Track this kiddo
July 12, 2024 9:49 AM Subscribe
Going camping - what's the most effective way to put a safety tracker on a 2 year old? What kind of tracker, and how best to attach it to a dextrous child?
I'm taking my toddler camping for 2 days, and I'm nervous about wandering away. What's the best way to put a tracker on a child who has excellent dexterity?
What kind of tracker?
My husband has a Tile on his keys, so that could work- but we don't know how precise Tiles are in the woods - anyone know?
I have an iPhone and usually pin AirTags into my kids' clothing for places like malls or amusement parks, but AirTags probably aren't that good in the woods!
Unfortunately, from experience, AirTags need to be quite close to an iPhone in order to connect, and they're pretty useless otherwise. I recently lost an AirTag at a school with plenty of iPhones, but it took days (!!!) to finally trace it to a large basement support staff room. Maybe none of the support staff had iPhones, so the AirTag couldn't connect to one. Even though I marked the Tag as "lost", and myself and other teachers with iPhones walked above that room, and around that room, for days, the AirTag just kept showing up the first place it was lost, outside in the schoolyard. It was in the staffroom for days but NEVER updated to a map location inside the school. It was so frustrating! So in a worst-case scenario of a toddler in the woods, Airtags probably aren't that useful. Is there a better brand?
Other thoughts:
- Does not need to be waterproof for swimming.
- Puddle-splash resistant would be nice, but also not a dealbreaker.
- There will be other iPhones and Android phones around, it's a busy family campsite.
- We'll be pretty close to a town, not totally remote.
- Yes, I'm probably being a bit neurotic, I'm ok with that.
How to attach it to the child?
- Ideally ankle rather than neck or wrist - safer, plus out of sight / out of mind for the kid.
- I'm fine with something single-use that needs to be destroyed to removed, for example, a wide ziptie or a hospital bracelet; we rarely go camping.
- I'm crafty, so I am happy to modify something to make it more childproof.
Thanks for any advice!
I'm taking my toddler camping for 2 days, and I'm nervous about wandering away. What's the best way to put a tracker on a child who has excellent dexterity?
What kind of tracker?
My husband has a Tile on his keys, so that could work- but we don't know how precise Tiles are in the woods - anyone know?
I have an iPhone and usually pin AirTags into my kids' clothing for places like malls or amusement parks, but AirTags probably aren't that good in the woods!
Unfortunately, from experience, AirTags need to be quite close to an iPhone in order to connect, and they're pretty useless otherwise. I recently lost an AirTag at a school with plenty of iPhones, but it took days (!!!) to finally trace it to a large basement support staff room. Maybe none of the support staff had iPhones, so the AirTag couldn't connect to one. Even though I marked the Tag as "lost", and myself and other teachers with iPhones walked above that room, and around that room, for days, the AirTag just kept showing up the first place it was lost, outside in the schoolyard. It was in the staffroom for days but NEVER updated to a map location inside the school. It was so frustrating! So in a worst-case scenario of a toddler in the woods, Airtags probably aren't that useful. Is there a better brand?
Other thoughts:
- Does not need to be waterproof for swimming.
- Puddle-splash resistant would be nice, but also not a dealbreaker.
- There will be other iPhones and Android phones around, it's a busy family campsite.
- We'll be pretty close to a town, not totally remote.
- Yes, I'm probably being a bit neurotic, I'm ok with that.
How to attach it to the child?
- Ideally ankle rather than neck or wrist - safer, plus out of sight / out of mind for the kid.
- I'm fine with something single-use that needs to be destroyed to removed, for example, a wide ziptie or a hospital bracelet; we rarely go camping.
- I'm crafty, so I am happy to modify something to make it more childproof.
Thanks for any advice!
There are velcro AirTag wristbands and other wearable devices on Amazon and likely other places. Is it okay if kiddo could possibly remove it?
And maybe this is too obvious, but if you're worried, maybe choose very bright colors, like neon, for their clothes? Something that doesn't look like a tree or leaves. No natural colors.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:12 AM on July 12 [3 favorites]
And maybe this is too obvious, but if you're worried, maybe choose very bright colors, like neon, for their clothes? Something that doesn't look like a tree or leaves. No natural colors.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:12 AM on July 12 [3 favorites]
No advice about trackers but if you do get one, can you attach it to the back of his shirt collar where he can't see it?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 10:21 AM on July 12 [2 favorites]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 10:21 AM on July 12 [2 favorites]
Perhaps a pet collar GPS tracker that's safety-pinned to the back of nouvelle-toddler's shirt?
posted by fifthpocket at 10:47 AM on July 12 [1 favorite]
posted by fifthpocket at 10:47 AM on July 12 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Tile uses bluetooth. AirTag uses bluetooth. If it's 20-something dollars and is a little tracker that would fit on a keychain it probably uses Bluetooth.
I think that means you want something that doesn't use Bluetooth. There are a variety of GPS trackers but they all require cell or satellite service of some kind. I haven't used it, but Cube GPS might fit your needs.
posted by gregr at 10:49 AM on July 12 [1 favorite]
I think that means you want something that doesn't use Bluetooth. There are a variety of GPS trackers but they all require cell or satellite service of some kind. I haven't used it, but Cube GPS might fit your needs.
posted by gregr at 10:49 AM on July 12 [1 favorite]
Best answer: There are kid-specific GPS trackers available, just like there are pet-specific GPS trackers available. They will come with different subscription options (since it is a GPS device). My friend has one for her cat that shows her the general location of her cat, and will alert her if the cat goes outside a certain boundary area she has set.
I have heard of folks attaching an airtag to the tongue of their kids shoes. Depending on the device, there may be an 'attach this to your kid' gadget on amazon.
posted by wearyaswater at 10:50 AM on July 12
I have heard of folks attaching an airtag to the tongue of their kids shoes. Depending on the device, there may be an 'attach this to your kid' gadget on amazon.
posted by wearyaswater at 10:50 AM on July 12
There are field radios/walkie-talkies that have GPS capability and send coordinates to each other, but that might not be operable by a toddler.
Garmin makes a kid watch that uses an LTE subscription to send its location. It depends if your campsite has coverage, of course.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:59 AM on July 12
Garmin makes a kid watch that uses an LTE subscription to send its location. It depends if your campsite has coverage, of course.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:59 AM on July 12
Response by poster: Kiddo will definitely remove any bracelet that an adult could remove - mere velcro or buckles is no match. This kid has already burned through several kinds of bracelets, safety pins, and "kid proof" shoe tags.
This is a child with the dexterity of an adult, and ZERO interest in following adult rules about not removing a bracelet. For that matter, Kiddo will also get the airtag out of the holder, unless the holder has metal screws.
I birthed a wild raccoon. Luckily an adorable one!
Pinning a tag into clothing is ok in a mall or winter setting, but this kid also removes clothing, especially at night.
My main concern is the kid sneaking out of the tent when I'm asleep - and by that time of night, the pajamas will likely be off and the kiddo will just be in a diaper.
A very well-fastened bracelet on Kiddos' dominant hand would be great to minimize two-hand bracelet-removal dexterity, BUT a 2 year old's hand is so small and mushy that a bracelet might slip off.
So I think a really strong anklet is ideal because it won't be noticed for most of the day, and it can't be slid over the heel.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:06 AM on July 12
This is a child with the dexterity of an adult, and ZERO interest in following adult rules about not removing a bracelet. For that matter, Kiddo will also get the airtag out of the holder, unless the holder has metal screws.
I birthed a wild raccoon. Luckily an adorable one!
Pinning a tag into clothing is ok in a mall or winter setting, but this kid also removes clothing, especially at night.
My main concern is the kid sneaking out of the tent when I'm asleep - and by that time of night, the pajamas will likely be off and the kiddo will just be in a diaper.
A very well-fastened bracelet on Kiddos' dominant hand would be great to minimize two-hand bracelet-removal dexterity, BUT a 2 year old's hand is so small and mushy that a bracelet might slip off.
So I think a really strong anklet is ideal because it won't be noticed for most of the day, and it can't be slid over the heel.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:06 AM on July 12
No comments about tech, but you want that baby safety pinned between your kids should blades on its back. Where the kid can't reach it.
posted by atomicstone at 11:24 AM on July 12
posted by atomicstone at 11:24 AM on July 12
Response by poster: Kid is 2. Kid can, and will, remove a shirt, pants, sleeper, shoes, even a diaper, and be delighted to run around naked.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:30 AM on July 12
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:30 AM on July 12
For the "sneaking out of tent" use case, use the ankle zip tie to attach the kid to you on a reasonably long tether for late-night bathroom visits. You don't want to be relying on BT / cell / GPS coverage in the woods, and simply knowing the kid's coordinates doesn't mean they're safe.
posted by momus_window at 11:37 AM on July 12 [6 favorites]
posted by momus_window at 11:37 AM on July 12 [6 favorites]
Blaze orange is incredibly visible, bandanas are an easy way to wear it, maybe a blaze orange belt pack with a bottle of water and some toys to be appealing to wear. Get blaze orange fabric and add it to shoes. A wilderness guy tested lots of visibility options, and blaze orange had excellent visibility.
Tiles are visible to phones with the tile app, not a huge group. Airtags are visible to all apple device, a bigger group. GPS devices are extremely visible. I've camped with a little kid, but though he'd take off some, he had a range that was never far from me. Some kids have no sense of safe range, and for them, a GPS device is most reliable if kiddo is likely to leave the tent.
An airtag on the shirt and one on an ankle with really secure tape like they use for concert bracelets seems alike a plan, and blaze orange, too. and a bell.
I'd probably allow the child to get 'lost' and experience some being alone, wanting food/ water/ Mom, because that's a safety skill.
posted by theora55 at 11:57 AM on July 12 [2 favorites]
Tiles are visible to phones with the tile app, not a huge group. Airtags are visible to all apple device, a bigger group. GPS devices are extremely visible. I've camped with a little kid, but though he'd take off some, he had a range that was never far from me. Some kids have no sense of safe range, and for them, a GPS device is most reliable if kiddo is likely to leave the tent.
An airtag on the shirt and one on an ankle with really secure tape like they use for concert bracelets seems alike a plan, and blaze orange, too. and a bell.
I'd probably allow the child to get 'lost' and experience some being alone, wanting food/ water/ Mom, because that's a safety skill.
posted by theora55 at 11:57 AM on July 12 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Echoing the GPS vs. Tags issues.
For night your best bet is to put a safety pin through the two zipper pulls so that your child cannot get out of the tent. That will require two adults awake if one needs to go to the bathroom though. You don’t want to leave it open for a bathroom visit because that’s a very likely time for kiddo to wake up.
posted by warriorqueen at 12:27 PM on July 12 [3 favorites]
For night your best bet is to put a safety pin through the two zipper pulls so that your child cannot get out of the tent. That will require two adults awake if one needs to go to the bathroom though. You don’t want to leave it open for a bathroom visit because that’s a very likely time for kiddo to wake up.
posted by warriorqueen at 12:27 PM on July 12 [3 favorites]
Just before going to bed, attach a cowbell or similar loud bell to the tent outside zipper pull. Or buy a pressure sensitive mat, place it outside the entrance of the tent and it will chime if someone steps on it, runs on a battery. Works with cats apparently.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:35 PM on July 12 [3 favorites]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:35 PM on July 12 [3 favorites]
Ok, if your main concern is middle-of-the-night wandering (fair) I have two suggestions:
1) is your vehicle big enough that you could sleep in it? When our kids were truly young and wild, I felt better “camping” in a structure not a tent. I felt too uneasy otherwise.
2) can you incentivize play and/or sleep in playpens? Two is a little old, but we used playpens (the larger pop-up kind, similar to the kind from California Baby but ours was a cheaper Summer Infant brand) while camping with our young-two-year-old and while she didn’t love it, it made everything way more manageable for us. The larger outdoor playpens seem to have higher walls than a standard pack & play, which was great. We also had her sleep in the pack & play (we had a guava lotus) - if I recall correctly, we let her fall asleep with the side zipper to the lotus open so that she didn’t feel “trapped,” and then quietly zipped her up once she fell asleep.
posted by samthemander at 1:23 PM on July 12 [1 favorite]
1) is your vehicle big enough that you could sleep in it? When our kids were truly young and wild, I felt better “camping” in a structure not a tent. I felt too uneasy otherwise.
2) can you incentivize play and/or sleep in playpens? Two is a little old, but we used playpens (the larger pop-up kind, similar to the kind from California Baby but ours was a cheaper Summer Infant brand) while camping with our young-two-year-old and while she didn’t love it, it made everything way more manageable for us. The larger outdoor playpens seem to have higher walls than a standard pack & play, which was great. We also had her sleep in the pack & play (we had a guava lotus) - if I recall correctly, we let her fall asleep with the side zipper to the lotus open so that she didn’t feel “trapped,” and then quietly zipped her up once she fell asleep.
posted by samthemander at 1:23 PM on July 12 [1 favorite]
Tabcat trackers use radio waves and have a 500’ range. When we go looking for our cats, the little handheld base unit indicates proximity via a series of colored lights, making it really easy to find their direction and head towards the stronger signal. An added feature is that the unit being tracked will emit a beep and light up so that you can find it more easily in the dark. It will be like a little pager for your kid. The tracker has a tiny hole that you could thread a zip tie into and attach to another one around your kid’s ankle. As far as I can tell, the only drawback is if your kid goes much farther than 500 feet away. Even so, you can still track the kid with it by walking further and hopefully catching a signal if you make educated guesses about what direction they went.
posted by oxisos at 2:29 PM on July 12 [3 favorites]
posted by oxisos at 2:29 PM on July 12 [3 favorites]
Best answer: A partial solution would be to somehow attach an AirTag to them and set your iPhone to alert you whenever the tag gets out of range (about 30 feet). Not as good as a finder but at least you’d get a heads up.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 2:50 PM on July 12 [2 favorites]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 2:50 PM on July 12 [2 favorites]
Best answer: TBH for nighttime I would bring a small padlock for the interior tent zipper rather than trying to finesse a tech attachment to a toddler. Even the most squirrelly of 2 year olds isn’t going to chew through a tent wall.
We’ve camped with our insane small children and I totally get the concern! Honestly the excitement of being on a camping trip tired them out, and they slept really soundly compared to at home.
posted by Wavelet at 6:58 PM on July 12 [5 favorites]
We’ve camped with our insane small children and I totally get the concern! Honestly the excitement of being on a camping trip tired them out, and they slept really soundly compared to at home.
posted by Wavelet at 6:58 PM on July 12 [5 favorites]
You can just take a carabiner clip to keep the tent shut. They won’t be able to open that and leave. If they can, use zip ties to keep the tent closed.
As a camper I see lots of little kids roaming around. Almost all of them have some type of bracelet or tag that says their name and their campsite.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 9:48 AM on July 13 [2 favorites]
As a camper I see lots of little kids roaming around. Almost all of them have some type of bracelet or tag that says their name and their campsite.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 9:48 AM on July 13 [2 favorites]
Could you use kinesiology tape to attach the tag to their upper middle back? Wouldn't be able to reach it. Might prevent them sleeping on their back tho. And write your cell number on the tape.
posted by Iteki at 2:42 PM on July 13
posted by Iteki at 2:42 PM on July 13
« Older Recommend a compact mattress topper? | Confused about Gmail interface for non-gmail email... Newer »
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by Silvery Fish at 10:06 AM on July 12 [1 favorite]