Say No To Cell Phones for Kids (For now….)

 ** This post is sponsored by Relay. All opinions are my own. We use and love our Relays so much!**

Perhaps you’ve heard this complaint in your house: “BUT EVERYONE HAS ONE!!!” 
Just last week my 11, almost 12 year old, tried to convince me that he was literally, the only one in his school without a cell phone.
I listened, smiled, and felt even more confident in my decision to delay giving him a phone. (And just a note, he is no where NEAR the only one without a phone!).
Listen, I realize different things work for different families, but for MY family, we’ve found a safer alternative to a cell phone.
Perhaps you too, are looking for something that allows you to communicate with your kiddo when you’re apart?

Our family discovered Relay about a year ago, and we’ve never looked back.
It is, hands down, one of the best purchases you can make for your family.

The Relay is 30% for a short time!
Through 10/18, you can save on it  HERE.
HURRY!

Not only does it give me so much added peace as a mom, but it also has allowed my kids to have a little bit more freedom.
There is so much going on in our world, and I think we can all agree, it’s added some stress to our lives.
As a parent, the last thing we need to do is be worried when our kid is done with practice and we’re running a bit late from the office for pick up.
Or be worried when our kid wants to ride bikes around the neighborhood with friends. 
Or stress about your tween having a phone and not having the maturity (yet) to manage a world of trouble online.
The Relay is the answer to all these worries and stresses.

What IS Relay?

If a cell phone, GPS tracker, and walkie talkie had a baby, it would be a Relay. A Relay is screen free device that allows you to communicate directly with those you choose via another Relay device or a cell phone with the Relay app. At the touch of a button, you have instant contact.

What does Relay do?

1. Allows you to communicate with family members and friends by just pressing a button.

It’s similar to a walkie talkie; however, Relays use 4G cell phone service, so you can communicate from ANYWHERE in the US. My husband and I were on a trip across country last year and could talk directly with our kids at grandmas just using the Relay app on our phone, that was connected to our kids’ Relay devices. They could hear us on the devices and we could hear them on our phones! We even said prayers with them at night!

Relay to Relay

Your child can contact a friend or family member with a Relay device, once you’ve set up a channel that connects them.  (Note: They can only talk to those YOU approve.)

Relay to Phone

Your child simply presses one button and speaks a message—then you instantly receive it via the Relay phone app. And it’s just as easy for you to reply. You set who can talk to your child.
You can even grant Grandma access from out of town as long as she downloads the app too!

2. Leave each other messages

What if you’re not around when your kid talks to you via Relay?
What if your kid is at practice and leaves her Relay on the sideline?
Both of you are able to leave messages and play them back when you return! This way, you never miss an important message from one another!
You can also set the device to silent in case your kiddo is in class!

3. Track your child’s device using GPS. 

Anywhere your child goes, you can find them using the GPS tracker on the Relay device.

Last winter, my middle school son really wanted to meet his friend at the school basketball game. He’s almost 12, and I wanted to be able to give him a little more freedom. He loved bumming around with his group of awesome friends, but honestly, I didn’t think he was old enough to wander around unsupervised. When it was time to be picked up, how would be let me know without a phone?  And by the way, have you ever tried to FIND your kid for pick up when there’s a mass exodus of people leaving a school event? I was super grateful for the GPS tracker because I knew where he was at all time! All I had to do was pull up the Relay App on my phone and it would show me where his device/he was! 

Additionally, this GPS ability allows you to do something called “Geo Fence”. Basically, this allows me to set PHYSICAL parameters (ie t he school and school grounds). If my child leaves those “fences”, Relay alerts me immediately. You better believe I’ve used this before!

 

4. The BRAND NEW 911 Feature

I’m so thrilled that Relay has come out with a brand new feature that SO many of you requested!! This is such a game changer in terms of safety!

If there is an emergency,  your child can press the center button on their Relay 5 times quickly to send a SOS alert to your Relay app, just like they can do today. Once the parent communicates with the child to assess the situation, the parent can then resolve the SOS alert, or escalate it to 911 via their Relay app.  Relay uses advanced technology to ensure that the emergency call is placed to the 911 dispatch center closest to the child’s location. This is a significant improvement over traditional wireless 911. Since Relay has GPS location tracking, the dispatcher will also be able to see the location information of the Relay that initiated the SOS. Having the location information and automatically routing the 911 call to the closest response center saves precious time, as serious delays can occur when a 911 call is sent to a public safety agency that can not respond to the incident.
  The parent will be the one communicating with the 911 operator the whole time, not the child. 

This new feature is SO exciting to me. If you already have a Relay be sure to update the app to receive this option, and if you DO NOT have a Relay, GET ONE!

One important note: Once you begin communication with the 911 operator, you lose ability to communicate with your child. Don’t worry though! You can have another parent/person on the SOS alert via their Relay app so that one can communicate with the child while the other manages communications with 911.

How durable is the actual Relay device?

This is one concern I did have and I have to say, I’ve been impressed with the durability. It’s durable, water resistant and if it’s survived my rough kids, I feel like it will for anyone!

How will my child keep Relay with them?

I was concerned about my children LOSING their Relay. It’s a good size – small enough to be portable, but big enough to have a decent battery life. That being said I was excited to see all of these accessories offered. From the armband to the lanyard, there are several options for every kid and activity! My older kids prefer the lanyard so they can tuck in under their shirts and still hear it. My little ones prefer the armbands so they can run wild without it bouncing around. They can also just keep it in their pocket, like you would a cell phone!

How much does a Relay cost?

 Relays are SO affordable. MUCH less than any cell phone! You pay for the actual device and then connecting the device to the 4g service will cost you only $9.99/month. I would honestly pay double that because it’s worth it! Best part? NO CONTRACTS REQUIRED!
Every kid should have one, in my opinion!

I’ve been in love with Relay for years now. I’m not the only one. So many of my personal friends have seen ours, and then gone and purchased some for THEIR kids. I love seeing those little devices in the hands of my friends and family! It’s such a wonderful option for those kiddos (and even adults) who aren’t quite ready for a cell phone! The new 911 feature just takes things to a whole new level of safety! I’m so grateful, that if something (heaven forbid) were to happen, my child would have a direct line to me and emergency help!
That peace of mind is priceless, don’t you think?

The Relay is 30% for a short time!
Through 10/18, you can save on it  HERE.
HURRY!

The post Say No To Cell Phones for Kids (For now….) appeared first on How Does She.

by Andrea via Home And Garden