of fact, not all smartwatches are equipped with the capacity for two-way communication. Through the use of this function, your child will be able to call you and any other pre-programmed numbers, in addition to receiving calls from those numbers. You will be asked to decide whether or not you want your child to have access to this capability.
In the vast majority of instances, for two-way calling to occur, you will be required to purchase a SIM card and enroll in a mobile plan. Many parents favor the T “SpeedTalk” mobile phones since they may be used in virtually any country.
Should I purchase a smartwatch that also includes a camera?
There is no correlation between having a camera on a child’s smartwatch and an increased sense of security or protection. The vast majority of children, on the other hand, will enjoy the opportunity to play with a camera, and it might even encourage them always to remember to put on their watch.
Is it essential to get a device that is watertight?
While safety is of the utmost importance, you should look for a watch capable of withstanding a significant amount of wear and tear, particularly damage caused by water. This capability will prove to be useful for your family if you and your loved ones enjoy spending a lot of time at the beach, waterpark, or pool.
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Conclusion
Fitbit Ace 2, Fitbit Ace 3, Fitbit Inspire 2, and Fitbit Inspire are different fitness trackers.
The fact that technology is constantly advancing means that even older iterations of a device can be used to introduce children to the world of electronics successfully. Not only will they swiftly learn from them, but you will also have peace of mind knowing that you haven’t paid a lot of money if they break them (which is fairly inevitable).
