Did you know that more than 2,000 children in the United States are reported missing each day? What’s more, during the summer months, studies show that number increases by 10 percent.
I’ll never forget the gut-wrenching moment when I was in the grocery store with my toddler rearranging items in my shopping cart to accommodate a case of bottled water. When I turned around my daughter was gone and I experienced terror like I had never known before. Fortunately, she had only toddled a few feet away and I found her happily squatting behind a life-sized cut out of the Pillsbury Dough Boy. She was out of my sight for less than 45 seconds, but those terrifying moments have stuck with me to this day.
My anxiety about my child’s safety is just one of the reasons I am a prime target for marketers of safety devices for kids. The latest batch of products and devices designed to help keep track of children were recently featured at a safety fair I attended. Some of my favorites include:
TEMPORARY TATTOO
The colorful temporary tattoos were created by a Baltimore mother and can be ordered with your child’s name and contact information printed on them. You can also order blank ones that allow you to fill in medical or contact information. The tattoos peel-and-stick and can be applied to your child’s skin. Four tattoos sell for $8 or you can get 30 for $20.
AMBER ALERT GPS TRACKER
It’s considered the smallest GPS tracker on the market and is designed to appeal to youngsters. The device comes in a variety of colors and attaches to a child’s belt, backpack or pocket. Once the GPS is turned on it can track your child’s exact whereabouts online or on a cellphone that has Internet access. The tiny GPS has real time tracking that refreshes every sixty seconds, which means if you lose your child in a store or at the amusement park you can see exactly where they are and where they have been.
The device also has an SOS feature, which is activated with the press of a button. If your child is in danger he can push a button, which sends a text message to the cellphones of five people. It also has voice monitoring, so you can listen in to what’s happening around the child to hear if she is in trouble.
The Amber Alert GPS Tracker retails for $379, which may seem expensive, but can you really put a price tag on your child’s safety?
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