Keep Track of Your Kids This Summer
Check out the high- and low-tech ways you can keep your kid safe.
July 31, 2009 -- Imagine you're standing with your daughter in a crowded shopping mall. You look away for what seems like an instant, and then she's gone.
It's a terrifying moment to look around and find your child is out of sight. Since more than 2,000 kids get lost each day, especially during the summer, when they're going to the park, the beach, or the amusement park, safety is on the forefront of parents' minds.
There are some new products and devices that can help parents keep track of their kids, keep them safe if they do get lost, and give you piece of mind while they're playing and having fun. Good Morning America" parenting contributor Ann Pleshette Murphy took them for a test drive.
Created by a Baltimore mother, this temporary tattoo is a peel-and-stick appliqué that can be ordered with your child's name and parents' contact information or blank for you to fill in with waterproof marker. There are also versions with areas to write crucial medical information.
These colorfully designed temporary tattoos are fun for kids and more effective than the old-fashioned name tag on a shirt.
Cost: $7.99 for 4, or $19.95 for 30.
This product is similar to an ID bracelet or necklace, but it has a unique identification number, a toll-free number and a web URL so that the person who finds your child can call or text and use that number to let the parents know that their child has been found, plus essential information on medical conditions.
This product is particularly good if you have a child with a chronic health condition, such as diabetes or autism.
Cost: Necklace or bracelet plus a year of service cost approximately $95.
More than a 1,000 kids drown every year. It's the second leading cause of unintentional injury among young children. But these accidents don't just happen in pools or in the ocean. Tragedy can strike in very shallow water.
Kids wear the Brickhouse Swimming Pool Alarm on their wrists and an alarm goes off if it touches water. This high-tech device is waterproof and tough enough to stand up to a kid's roughhousing.
The battery lasts three to four years and the wireless range works up to 200 feet from the base.
Some people are even using it for their pets!
Cost: $200.
This device does two things: Children wears a "teddy bear" on their shoes or belt and if they wander off, the parent uses a little keychain-size transmitterto make "bear" chirp – very loudly. This works up to 100 feet, so its perfect for a mall or amusement park. Added feature: You can set a "safe zone" -- up to 30 feet -- and if children wander out of that range, the device emits a signal that sets off the "teddy" so you can go find them.
A good tip: Teach your little one to freeze if the alarm goes off. Perfect for kids ages 1 to 6 years old.
Cost: $24.95 - $40
For the safety serious, there are hand-held GPS devices that allow parents to track a child's whereabouts on a digital display screen.
The Amber Alert GPS Tracker is the smallest GPS tracker on the market and cute enough that your kids may be willing to put it on their belt, backpack or pocket.
With this device, you can track your child's exact whereabouts online or on a phone if you have Web access. This is ideal for slightly older, more independent children. If they're riding bikes around the neighborhood, hanging out at the mall or just visiting friends, you can see exactly where they are and where they have been.
It has real time tracking that refreshes every sixty seconds.
This device also has an SOS feature. A child can push a button, which sends a text message to the cell phones of five people. It also has voice monitoring, so you can listen in to what's happening around the child to hear if they are in trouble.
This gadget lets you set a temperature range, which is an excellent idea in the summer, the time when babies and toddlers may be left in hot cars.
You can also set a speed limit: If you have a teenaged driver or a child who is being driven by someone else, you can receive an alert if the driver goes above a designated speed.
Cost: $379
Those of you with iPhone know that there are many GPS applications. One of the latest is the Locimobile. Ideal for the 3.0 family (you and your teen need to have the phone). You download the app to your phones, and then your teen lets you check on his or her whereabouts, perhaps in exchange for getting an iPhone in the first place.
The Locimobile app allows you to see exactly where your child or children are on a map. You can monitor several kids at one time -- or your spouse!
Cost: $2.99
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