TO BE CLEAR: No matter how much they're begging for one, your kid probably doesn’t need a smartphone. The official policy of the American Academy of Pediatrics is that young children need hands-on social interaction and exploration with peers and caregivers to learn—a standard that may or may not be difficult to uphold right now during a global pandemic.
But if you're looking for a digital device to entertain or distract them while you get some work done, let me be the second, fourth, or tenth person to tell you: That's perfectly OK. Here are some of the devices that have worked for me and my children, ages 3 and 5. Many of these gifts don't require any parental supervision, and the ones that do have solid parental controls that let you limit your kids' use to fewer than, say, 35 hours per day. If you'd like to see more options, check out our gift ideas for new parents or our guide to the best tablets for kids.
Updated November 2021: We added new picks, like the Facebook Portal Go, removed older picks, and added new information. We also corrected that Family Setup is available with Watch SE, and not with the Series 3.
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The Easiest Tablet
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids EditionWe’ve reported critically on Amazon in the past. But if you’re a parent with a younger child, the company’s tech products for kids are worth a look. Amazon’s kid-oriented tablets are the most durable, affordable, and easy to manage on the market. This year, Amazon acknowledged that the word “kid” covers a broad range of ages, and it now has two versions—last year’s regular version and this year’s Fire HD 10 Kids Pro ($200).
We still think the Fire HD 8 is the best for little kids. The Pro edition is really big in my 6-year-old’s hands, but it might be worth it if your older child needs faster processor speeds for Rabbids Coding or Lego apps. Both, however, come with a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+, which makes it easy for parents to monitor consumption, filter content, and set time limits from a smartphone. They also include a sturdy, durable case and a two-year, worry-free replacement guarantee. We have more options in our guide to the best kids’ tablets.
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Best Kids Phone
Google Pixel 4A and Pixel 4A 5GAccording to my colleague Simon Hill (and basic common sense), the best kids’ phone is an old phone that you already have. That means if you’re an Apple family and you recently upgraded to the iPhone 13, you can now pass on your old iPhone. If you’re a Pixel family, your kid is lucky because the Pixel 4A is still a great Pixel phone.
The compact 5.8-inch body is great for smaller hands, and you don’t have to worry about your child shattering the plastic body. The OLED screen still looks great, the battery lasts all day, and it will continue to get software updates through August 2023. Just know that if you want to buy it new, it’s a little hard to find in stock right now. And don’t forget to childproof it before you hand it over.
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Best Kid Videophone
Facebook Portal GoThere was a time when I would’ve thought that having a dedicated videophone was superfluous. Now that my kids’ ability to travel has been severely limited, having a Facebook Portal has been a lifesaver. This year’s Facebook Portal Go improves on the original Portal by making it portable, integrating it with apps like Google Calendar and Zoom, and introducing different household profiles so your children can pick it up and use it without accidentally calling your boss.
The Smart Sound and Smart Camera features pick up kids’ voices amidst background babble and focus on tiny faces even as they move around. Because it’s portable, my 6-year-old can carry it around the house to show my parents her dolls, and my parents can read her books with the AR features in Story Time before bed. The only downsides are that the battery life isn’t spectacular and you will need a Facebook or WhatsApp account.
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Best Remote Play Device
Amazon GlowMy kids and I have also been using the Amazon Glow for about a week. The Glow is a 14-inch-tall freestanding tower that projects a light screen onto a hard surface (it comes with a touch mat). Your remote family member downloads the Glow app onto a tablet. When they sign into the app, they and your child can call each other to draw together, read stories, or play games with physical pieces that Amazon calls “Glow Bits” (we have a tangram set for testing).
My parents and children love drawing together and reading with the Glow. If you’re a parent and your goal is to get free time to wash dishes, the Glow requires a lot more setup and supervision than the Portal. First, you need an outlet near a clean hard surface that measures at least 12 x 22 inches wide. Stray little fingers and stuffed animals also constantly lead the Glow’s IR sensors astray, and the Glow app’s interface isn’t always intuitive. But playing and drawing together from across such a big distance is pretty magical.
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A Cute Smart Speaker
Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition (4th Gen)Kids+ works across so many devices. I was meh on the previous version of the kids’ Echo Dot. But last year’s 2020 model is still ridiculously cute. It’s decorated with an adorable tiger or panda head—worlds cuter than a foam-wrapped regular Dot. The main reason to get an Echo kids’ speaker is that Amazon introduced a new skill for early readers called Reading Sidekick. After your child has picked out either a physical book or a digital one in Kids+, they can say “Alexa, let’s read.” My daughter and I tried it out, and it works surprisingly well—Alexa can understand my daughter’s speech, take turns with her, and doesn’t harp on her pronunciation (as I do sometimes, unfortunately.)
As with other Kids+ devices, you can set time limits and alarms. I also like that the Echo Dot doesn’t have a screen. However, I do have to say here that my 6-year-old much prefers using the new kids’ Echo Show ($95) so she can intercom me on my Echo Show while I’m in my office.
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A Kindle for Kids
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite KidsThis year, Amazon introduced three new Paperwhite models. These include a new Kids Edition, which has a larger 6.8-inch screen with adjustable warm lighting and up to 10 weeks of battery life. As with the Fire tablets, the Kindle Kids Edition includes a kid-friendly cover, a year's subscription to FreeTime, and a two-year replacement guarantee.
If you have an older kid who you want to keep away from the internet for a little longer, I think that the waterproofing, longer battery life, and less lag time when turning pages are all worthy upgrades. You can also download free library books if they run out of material in Kids+. However, if you’re not sure, the original Kindle for Kids is now much cheaper. It’s also worth noting here that Reading Sidekick doesn’t work with the Kindle. If you don’t have a print book, your child will need to read on the Kids+ app or on their Fire tablet.
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A Smart Night Light
Amazon Echo GlowTo be honest, Amazon’s smart night light doesn’t do very much. But it’s gorgeous, small, and has a variety of colors and light modes, like Disco or Underwater. My daughter likes the rosy-pink glow the best.
You can enable tapping to switch colors on the Glow. I can also adjust the main color, tweak the brightness, or turn it off remotely from the Alexa app. You will need a compatible Alexa-enabled device to set it up. If you just need a smart night light for a younger kid and don’t want to spring for an Echo device, the Hatch Baby Rest ($60) is another one that I’ve used and love.
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Another Good Kid Tablet
Apple iPad Mini (7.9-inch, 2019)If you want to escape the Amazon walled garden and plunge headlong into another one, consider an iPad Mini, which you can buy new or give as a hand-me-down if you already have one. The display is nicer than the iPod Touch and Amazon tablets, and the guts are faster and more powerful. It’s the better pick for an older kid who wants to play games, chat with friends, and edit dance videos. The newer versions of Apple’s smallest tablet are also compatible with Apple Pencil, which is a great $95 add-on if they love to draw.
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The Best Headphones
Puro Sound Labs PuroQuiets Noise-Canceling HeadphonesI delayed recommending the PuroQuiets for a really long time because it hurt my soul to suggest that parents spend three figures on children’s headphones. But this year, my 6-year-old fiendishly rejected her old Powmee headphones ($19). She said they sounded terrible. I blame my career for the fact that my 6-year-old can already tell that cheap headphones sound bad.
It was a struggle to find headphones that she’d accept until I came across these in my office. I can’t judge the sound or comfort myself because they're too small for my head, but my daughter says they’re comfortable and sound much better. They also limit the volume to a kid-safe 85 decibels and have active noise-canceling, which is great if your kid is in quarantine or has online classes. You can also switch between wireless and wired use.
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A Kid Smartwatch
Apple Watch SEWith Family Setup, Apple has made it easier than ever before to hand off your old Apple Watch to your child, with the caveat that you’ll need an Apple Watch that has cellular capabilities and is compatible with WatchOS 7.
Family Setup has two major advantages. First, you may have already upgraded to the Series 7 and thus have an old SE lying around. Second, it makes great use of the watch’s GPS capabilities. Once it’s on and activated, your kid will pop up in the Find My app. The major downside is that you are handing your kid a full-fledged smartwatch, complete with podcasts, fitness tracking, and dozens of functions that a young kid probably doesn’t need.
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A Simpler Watch Option
Verizon GizmoWatch 2Verizon’s GizmoWatch 2 is a good alternative children’s smartwatch, especially for younger kids. It comes in several colors, including a preschooler-friendly pink. Even though the watch is a little large—I measured it as 2 inches from corner to corner—it’s still small enough for my 5-year-old to wear comfortably. It’s also waterproof. And pink.
It doesn’t have a ton of features, but then again I don’t want it to. I can track her location in the GizmoHub app on my phone, and she can call her parents or her grandparents by clicking on their pictures on the Contacts page. I did have to connect it to my Verizon account for a $10/month service fee. However, unlike the Apple Watch, it can be set up and monitored from both iOS and Android phones. This watch is one I’ve tested and can vouch for, but be extra cautious when buying your child a cheaper GPS-enabled smartwatch.
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A Location Monitor
Jiobit Location Monitoring ClipThis is more of a present for you than for your kid. Of all the child trackers that I’ve tested, the Jiobit was the simplest and easiest to use. You can fasten it to your child’s clothes with a flex ring or a spare hair tie; my kid was delighted by how small and cute it was. Then, send them outside and check the app on your phone to see your child moving around on a map in real-time.
The security protocols on this device are stronger than on similar devices. In addition to standard safety precautions like a security chip and data encryption, Jiobit also burns away part of the circuit board after assembly, so even if a hacker got their hands on the monitor, they wouldn’t be able to reprogram it. It requires a monthly $8 subscription fee, but it’s commitment-free.
- PHOTOGRAPH: JOSEPH SHIN
A Cute Console
Nintendo Switch LiteSeveral parents have asked me if they should get their children a Nintendo Switch to pass the time during quarantine. Years after it debuted, it’s still on everyone’s holiday wish lists, and yes, everyone deserves a Switch. They are very popular and never go on sale, but there is a more affordable version of Nintendo’s handheld console called Switch Lite. It’s small, cute, and light enough for even my 5-year-old to play on.
This would make a great holiday present for the kid in your life. Even if they end up losing interest, you can pick it up and play games yourself. So far, my kid’s favorite games are Donut County and Mario Kart, but we have more suggestions here.
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A Storytelling Cube
Yoto PlayerDespite my colleague Simon Hill's love of the Yoto Player, I was initially pretty skeptical. My kids already have access to plenty of screenless speakers, including way too many portable Bluetooth speakers. However, enough parents that I know raved about the Yoto that I had to include it. In order to use it, you download the Yoto app on a tablet. Your child then puts physical cards into a slot on the cute, cube-shaped speaker to listen to music, stories, or meditations.
My 6-year-old loves it. It’s cute and doubles as a clock. It’s also portable, so she can bring it into the kitchen to listen to Beverly Clearly or up to her room to listen to meditation if she’s in a snit. However, it’s pretty expensive for a fun toy, and my two kids got bored with the initial five-card starter pack pretty quickly. Accumulating those analog story cards would start to add up really fast.
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The Best Mask
Happy Masks Pro SeriesTo a kid, getting a mask in their stocking might be the modern-day equivalent of getting a boring pair of socks or a pack of batteries. But a great kids’ mask is essential equipment, especially if your kid is attending school in person. There’s just no other mask, my kids, like as much as their Happy Masks.
They’re comfortable and fit both a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old well. The beaked shape sits off their little faces, and a light membrane filter inside has been independently tested for 99.9 percent filtration of viruses and other particulates, down to 0.3 microns in size. However, the most important part is that they come in a variety of colors and prints, and my children have grown irrationally attached to their unicorn and dinosaur masks. The only problems are that each mask costs $24, and they're almost never in stock. You have to add your name to a waitlist for a chance to buy.
