Hi want to track my kids?

[muggymum]

Ok I know this seems abit full on and fame me if I require it but I am wanting to purchase a tracker / GPS on my DC.

Nothing sinister, they are both below 10yo. They are rarely out of my sight. However but I was wondering if there was an sort of tracker I could have for them.

I mean I have one for my keys, and one on my car and relatively they don't mean rock all compared to DC. Just something I could slip into clothing or in shoes.

Is there such a thing?

I think Neon sums it up very well. It is very unlikely that it ever would be life-saving (because abductors read the same internet as everybody else so will know as much about possible technology as you). But there is a big risk that it would interfere with the kind of parenting that can prove life-saving. And an even bigger risk that it will feed anxiety around abduction.

Don't think OP asked for advice about if she shouldn't or should do this. Just advice on devices and if anyone had knowledge of them

Typical mumsnet people deciding how others should parent someone else's children.

Sounds a bit weird, why wouldn't you trust under 10? Where do they go unsupervised? If they play out on the street as a lot of the kids around here do, usually not in their own street either I can understand it I suppose.... don't want them being lured into s strange house... but it wouldn't be much fun sat watching your child's every move would it?

I bought a hereO watch for my son when he was 6 and we were going abroad on holiday. I didn't use it in the end and it's still in the pack but totally understand why you want to!

We've looked into the gps watches that allow you to send a message to your children. In our case it's more because our DS is 4 and has a major speech issue so if he ever did get lost at a park or event he wouldn't be able to communicate to anyone who he was or who we are.

The awful truth is if they are going to get kidnapped it'll happen either with or without a tracker. A gps tracker will not stop a kidnapping.

I say this as a mother of a ds9 who has a iPhone so I can track him if needed (asd) and for my peace of mind as he gets a transport bus to school which I hated the idea of at first. It sends me a message when he arrives at school and when he leaves school.

my children who are much more vulnerable

I don't have the stats to hand but I would bet a LOT of money that more cars are stolen every day in the UK than children abducted by a stranger in a year.

I think your anxieties over this possibility are totally out of proportion.

Maybe slip a friendly vet £20 and have them insert a cat tracking microchip in your kids.

Unless your kids wear the same clothes everyday, chipping clothes will get very expensive very fast. A watch/phone can be forgotten.

"I don't neee to remind you all of times when this has happened."

Well, yes you do, actually. ......

How about this?
buddytag.tictail.com/product/silicone-blue
I don't think it's unreasonable at all at that age.

OP, having a realistic understanding of risk, and teaching your children the same, is an important part of parenting.

If you convince them that they are at high risk of being abducted by a stranger you're not teaching them how to manage other risks in their lives.

You're probably putting them in more danger by focusing your attention on abduction.

You seen to be worried about abduction. But an abductor would take off a tracking watch.

DS1 has ASD and is 11. One of his 'quirks' if you like, is that the frets about independence; he wants it but is very cautious about being away from us in busy places because it just overloads him and he can panic. One of the primary responses to his panic is flight; he finds somewhere quiet to cool himself off, and generally it's somewhere away from people. The difficulty is that his flight mode is unpredictable and unless you're faster than Bolt, he can disappear in seconds.

We went to Disney last year and again this year; he loved both trips but before going we bought him something called a Pebbell. He wore it on the waistband loop of his jeans and it meant I could have tracked him if he'd needed to bolt. Both times he coped incredibly well and we were able to do loads of 'typical' Disney stuff without sending him into overdrive. I'd never use it on a day-to-day basis but for that specific place I'd recommend it hugely. Brilliant invention if it's used in the right way.

With respect, Whooo, the OP isn't talking about keeping track of a child with SN. She's talking about preventing her children from being abducted by strangers.

That's why people are saying that an abductor would remove a tracker anyway.

No, I understand that and as I've said in the post as a day-to-day thing it's not suitable. I have friends who've said they'd use a similar device on their DCs constantly (or even go so far as having them microchipped) when it's come up in conversation. I think if you're at a point where you're that anxious about day-to-day safeguarding of your DCs you need to seek further help and support.

I think for children with ASD/bolters a device like that can make sense.

My ds2 has what are almost certainly ASD traits, but probably under the diagnosis threshold. His relationship to independence is quite similar to what Whoooo describes. He is very, very precise about when people will be where, also getting nervous about other people in the family (his best friend says he is the most punctual and reliable out of all his friends) and atm that is enough to allay his anxiety. He would probably love a tracking device, and it would help him cope with situations where someone goes off piste (in a way others would reasonably anticipate), but it's not something we need daily. Food for thought for us, though.

I don't think it's unreasonable at all at that age.
Were you tracked at that age?
This is all about parent control and paranoia and nothing to do with child safety.

I don't think OP wanted your advice on parenting just device recommendations

I wouldn't use a GPS tracker to protect in the case of an abduction (firstly because the chances of a stranger abduction are very small, and secondly the abductor would get rid of any GPS tracker so unless you embed something in their shoes or something its not much good) but they are a useful tool for children that play out, especially ones that have a calling feature so you can call them when its time to come home.

My DD had a GPS watch when she was 4/5 for playing out but ironically it got lost (reckon her dad stole it actually but that's a whole other story) and now at 6 she has this as she starts walking to school alone next week - it alerts me when she arrives at school and when she leaves so pretty nifty. When she's a bit older we won't use it any more, definitely not as a teenager as that would be too intrusive.