Here at My Gator Watch we are incredibly proud of the amazing product we have created for kids across the UK and the EU. There is no doubt that My Gator Watch has changed people’s lives and has travelled far and wide.

This week we want to talk a little bit about what to look out for when buying a wearable for your child. Many of these may not have crossed your mind.

BUY BRITISH

When looking for a wearable device for your child it’s important to look at where the company is based and how their customer service team work.

It is often the case that watches are being sold from other countries and are then being advertised at a much cheaper rates on sites such as eBay. This, in turn, can lead to watches that have not been certified correctly and their customer service teams may work from outside of the UK. It is important to remember that both price and quality come hand in hand.

My Gator Watch is a small British brand. Our Founder, Colleen Wong, is a mum of two young children and has strived to solve a big problem for all parents over the last two years.

The large majority of our team are made up of mums who understand your hopes and your fears as a parent. We don’t just work 9-5 as we know that you will often need us during the evenings and at the weekends. Our amazing customer service team are second to none and work round the clock to respond to any issue big or small, day and night.

FEATURES

My Gator Watch has NO games, NO internet, NO social media, and NO camera. We deliberately made it this way.

But why? Quite simply, because kids don’t need any of these features. We believe that kids need to embrace being bored, love the outdoors and talk to their friends in real life. It is essential that kids of today learn to be happy with their own reflection. They will have plenty of time to take selfies when they are older.

Wearables that have all of the features mentioned above, like internet and games, are actually smartwatches. They are not made for kids.

Equally, we see many wearables that should, in fact, be sold as toys because they don’t have enough of the right features.

When comparing wearables, take a close look at their features. For example, does the wearable you’re looking at include a GPS feature? Can your child make a voice call to you from the watch? These two features are absolutely essential and go hand in hand.

Tracking has its limitations and so the voice call feature allows the product to serve the purpose of allowing your kids more freedom and giving you greater peace of mind. There is nothing more accurate than hearing your child’s voice at the end of the phone. Don’t ever rely solely on tracking and messaging features.

With this in mind, be sure to check if the wearable offers a multi-network service. If your child’s wearable is linked solely to one service provider you may have times where you lose signal in certain areas. My Gator Watch offers multi-network coverage across all of our service plans to help give you that extra piece of mind.

CYBER SECURITY

It may not have even crossed your mind to look into cyber security but it’s a big one.

How does the company you are considering deal with cyber security and the prevention of cyber attacks? This may not be in their general Q&As but they should be able to answer this question quickly over email for you. It is essential that the company has plans and procedures in place for this. If you don’t hear back within a week, they don’t have a plan!

BATTERY LIFE

Find out how long the battery life is. Many wearables boast 3G and 4G when it simply isn’t necessary. Wearables do not require high data transfer speeds. Getting too techy? 3G and 4G have a habit of burning battery life at record speed.

READ THE T&Cs

Always read the fine print in the terms and conditions before you buy so that you fully understand what package and service you will receive. So many adverts and special offers have hidden restrictions that you need to be aware of.

READ THE REVIEWS

Reading the reviews is a brilliant way to see how the company works, and how other families have found the watch. If you see a super cheap watch for sale, look at the reviews. More often than not there is a reason why it is cheap.

We are incredibly proud of the reviews we have on Amazon so be sure to check them out here

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A SAFETY DEVICE?

And last but certainly not least, are you looking for a safety device that is going to keep your kids 100% safe? Yes of course you are! Unfortunately, it just isn’t possible and we are very happy to admit that. Don’t listen to any business that says their watch is a safety device. GPS tracking has its limitations.

My Gator Watch is a wearable mobile phone designed especially for 5-12-year-olds. It uses GPS, two-way calling, works across multiple networks and has an SOS feature for peace of mind. It does not have a messaging feature and you, the parent, determine all numbers that are pre-set within the phone.

But even with the above in mind, we know that it can’t keep your kids safe all the time. Skills such as common sense are much more effective and we encourage parents to discuss with their kids.

We hope that these tips are of use to you when you are considering a wearable for your child.

Here at My Gator Watch, we are passionate about getting kids outdoors and having fun. There will be a time and a place for social media and internet use, but we hope we can delay it and let kids be kids for as long as possible.

For more information and for prices, CLICK HERE

 

Our cause and hard work have been recognized widely by the industry and beyond.

• Winner, AXA Health Tech and You Challenge 2018
• Finalist, Female Entrepreneur of the Year, British Small Business Awards 2018
• Finalist, Internet of Things Founder of the Year, BMW i UK Tech Founder Awards 2018
• Winner, Small Business Grants Competition, Sept 2017
• 50 most inspiring Women in Tech 2017 – Inspiring Fifty