Cell Phones For Kids

Kajeet is the company that knows what both kids want and parents want when it comes to cell phones. Looking for the right cell phones for kids can be daunting for many parents and that is where Kajeet comes in. They have the phones that kids love and those phones also have the controls that lets parents sleep well at night. Their service is also for tweens who want phones but the parents are a little skeptical.

One of the most important things about the Kajeet service is that there are NO contracts, NO activation fees, and NO termination fees. This is a pay as you go service that is designed for kids and you can change your plan at any time. No longer will you have to worry about what fees or charges will show up each month that your kid unknowingly racked up.

The Kajeet service uses the nationwide Sprint service but you don’t sign up through Sprint: you sign up with Kajeet. There are 5 different monthly plans to choose from starting as low as $4.99 per month up to $50.00 per month and all but the cheapest plan comes with unlimited text messages (nice!). There is also a separate wallets feature where you can have your child pay money for some of the calls or texts they want and the rest comes out of your pocket.

BEST PARENTAL CONTROLS

Kajeet gives parents all sorts of online controls and that is what sets them apart from any competitors. You will have an online dashboard where you can decide what hours the phone can be used as well as what numbers you want to block. You can block both incoming and outgoing numbers and texts that you don’t want your child calling or getting calls from.

GPS is something many parents want and for $7.99 per month additional on any plan, your child’s phone will be set up with this feature. A parent can go online at anytime to see where the phone is (hopefully your child will be with it). Additionally, a schedule can be set up online that will automatically locate the phone up to five times a day and send the parent an email that you can view on any mobile device so you don’t have to be on a computer to know where your child is.

Children are asking for cell phones at such an early age that many parents don’t know what to do. This is where Kajeet comes in and why the company was started. Now you can get the fun phones your kids want as well as the controls to monitor their behavior that you as a parent need!

2012 is here and if it is time to start thinking about getting your child a cell phone, or upgrading the phone they already have, I have put together a list of the different options you have.

If you are a parent of a younger child (ages 5 all the way up to 13 or 14) you might want to get a phone that is simple and has good parental controls. You might also be looking for phone that is prepaid so the child cannot exceed the allotted minutes and charge up a big bill.

Parents of teenagers (anywhere from 13 to 18) may want to get their boy or girl a phone that has a camera, texting, music, Internet access(?), and fewer parental controls, if any. Parents will most certainly also want to know that their child can’t run up a big bill as phone use (minutes and texting) can get out of hand at that age.

Here are the best cell phones for kids for 2012 (and a couple of not so good ones):

KAJEET is my #1 choice for almost any age because of the wide variety of phones and the extensive online parental controls they offer. They are great because you have no activation fee, no termination fee, and no contract. They are a month to month service that even offers an optional GPS locator with each phone for a small added monthly fee. Kajeet’s online parental controls are what set them apart as you are able to choose what hours your child can use the phone, what numbers they can call and accept, as well as other things to make sure your child uses the phone like you want them to. Please read my more extensive Kajeet review to see if this phone service is the right one for you and your child.

LG MIGO VX1000 – **To use this phone you must be a current Verizon customer and add it as an extra line** This phone is specially made with small kids in mind because it fits small hands nicely and it has 4 keys that are numbered and can be programmed by the parents.  There is also an emergency key, power key, and a speakerphone but not much more. The retail price of the LG Migo is $49.99 but you can get a better price here and read some consumer reviews - LG Migo Verizon VX1000

Firefly makes cell phones for kids but the problem is that their website is confusing and frankly, amateurish. They make the GlowPhone and mention the FlyPhone but you can’t find the FlyPhone anywhere on their site. Additionally, there are a lot of bad reviews on Amazon about their phones and service. I suggest you go there to read the reviews at the end of the page on Amazon so that you can make an informed decision before buying – Firefly Cellphone for Kids

Tracfone Wireless is one of the leaders in prepaid phone plans and pay as you go. Their selection of cell phones is from many of the different manufacturers including all the big names. This lets you choose which phone you think would be best for your child and then you can design your cell phone plan based upon your child’s needs. There are no contracts and your choices are pay as you go, plans that are monthly, and annual plans. This is one of your best options if you are looking for prepaid cell phones for kids that are a little older and you don’t care about parental controls. You can also get free shipping through this link – TRACFONE WIRELESS FREE GROUND SHIPPING.

Warning: If you see this cell phone online (TicTalk by Enforma) do not buy it! Their website is not online anymore and the company no longer activates these phones that once were great for kids.

Are you worried about texting charges adding up for your teenager? Every parent who has a teen with a cell phone knows how much they text: more than they talk! That means you or they are probably paying for those texts in the form of a monthly charge and/or overcharges that are incurred when they go over their allotted number of texts.

Your kids can get around all texting charges if they start using a free download app by the name of WhatsApp Messenger. Anyone who has an iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or Nokia phone can use this app and you wont be charged any SMS charges because it uses your Internet data plan that you use for emailing.

The only real problem you might have getting your teenager to switch is that all their friends also need to start using WhatsApp as well. As long as your teen uses the app to text their friends who are also using the app, no texting charges will be incurred.

More and more phones for kids are of the smartphone variety and if your teen has one you might be very interested in lowering their texting charges. Getting them to start using WhatsApp to save money each month is a good way to do it.