Cell Phone for 8 year old

[RachelEllen]

My fiance and his ex-wife are looking into getting a cell phone for his eight year old son. Does anyone have any experience with an appropriate plan for a child this young? It's basically to help deal with some separation issues that are occuring. We'd ideally like something that allowed the parent to limit all incoming and outgoing numbers to a small list. It's not immediately obvious on the cell phone web sites if this can be done. Anyone with any experience?

 

[slo]

We got our 9yr old DD a Firefly for when she's away from us (choir practice, gymnastics, tutoring, etc). Outside of these times, she's not allowed to have the phone.

The phone has only 4 call out buttons, and those are for my cell phone, her fathers cell phone, home, and our store. Outside of that, she can't call anyone else. The phone will only accept incoming calls from the numbers my DH programmed into her phone, and no one else.

I basically call this phone a communicator, more than a cell phone. My DD of course thinks she's so cool to have this, because some of her friends already have Razors (she knows it going to a VERY long time before she gets something like that).

 

[CEDmom]

What about a firefly phone (I think that's what it's called)? You plug in the numbers the child can call and that's what they're limited to. As far as incoming I think you just have to tell the child not to give out the number or better yet not even tell him what the number is.

 

[GJM]

We just got my DS 8 a cell phone at Christmas. I have Verizon and I was able to get an $80 phone for free - it is a better phone then mine. I just added him to my plan for $10 extra per month.

He has been really good with it, only really will use it if he isn't home. He doesn't use it any other time.

 

[leafette]

My daughter got a phone for Christmas, mainly to use when she's away from us at her various activities. Like a PP, it was a free phone, and she can share our minutes. We have restricted it to her contacts list (which includes only "home," me, my DH and her grandparents), and she can only call those numbers. Most phones have a setting like this, and it is password protected.

 

[NHdisneylover]

We just got my DS 8 a cell phone at Christmas. I have Verizon and I was able to get an $80 phone for free - it is a better phone then mine. I just added him to my plan for $10 extra per month.

He has been really good with it, only really will use it if he isn't home. He doesn't use it any other time.

That's pretty much what we do. It was uch cheaper to add regular lines to our Verizon plan than to get soething seperate--and we got the free phoens also. The kids used to share one phone (we have no land line) but got their own last year at 8 and 10 as they are often both gone at once these days. Both are really trustworthy kids who don't just pick up a phone to "chat" so we have had no issues with minutes. They have Razors with the built in MP-3 players--same as mine. I like that one charger works for all the phones. Also, is is easier for the kids to keep track of one item (cell and MP-3 combo) than two seperate ones. Both kids still usually give friends my number becuase they know I nearly always hear my phone whereas they tend not to carry theirs as much Oh, and DD also uses the calander feature on her phone extensivley.

 

[Irin997]

Can I just ask, why on earth does an 8 year old need a cell phone? My DD will be 7 in May and I have no plans to get her a cell phone until she is in high school. So why does an 8 year old need a phone? I'm asking seriously, what are your reasons for giving an 8 yo a phone? Thanks!

 

[NHdisneylover]

Can I just ask, why on earth does an 8 year old need a cell phone? My DD will be 7 in May and I have no plans to get her a cell phone until she is in high school. So why does an 8 year old need a phone? I'm asking seriously, what are your reasons for giving an 8 yo a phone? Thanks!

Lots of reasons for us:

1. We haev no land lien phone. SO, if I run to the store nad hte kids need to call me they need a cell to reach my cell. Or even if we have a sitter, i cannot rely on my sitter to ahev a cell but need to leave him/her with a phone.

2. We have 2 acres and hte neighbors have 5. The kids fm both houses haev hte run of these 7 acres. It is a safe area, but I still like them to throw a phone in their pocket when they go out to play. They cannot always hear me calling htem in, and once DD fell and twisted her ankle quite badly. It was muc hbette rthat DS could call em and i could quickly arrive to help her in, than for him (he is much smaller physically then she) to run home, ge tme and then us both go back.

3. SOmetimes I am late picking up a child from an activity (especially when DH is out of town and I am trying to get them bot hdifferent places on different towns at mroe or less hte same time). I can call their phones to letthem know I am running late so htey do not worry.

4. Safety and security. This really hit home two years ago. DD was 9 at the time. She was at a slumebr party for her firend's birthday. We knew the firned's mom quite well but had never met the dad who traveled quite a bit. Dad ended up being there that night (after I dropped DD off). DD had her cell in the bottom of her backpack. She said when the dad arrived she just had a funny feeling and he scared her. She went in the bathroom with her phone and called me crying (she was afraid to ask him to use their phone). I made up an excuse and came and picked her up. Turned out the dad got really drunk later that night and was screaming obscenities at the little girls. One wanted to call home and he ripped the phone from the wall. Yep, mine take their cells pretty much everywhere now.
**DD happens to be a fairly anxious type of kid anyway, so she had the phone in her backpack (and often did before that--but never used it to actualy call me before) just to give her an extra feeling of security. She liked then (and likes now) knowing that if she really needs/wants us she can get a hold of us.

Both have cell phones which they enjoy, use resonsibly and take care of. It is something that works for us and them. It isn't a good thing for all kids in all families, but it is for some.

 

[rcraw45425]

We have two girls 10 & 12 that have both had phones for 2 years now. They have both shown extreme responsibility with them, their reward was they just got new LG Rumors (with keyboard for esier texting). We switched over from Nextel to Sprint after being long time customers so we got major rebates and the phones wound up costing me $49.99 each then I'm paying $10 each per month to add them onto our minutes. I also added insurance and family text (unlimited) and we're still cheaper than Nextel was each month. My main reason was when 10 YO was 8 she took piano at a local store. We discovered our child outside the store at 6:45PM waiting for us, they had told her and her classmates to wait outside afiter finishing early. Each family and situation is different but to me it's about peace of mind, theirs and ours

 

[lovin diz]

We just added a line for my 12 yo daughter. IMO it is much easier to explain / teach the do's and dont's at this age, that at 15 or 16. as other posters mentioned, DD is allowed to make phone calls only to the #'s we have programed in the phone. If i see other calls are being made, the phone gets taken away...End of story...Also, i called ATT, and told them not to allow text messaging on this phone.

 

[buzzlady]

Kajeet. You can limit phone #s the time calls can be made/received. You can check it out at kajeet.com. Last year, my son did a test for them and received a free phone + I think it was at least $30 in minutes.

 

[Rella Bella]

Can I just ask, why on earth does an 8 year old need a cell phone? My DD will be 7 in May and I have no plans to get her a cell phone until she is in high school. So why does an 8 year old need a phone? I'm asking seriously, what are your reasons for giving an 8 yo a phone? Thanks!

My 11 year old son has a phone... and has had it for two years now.
In reality we got it for ourselves more than him, but he is very proud to be given such responsibility and has taken excellent care of it.

We originally got it right before our last Disney trip. The time before we had gotten separated and had some scary moments before we reconnected at our "meeting spot". We thought it would be good for "just in case".

Now he has to take it when ever he leaves the house. Even if he's with another parent, we can always contact him if our plans change. When he's at a friends house we don't have to bother the parents to "find him" in their backyard or playroom, he knows if we call he is to answer and we have an immediate response.

We have the texting and internet services turned off to his number and he is on our family plan so his phone was free and it's just 9.99 monthly for the line... more than worth the convenience and peace of mind.

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

We got our 9yr old DD a Firefly for when she's away from us (choir practice, gymnastics, tutoring, etc). Outside of these times, she's not allowed to have the phone.

The phone has only 4 call out buttons, and those are for my cell phone, her fathers cell phone, home, and our store. Outside of that, she can't call anyone else. The phone will only accept incoming calls from the numbers my DH programmed into her phone, and no one else.

I basically call this phone a communicator, more than a cell phone. My DD of course thinks she's so cool to have this, because some of her friends already have Razors (she knows it going to a VERY long time before she gets something like that).

That sounds like a GREAT option for kids!!

 

[DVCLiz]

Can I just ask, why on earth does an 8 year old need a cell phone? My DD will be 7 in May and I have no plans to get her a cell phone until she is in high school. So why does an 8 year old need a phone? I'm asking seriously, what are your reasons for giving an 8 yo a phone? Thanks!

If you'd reread the OP, you would see that the phone in that case is to help the child deal with some separation issues the family is having.

In other families, a cell phone is used to - gasp! - make phone calls. Some families don't see a cell phone as a luxury item that must be rationed out, but as a communication device they would prefer their childrne to have. In many cases, using a pay phone or borrowing an adult's phone aren't good options, and parents choose to have their child use a cell phone.

 

[GJM]

Well my DS has a cell phone for a couple of reasons -

1. He has a little more freedom to ride his bike down the street to a friends house, he calls me when he gets there. Plus if he is at a friends house I just call him.

2. My DH is away training for the military now and may be deployed for a year or long. I wanted my DS to have a phone with phone numbers program in the way he would know them - like my mom - he calls her meme. Just in case he needed to get in touch with someone.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

can you call 911 on a firefly?

 

[Irin997]

If you'd reread the OP, you would see that the phone in that case is to help the child deal with some separation issues the family is having.

In other families, a cell phone is used to - gasp! - make phone calls. Some families don't see a cell phone as a luxury item that must be rationed out, but as a communication device they would prefer their childrne to have. In many cases, using a pay phone or borrowing an adult's phone aren't good options, and parents choose to have their child use a cell phone.

Well considering - gasp! - that I was just curious as to why children have cell phones I was wondering what parent's reasons were for giving them a phone.

I appreciate everyone's answers and explanations.

 

[DVCLiz]

Can I just ask, why on earth does an 8 year old need a cell phone? My DD will be 7 in May and I have no plans to get her a cell phone until she is in high school. So why does an 8 year old need a phone? I'm asking seriously, what are your reasons for giving an 8 yo a phone? Thanks!

Sorry, but your post didn't sound like you were simply asking for information. If that's all you had wanted, you'd have left out the "why on earth" - which is typically used in an inflammatory sense - and you wouldn't have needed to mention your decision to wait until high school for your own daughter. Your post sounded judgemental and scolding to me, which is why I answered the way I did.

Personally, I didn't give my older daughter a cell phone until she was 14, and my younger daughter got hers when she was 13. Now that they both have them, and I can see how convenient they are, and how much less of a "status" item than a useful tool for our family, I wish I'd done it sooner.

Parents who arbitrarilay choose to wait on cell phones until high school are perfectly within their rights to do so, but there are many families who choose to provide their younger children with a cell phone. It's becoming a norm, and not an extravagance.

 

[Irin997]

I can understand where you got the scolding and judgemental tone from it, but in my defense I did follow it up by saying that I was seriously asking for the reasons to give a child a phone and thanks in advance. So it's 50/50. My apologies for coming across the wrong way. But I was honestly just wondering why a parent would give a child a phone at such a young age and was given some great reasons.

 

[trappednabox]

can you call 911 on a firefly?

yes, you just push the emergency button and it calls for help. My sister had one of these when she was about 9, it has 4 buttons on it, 1 each to call mom and dad, one for emgergencys, and one for the phonebook (If I remember right, it's been a coupld of years) you can add numbers they are allowed to call to the phone book and they can only get calls from those people in their phonebook. A parent sets the password and you need the password to add or change the numbers in the phonebook. Unless they've changed it in the last few years. It was really helpful to us b/c she has to go out of town to visit her dad and we like to be able to reach her whenever we need to