Why on earth does a 5 year old need or want a Fitbit?

[yorkshires]

Have I missed something? I don't have one, my DCs don't have them so maybe I am just not aware of their greatness but a fit and healthy 5 year old who never stops moving? Why?

You can turn off the calorie burn info in the app (that’s on an iPod he doesn’t use).

My son’s Alta shows how many steps he’s done, the date and time, and if he has any alarms. He has no idea how many calories he’s burned because he has no access to the iPod the app is held on.

My charge2 shows steps, flights climbed, alarms, active hours, date/time, and heart rate because I’ve customised the display.

Be scared by all means, but don’t slate a piece of kit you’re clueless about.

We both Fitbit for ds last month as he was diagnosed with epilepsy earlier this year and we're not sure if he's having seizures during the night. At least with the Fitbit we can see how much sleep he's having and what his heart rate is doing when he's at school and at night.

*junior park hun?

Clearly the daughter of a Netmums member*

Oh jeez! The over obsessive autocorrect on this phone! I got a new Samsung after 7 years of IPhone and it's all over sensitive! I haven't even written hun any where I don't!

And why would any thing change run to hun any way!

Junior Park RUN RUN NOT HUN

That'll be the Netmums model. It's over sensitive to everything

Yes while I don't like the
calorie burn element I 'really can't see the problem at all,

Some one has pointed out you can turn that element off; once turned off surely engaging any child in being aware of the benefits of movement is good thing no?

Oh god my 5 yo would LOVE one. He’s obsessed with clocks, meters, calendars, all data-related items basically. He definitely doesn’t want or need to lose weight (skinny little banana that he is) (although he did say after Christmas dinner ‘I’m so full I feel like I’ve got a baby in my tummy’!)

That'll be the Netmums model. It's over sensitive to everything

That will be it worra my phone is a secret netmum that's why it changed run to hun

I wanted a stair lift for my ninth birthday - I have no idea why but at nine I thought they were brilliant! I didn't get one though!

I’m with you OP. Think they’re a way to develop obsessiveness in young children that is totally unnecessary as they should just be moving anyway - why have a watch tell you? I don’t own one, and none of the really fit people I know use them either.

BikeRunSki, surely you can tell them not to watch TV?

Op - if it's the calories thing you don't like you can turn it off. Quite easy to do via the app iirr

DS13, DD9 and myself all have one, DS will spend too much time in front of a screen so weekends he needs to prove to me he’s been active to earn screen time. With DD, she wanted one as other kids at school have them and New Years resolution is to walk places, in fact I’m thinking of having a reward for the winner of the most steps each week between the three of us! I guess they aren’t necessary but any help in getting kids moving in our electronic kosh age has to be a good thing.

Archie - I know many fit people who are heavily into sports specifically athletics, swimming, biking, running and triathlon including some competing at pretty high levels (county, national and international). Everyone of them where's a Fitbit or other equivalent watch/tracker which is linked to their phone apps and/or websites. Not one doesn't use it regardless of age or ability. So it's not the case that most athletes don't use them when clearly many do ime.

Bonkers personally I think sitting around being inactive as a reward is where we are going wrong. It's a bit like giving pudding as a reward. It makes the thing that we should be doing anyway into a bad thing that we have to endure to get what we have defined as a reward.

Archie - my DH is into triathlons trust me many of them do wear these sports watch's to monitor their fitness. A lady at work who runs marathons also wares one.

DS age 7 just got one for Christmas, a Garmin junior. It monitors activity, steps and sleep and you can use it to set daily goals. Children should do an hour of activity a day and I bet most don't, I think it would be a great idea to encourage most kids to be more active. You can add kids together on the kids app to and get them to compete against each other and any adults who wear them to.

Wait till they start to get a bit chubby . Happens once they discover the lure of electronics . Then a fit bit is a fab idea

But athletes did very well before the invention of fitbits......and if your children spend too much time on screens just tell them to stop!

But athletes did very well before the invention of fitbits

What a ridiculous comment, yeah they did, but then admin staff did very well before the availability of Pcs and laptops.
Shop keepers did very well before the invention of the the barcode and electronic tills.
Doctors did very well before the invention of many of technological advances in their profession.
Teachers did very well before the invention of white boards.

The list could go on and on. Yep athletes did very well before fitbits, I don't understand why this is your argument. Tevhnogical improvements make lots of people's jobs easier and better just because they were doing very well before isn't a reason for not introducing the technology

Well as other people have said, no-one really needs a Fitbit...

I've got one, I wore it for about 6 weeks non stop, checked how many steps it took to do literally everything I do, how many steps to my bathroom, the shop, etc... then challenged people on days I knew I'd rack up lots of steps...

Then I forgot to charge it and lost it in my bedroom...

So, pretty much what a 5 yr old would do with it, lol, like any toy