Relay Kids Phone Alternative is A Back-to-School Essential!

It’s almost time for school to begin and you may have already started shopping for your Back-To-School essentials.  Here’s one more thing to add to your list of MUST HAVES and believe me, it’s 100% worth it.  If you’ve got a child who is ready for their independence, but you’re not quite there yet, then the Relay Kids Phone Alternative: A Screen-Free Smarter Phone with 4G LTE Nationwide Range, Walkie Talkie Ease, and a GPS Tracker for Kids, will put your mind at ease.  If you can’t be with your child, Relay allows for instant communication and location tracking without the use of a smartphone or expensive cellular plan.  It’s the perfect Back-To-School accessory your kids will love!  

We’ve had our Relay for a couple of weeks now and I wonder how we ever got by without it.  Both my daughter and I have one; our lives have gotten so much easier and I have so much more peace of mind since we’ve started using this amazing alternative to a smartphone.  

Here is how it works: It functions for all intents and purposes like a walkie-talkie.  When my daughter sends me a message, I'll either get a notification on my phone or my Relay (which I carry in my pocket), will beep.  The message will come through in real-time, loud and clear, and I can respond back to her instantly.  We decided to use "walkie-talkie" phrases when using it to make sure our entire messages were being recorded.  At first, when she would press the button to leave a message, she'd let go too soon and would be cut off.  So we say the person's name when we press the button, our message, and then "over" when we are done.  When we're done talking completely, we say "over and out", just like when you used walkie-talkies as a kid.  

For the first few days of using it, we were literally sending messages to each other every 30 minutes or so.  It was great to know she was safe and happy, although when your kids are away, it's also nice to have some quiet time (LOL)!  After a couple of days, the newness wore off and we've now just been using it when we need to communicate, which is beyond amazing.  If you haven't already been convinced that this is a MUST HAVE for you and your children, here are THREE more great reasons why the Relay should be on your shopping list this school year.

The RELAY helps keep your child safe absolutely everywhere they go while giving them a little independence too.  It’s ideal for kids between the ages of 5 and 11, as an alternative to a smartphone (but with no screen).  It allows for instant communication and location tracking, all without an expensive cellular plan.

So far, we’ve been using our Relay every single day.  There’s no screen for her to get distracted by or play with, which I love as a parent. There’s no possibility for cyberbullying, inappropriate content, or connections to strangers with the Relay either.  Plus, the powerful 4G LTE range allows it to work anywhere and nationwide.  We have literally taken our Relays with us everywhere we've gone for the last two weeks.    

We first tried our Relay on a family hike at the White Point Nature Preserve in the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  We went there to play “Agents of Discovery”, an augmented reality game that gives kids and families a fun way to engage with public lands.  We divided our family into teams: Senna and daddy were Team Ace, while mommy and Mishka the dog were Team K9.  Team Ace used the "Agents of Discovery" app to complete an educational mission which consisted of 20 location-based “challenges” (or “questions”).  While Team Ace uncovered the game challenges by exploring the site, Team K9 used only the Relay to communicate back and forth (with my daughter) to figure out their location.  We had the most amazing time, asking questions to try to find each other and figure out where they were on the hike.  (I also could’ve used the GPS tracking functionality to find them, but that would have been too easy, wink, wink).  In case of an emergency, like a snake-bite or twisted ankle or someone getting lost, the RELAY has an SOS feature. I felt extra confident as a parent that my daughter was safe!  You can see more pix of our family hike and how we used the Relay on our INSTAGRAM.  

Relay has geofencing. This means, you're able to set up a radius around a specific point and receive app alerts when your child’s Relay enters or leaves that location.  This will be great if I want to send my daughter to school with the Relay or if she goes on a bike ride with friends around our neighborhood park.  

The RELAY is extremely easy to use, with a single button for ease of connection.  It’s rugged, made for an active child, and water-resistant.  Its design may look super simple on the outside, but it’s got some powerful technology on the inside that’s simple enough for a five-year-old (or even a grandparent) to communicate.  I mean, who has a kid that hasn’t mastered technology yet anyway; they’re all so incredibly smart.   

My daughter loves wearing the Relay around her neck on a Relay Loop Case with Lanyard (so I know she won’t lose it).  You can also clip it to a book bag or belt loop.  There’s even a neoprene armband your child can wear on their arm or wrist, or attach to a bike.  It’s as easy to use as a walkie-talkie, but it works everywhere because it’s powered by 4G LTE, just like a phone.  Right now, ours has national capabilities, but there is a sim-card you can get to have it work internationally.  This will be great when we go on that trip to Europe later this year.  

The directions are simple, press and hold the single button to talk.  Press the button five times to activate an SOS alert.  Whether I use my own Relay device or the app on my iPhone, I’m able to direct chat with my daughter anytime and anywhere.  If I’m in “active” mode, the message will be played aloud to me in real-time.  Otherwise, it’s saved as a missed message.  I can listen to the message once I become “active”.  I can also set up a group chat if I had more than one child, or if I want to include my husband in the message (which he would hear from the app on his phone).  

Your Relay has an LED ring around the button that also communicates information about your Relay.  When it is activating, there is a circling rainbow light.  It glows solid white when someone is talking.  If you have a missed message, it flashes a green light.  You can quickly press the button to check the battery of the device.  The partial light represents the battery percentage.  When your device has less than 20% battery remaining, the button will have a flashing red light around it.  I’ve also downloaded the app on my iPhone and the Relay sends me alerts when any of our Relay has a low battery.  That’s when it’s important to go charge it, or just do it at the end of every day so you never have to worry.  (You can download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play Store.)

In fact, the Relay is so easy to use, I had my parents download the app.  The free app works just like another Relay; my parents didn’t need to buy one to keep in touch.  We added them to our "Everyone Group Chat" and now they can communicate with or leave messages for their granddaughter anytime.  If she’s in camp or soon to be in school, the messages will be there for her when she’s done at the end of the day.  It’s kind of like voicemail, so you’ll never miss an important message.  

Last week, the Relay also turned a scary situation into total peace of mind!  I was out with friends at dinner and my husband was in charge of putting Senna to bed.  He took her to a nearby park to walk the dog, but forgot his phone, and had no idea what time it was. When I got home at 8:30 PM, my daughter was not in bed as she was supposed to be, and my husband and dog were nowhere in sight.  I first left a message for my husband, not knowing he had forgotten his phone.  After five minutes of no answer, I started to worry.  I was really panicked until I remembered she had her Relay.  Then I pressed the button on my Relay and said, “Where is my family?” Two seconds later, Senna’s voice came over the speaker loud and clear and she told me they were at the park with the dog and dad and they weren’t sure what time it was.  I can’t even tell you how great the instant relief that swept over me felt at that moment.  The Relay saved the day and my sanity.  It’s not fun worrying about your child.  

I can’t help but think how great this will be when school starts too.  If she goes on a field trip, or I’m late for pick-up and she’s wondering if I’m in the carline yet, or if she goes home with a friend and needs to reach me, I know the Relay will come in handy.  My child can get in touch with me anytime they need me.  It’s the perfect way to send your kids back to school safely.

The RELAY is affordable and has multiple features that translate into fun and entertainment for your little ones (so they don’t want to lose it or leave it behind).  Give them a sense of independence while also encouraging them to be responsible.

As I mentioned earlier, Relay is screen-free so it eliminates the distractions and unwanted side effects and risks of screen time, but kids still want to have FUN!  Relay has channels, just like on a walkie-talkie and just like apps, to make the product fun and engaging.  The ever-growing list of channels currently includes a Music channel (a playlist of your favorite mp3s), the Joke of the Day channel (a new kid-friendly joke delivered every day), and the Echo channel (a voice changer with sound effects that transform anything you say into something funny).  You can also use the Translate channel to speak English into your Relay and listen as your words are repeated back in the language of your choice from a list of over a dozen languages.  C’est fantastique!!!  Muy Bien!!!  

The Relay has really impacted and improved our lives in such a positive way in the last month and we’re looking to continue using it on a daily basis when school starts in two weeks.  It will make our day to day communication so much easier and the location tracking and messaging is the perfect way for us, (as conscientious, but not helicopter parents, LOL), to have peace of mind.  It’s also really affordable at $49.99 plus a $9/month cell plan that most families can feel good about versus smartphone plans.  Right now, Santa Monica Macaroni Kid is offering an exclusive discount.  So, if you know the Relay will fit into your family’s everyday lives, just as easily as it did ours, then now is the time to buy one! Here is the link - https://relaygo.fun/chanin-v - Don’t delay, get your RELAY!  

Relay is sold at Target and from now until 9/14, pick up a Relay at 40% off, in-store and online. You can also find Relay at Amazon.com, Target.com, and RelayGo.com.  Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

This article is sponsored by Relay, but all opinions expressed are my own.