My children are 9 years apart; my daughter is 18 and my son is 9. As you can imagine, my 9-year-old usually wants what my daughter has when it comes to electronics. Even though several of his school mates have smartphones, there was no way we were giving in. We have a no cellphone policy until middle school. Even then, there will be restrictions until high school.
However, since my son is involved in sports and band, I wanted a way that my husband and I could communicate with him when we were not together. When I heard about Relay by Republic, and did my research, I knew this was exactly what I was looking for. Relay is a smarter, screen-free phone for kids that is like a walk-talkie that works on wi-fi, 4G and cellular. It can communicate with other Relay devices or with the free Relay app on all smartphones. Being in the tech industry, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to set up (see pictures below). After downloading the app, it took less than five minutes per unit to fully activate. They make it so simple to get started.
Right away, both my kids went to different parts of the house to talk to each other. Now it was time to test them outside of the house. I went to run errands and my son was able to communicate with me without having to use his father’s or sister’s cell phone. It was very impressive to be at the store over 10 minutes away and be able to communicate clearly with my son. My son loves his Relay, and now I allow him to go to his friend’s house at the end of our complex without me.
Timeline for activation of one Relay - less than 5 minutes!
This is a big deal in our house. It not only allows him some freedom, it gives me the peace of mind that I communicate with him right away. If there is an emergency, Relay’s SOS feature makes sure that if your child needs help, you don’t miss the alert. My favorite part is the GPS tracker, so I can see exactly where my son is (see picture below).
Relay is perfect for sleep-overs, weekends at grandmas, birthday parties, sports games, and more! It makes a perfect gift this holiday season. They even have a few cool accessories. Right now, you can order yours from Target for 15% off.
Here are my top five reasons why your family needs a Relay!! (Be sure to scroll below for additional savings from Target).
- Set up is a breeze. Once I installed the app on my phone, it took about ten minutes (fives minutes per device) to fully activate.
- It’s like a smartphone, but it isn’t. Your child can communicate with you no matter where they are. You can communicate with other Relay’s or with the free app. Relay also captures missed messages - kind of like voicemail - so you’ll never miss an important message. It also has channels, that are likes apps. Channels include Music, Translate, Joke of the Day, Echo (a voice change). This keeps your child’s Relay fun and engaging.
- It’s safe. Since it’s screen-free, there are no worries of your child coming across inappropriate content, or the risk of cyber-bullying. It has GPS tracking, so you will always know where your child is. There is also an emergency SOS feature, with the touch of a button.
- It’s easy to use. A single button controls it all.
- It’s made tough for kids. It has a solid, water resistant rugged design that is made for the demands of a child. There are also easy to carry accessory options available.
Use this LINK to take advantage of these amazing savings that Target has to offer:
Dec. 8-Dec. 14-15% off + $10 off - use code RELAY10
Dec. 15-Dec. 24-$20 off
Disclaimer: I was provided with compensation and/or product for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.