Safe community access for neurodivergent children
is always a concern for parents especially when there’s a risk of elopement!
Going shopping, attending a festival, going to a local market, visiting the playground, going for a walk– sometimes adjusting your activities is required as it’s just too dangerous or gives you too much anxiety.
Sometimes you have to say no. Sometimes the other siblings miss out on outings because it’s just too risky.
Now, imagine a wearable solution that provides instant location tracking and communication that allows you the freedom to head out with the children and keep an eye on them at all times! My Buddy Gard's Personal GPS watch (or pendant option) can!
Three options to choose from
Option 1:
Kids Buddy Watch
A kid’s watch worn on the wrist.
Our flagship product Kids Buddy Watch, is a line of GPS tracking devices for kids. Whether your loved ones is heading to after-school activities or you simply want to monitor their whereabouts for peace of mind, Buddy Watch gives you real-time location updates right on your smartphone.
Option 2:
Pendant Buddy Tracker
A pendant that can be worn around the neck, attached to a belt around the waist or worn with our optional extra wearing options kit you can securely attach to your child's clothing.
Option 3:
Buddy Secure Watch
A watch with a lockable band that cannot be undone without the locking tool to keep it in position at all times.
Who Benefits from a My Buddy Gard Watch or Pendant?
The children with Neurodiverse Conditions
Whether it's fostering independence or ensuring safety, our GPS watches and pendants provide reassurance to the family/parents of children who may wander or elope, keeping them connected and safe in any environment.
Families Seeking Freedom
With My Buddy Gard, families can confidently say yes to more outings, knowing that their loved ones are protected by reliable GPS tracking technology.
So how can one of our GPS trackers help you on a day-to-day basis?
Our customers leverage various features to suit diverse requirements and scenarios.
Some parents say the Boundary Alerts (Geo-Fence function) is the most important.
Set a fence around your home, the playground or a path to and from school and be alerted if they breach that perimeter.
You can set multiple geofences.
The geo-fences can be configured any way you like! They don’t have to be a circle or a square – you can create a complete path that avoids a busy highway, a shopping centre, etc.
The alerts can go to multiple people via text message, email, and push notifications.
The alert messages can be sent to different people at different times. For example, if you are the primary carer but on a Wednesday between the hours of 10am – 12pm you are unavailable, you can have the alerts be directed to someone else in your support network.
This feature can be used at any time without having to set a Boundary Alert. Simply log onto your app (or open the Track Map program on your laptop or desktop) and push ‘Locate’. It will immediately update your child’s location and give you a visual of where they are on the map.
One of the most popular features. The watches and the pendant all have a button that can be activated to ring directly to a loved one if they urgently need help. Because we all know, in an emergency, time is critical. As with the alerts with geo-fence, the number of the watch/pendant calls can change for particular days or times. You can also include text or email notifications saying that the watch wearer has activated the SOS function so that multiple people are notified of the emergency.
If you know your child is in a particular area but they are physically hiding, you can make the watch or pendant make a noise to allow you to follow and find.
The watches have a call function much like a mobile phone however the only numbers that can ring into the watch are the ones that you have previously added. If the phone number is not one of the 10 contact numbers already in the contact list, it cannot ring the watch. This is super helpful because the last thing we want is for our neurodivergent child to receive a call from a stranger or a scammer!
Interestingly, we have many customers who have told us that although they didn’t feel this feature was a top priority at the time of purchase, it has become a much-loved function. An anxious, scared, or stressed child can instantly call a loved one and receive advice, a helping hand or simply a calming reassuring chat.
This feature, when needed, is REALLY needed. Our customers have told us that if they have concerns about how their child is being treated, spoken to or communicated with, they are relieved they can gain access to this information by utilising this feature especially if that child is non-verbal or cannot defend themselves. It is similar to making a phone call, however the watch wearer does not know it’s happening.
We are an NDIS-approved provider
Our Buddy Trackers can be funded through either Consumables or Low-Cost Technology.
You can get a quote directly from our website under the tab “Get a Quote”.
Testimonials
We’ve spoken to many parents who tell us that the issue of wandering can completely change the way they parent, not only for the child with ASD but also for their siblings.
And we know you can feel a little guilty about that!
But safety first! And rightly so. We get it!
Our customers tell us that purchasing one of our GPS-tracking devices has made a huge difference in their lives.
Megan P.
"It truly changed what could have been an awful and tragic outcome to a family reunited, and my child safe and sound"
I can say firsthand that My buddy Gard is truly a life saver for my family, without the device both pendant and watch my 9-year-old daughter may not have been found.
She is a constant absconder and recently on a weekend took off from her NDIS carers in the city. While police were called, and they were searching for her they were not able to find her. I logged on to my portal to locate her however I had issues. Immediately I called My buddy gard but was concerned being the weekend no one would be there, like previous devices I have used.
However, they immediately answered and stayed on the phone while we sorted out the issue and located her. This was immediately communicated to the police and she was found within minutes. She was found quite a distance away from where she took off and the police mentioned they had not even thought to look in that area. Again, the customer service went above and beyond helping me and even followed up afterwards to ensure she was safe. Hence, I said it is a life saver for my family and would highly recommend it to any family with or without disabilities.They also are coming up with additional upgrades and I look forward to them. I have less of a fear of letting her go somewhere now she is wearing her Buddy watch and pendant. From my family to My buddy gard THANK YOU !!! It truly changed what could have been an awful and tragic outcome to a family reunited, and my child safe and sound.
Kylee M.
"Not only can we make sure she is safe when she is away from us by knowing exactly where she is but at the same time giving her her sense of independence"
I requested a smart watch for my daughter who has autism through the NDIS program. My Buddy Gard has been a huge help. Not only can we make sure she is safe when she is away from us by knowing exactly where she is but at the same time giving her her sense of independence.
She has also called me when she has been excited about something and wants to tell me right there and then and when she does some shopping and needs me to pick her up so she doesn't have to carry it home.
But most importantly, if Sarah is ever feeling threatened or unsafe she knows all she needs to do is call SOS on her watch thank you Buddy Gard
Clarence Y.
"It has made a wonderful difference to his life"
Thanks to Buddy Gard. My ASD brother has had an adult buddy watch for 12 months. It has made a wonderful difference to his life being able to communicate to family like a mobile phone, but without having the distractions a normal mobile phone presents to young people.
Did you know we offer free onboarding sessions via zoom?
We know new tech can be scary sometimes. And that’s why we hold your hand as much or as little as you need!
We can step you through…
- How to log in and set up your account
- Add SOS number and triggers
- Add your Buddy contacts
- Explain tips and tricks to extend your battery
- Set up Geo-Fence
- And much much more!
Join our Rewards Program
If you decide to become a customer, we invite you to join our Rewards program where you can turn points into cash, or discounts off your monthly monitoring expenses or future purchases.
Earning points is easy! Simply engage with us to earn points!
Begin your journey towards peace of mind
If a Kids Buddy Tracker sounds like it could offer your child more freedom while reassuring you, click below.
FAQs
Is the watch water-resistant?
Yes, our watch and pendants are all water resistant (IP67 rating) which means that the wearer can take a shower, help with dishes, and have a water fight with the device on however they cannot go swimming or submerge the device underwater.
How long does the battery last?
A general rule is between 1 day and 4 days depending how you use it. If you are setting multiple geo-fences requiring notifications in a short space of time or using the call/SOS or Listen in Features heavily, it will last a lesser time.
If you are only using it to log in and check, it will most likely last the full 5 days.
The ‘ping rate’ will also play a huge part in this – we can chat with you in our free onboarding and make sure it’s set to the most appropriate of how you will use it.
Charging the device only takes 2-3 hours. You can set an alert to tell you the battery needs charging AND when the battery is fully charged and ready to be put back on thus alleviating the concern of forgetting it.
Are there ongoing costs?
After the initial purchase of the watch, there is an ongoing monitoring cost.
You can either choose our Telstra Sim Plan which comes already set up in the watch or our BYO options. There are no lock-in contracts, and you can pay a month in advance or opt to pay 12, 24 or 36 months in advance.
