Came to the same conclusion as you, and Apple Watch with cellular worked out well !

Anonymous wrote:We have had a gizmo for 3 years (my kid is now 12). We are switching to Apple because we are at a point where we need him to be able to send me more specific messages without having to do audio messages.

You may be ready to switch to Apple regardless but the last gizmo update allows typing messages instead of just the preset ones.

My 9yo has been using an Apple Watch. We are iPhone users on a Verizon unlimited plan and I think I only have to pay $5 a month for the extra line and got $150 off the watch. It’s worked well but I don’t let her take it to school. She uses it when going to a friend’s house or otherwise away from us or if she wants to talk to my parents or sister. It’s easy to track her location. As someone mentioned above, she uses the Memojis but that’s about it. You have control over the contacts and any apps.

We have had a gizmo for 3 years (my kid is now 12). We are switching to Apple because we are at a point where we need him to be able to send me more specific messages without having to do audio messages.

Not sure what you’re looking for but our kids aren’t allowed to have smart watches at school. At any age.

I think the Apple watch is a good idea for the 11 yo. I think for the 8yo, you have to consider could they lose it or break it on the playground. Although they could break a Gizmo too so...

I'm not an Apple person and my kid has a Gizmo. I do not think it is cheaper than an apple watch. If I had an apple phone I probably would have just gotten an apple watch. Just make sure you can lock it down as far as internet use-that's one of the perks of the gizmo is no internet capability.

If you are going to do that, turn it off during school. It is so distracting as a teacher to now complete with a class of kindergartens who text and talk with their mommies all day.

We have an Apple Watch with Family setup and Screen time for our child. Our carrier didn’t support Family Setup so the watch has its own line through truphone for $10/mo. I can still manage the watch settings and ScreenTime controls with my phone. That allows the parent to control the contact lists and access to apps on the watch.

+1 on Apple Watch. We gave it to him at 10 and used it with cellular for two years. He was able to call or text us and we could track his location. That was all he needed at that point. We finally caved and got him a phone when he entered middle school. Now the watch is just paired to his phone and doesn’t use the cellular. It’s outlasted the families we know who bought a Gizmo, multiple times over in some cases.

The other thing is the Gizmo sort of sucks. Wr had one for my older kid. It’s just not that great, doesn’t charge and basically any kid over 10 will think it’s babyish and refuse to wear it.

I gave my 10 year old my old Apple Watch which has cell service. We had to get a new number for him added to our plan, but it’s only like $10/month. The watch is paired with DH’s phone. DS can only message or call contacts added into his iCloud and he can’t view any text he receives if they aren’t sent from a contact. The school time feature keeps it locked down during school hours. We can track him using the Find My feature.

The watch has been really helpful for pick ups at school and after sports practice. He’s even used to to text us from a friend’s house.

The texting is pretty easy. There are preset options and you can dictate a text. The watch charges overnight downstairs so he doesn’t have it at night in his room. There isn’t much else to do on it other than create Memojis but he does like to do that.

We opted for the apple watch also because we are apple users, are familiar with the watch, and because he can continue to use it as he gets older until he gets a phone (it’s not too babyish).

Apple Watch is the way to go. The child can compose their own messages to you. This clears up confusion on pickup time changes after school. One day when I allow my DC an iPhone his watch will be operable. The other cheaper watches only had pre-canned messages. You are still paying for cellular service but can’t get the benefit of customizing messages with these other inferior watches. The Apple Watch does so much more than the other competitors.

Anonymous wrote:We have a Gabb Watch which was free if we signed up for a year plan (which is like $15/month). It doesn't do everything the Apple Watch does but it serves the purpose of tracking where kids are and calling/texting.
For affordability, I think it ultimately depends if you get a deal by adding the kids onto your plan with the Apple Watch. The Gabb watch provides the cellular connection and phone number for you. The Gabb watch is mostly for kids 11 and under (the contacts all have to be pre-set by parents and the texting is limited), so the Apple Watch may provide longer use when they are older.

We also use Gabb. I like that it isn't quite as interesting as an Apple Watch, so it can help me keep track of them but they don't get addicted to it.

We have a Gabb Watch which was free if we signed up for a year plan (which is like $15/month). It doesn't do everything the Apple Watch does but it serves the purpose of tracking where kids are and calling/texting.
For affordability, I think it ultimately depends if you get a deal by adding the kids onto your plan with the Apple Watch. The Gabb watch provides the cellular connection and phone number for you. The Gabb watch is mostly for kids 11 and under (the contacts all have to be pre-set by parents and the texting is limited), so the Apple Watch may provide longer use when they are older.

I spent hours learning about Apple Watch with cellular as well as alternatives. If I absolutely want to keep good track of our children and easily communicate with them, I think Apple Watch with cellular is the best in terms of reliabiliiy and functions. For example, it is easy for kids to send a text message using Siri on Apple Watch. There might be good and cheaper alternatives, but the price difference would not be huge, so if parents have iPhones already and the cell phone company will give you a decent deal, I THINK Apple Watch with cellular is the way to go.

My spouse thinks we should try to get something slightly or signficantly cheaper (we are not on budget, typical HHI on DCUM). I hear about various alternatives that they are not as reliable and/or there aren't much price-difference once all fees were included.

The kids are 11 and 8.

I just want to convince my spouse that Apple Watch is the way to go, or maybe you can educate me that it is not. Please advise. TIA!