Fit Bit for my 10 year old? Good or Bad?

Goal179 · July 2014

Hi MFP;

SInce you are a community of experts and I really value your opinion, I would like to ask a question about getting a fitbit (the little cheap one that clips to your clothes) for my ten year old daughter. I ordered a fitbit for myself last week and i cannot wait to get it. When my daughter asked me what it was, she was over the moon with excitement and wanted one for herself. But i have reservations about getting something like this for her at such a young age. I have struggled with weight for at least the last 20 years and I want her to live differently and not have the same challenges that I do. My focus with her has been to teach her healthy eating (as much as I can, still trying to learn myself) and keep her focused on being active. I don't want her obsessed with her weight (she is very tall and somewhat bigger than the other girls in school but her weight is perfectly within healthy range for her height). If I get her a fitbit, I am worried that she may develop some unhealthy obessionsion with her weight or with counting calories. She is only ten. She should be focused on running and jumping and playing, not necessarily counting her steps. But at the same time, this may be a great introduction to teaching her to monitor her activity and make sure that she stays active everyday for life. Who knows, this could spark her to become a marathon runner or speed walker or something awesome like that. It is very important to know how physically active you are and the fitbit could help. It could be really fun for ME to be able to monitor how much activity she actually gets during the day. If I notice that she is not moving as much as she should, I could drag her out to go on my walks with me. I am torn:sick: . Am I just over reacting? Should I just get her a fitbit and let her enjoy it?

SherryTeach · July 2014

I think it could be perfectly fine if it were approached with a healthy attitude about just being active. I teach in a middle school. The kids in PE go through a unit where they all wear pedometers for a couple of weeks and compare steps. Most of the kids think it is fun. I've worn my fitbit to school every day for two years. I have quite a few kids who ask me on a regular basis how many steps I have. But this is all done to promote activity and health, not connected to weight or body image in any way.

Jelaan · July 2014

When our kids were between the ages of 6 and 10 ( daughter was 6, twin boys were 10), the whole family got pedometers as a way to get us all more active. It was quietly aimed partially at one of the boys without him knowing. We had a weekly family competition to see who could get the most steps and the winner got to pick the Friday night movie for us all. We all got way more active and the one son who needed it most was usually the winner. It is all in how you approach it. We emphasized that it was to make us more healthy as a family and was to have fun.

The short answer is just let her enjoy it

WalkingAlong · July 2014

I seem to recall the Fitbit site won't let you make an account for a child, at least not that young and not based on her own stats. Not that she'd need it but just fyi.

I think it'd be better to get her a $5 pedometer that just shows steps and not calories, maybe?

UnicornAmanda · July 2014

I definitely don't see a problem with her having one! It will be a good way to encourage a healthier lifestyle not necessarily make her obsessed with calorie counting and stuff.

SnuggleSmacks · July 2014

Gamification of fitness really works for a lot of people, not just kids. The Nintendo 3DS game system also counts your steps if you carry it around in sleep mode, and you can trade those steps for in-game purchases on a lot of games. It's an attempt to make kids more active, and for some it can really work.

If you got a Fitbit or any other pedometer for a child, I would not connect it to an account or app (does she even have a smartphone?) I would get one with a screen, goals which can be set by the user, and memory for tracking over time. No nutrition info should be needed. I wouldn't want my child counting calories. Also, a child is quite likely to lose this item, so I wouldn't invest much money into it.

If you can find one that meets those criteria, then sure, it's a good way to motivate your child to get out from in front of the computer or TV. If not, then it's probably not worth it, unless your kid likes video games and then I'd just go for the 3DS.

Jelaan · July 2014

I seem to recall the Fitbit site won't let you make an account for a child, at least not that young and not based on her own stats. Not that she'd need it but just fyi.

I think it'd be better to get her a $5 pedometer that just shows steps and not calories, maybe?

Have to agree, she would probably have as much fun with a pedometer, no need for the calories, but the flower feature is fun

mickiebabs · July 2014

I can't remember the name of it but I know that there was a pedometer available geared towards kids. That was a couple of years ago so it may not be available now. My 15 y/o has a wii fit meter. I see know problem with it as long as she's wanting to pay attention to how active she is and not starting to obsess about weight. It's a fine line between being conscious of and obsessed with. Especially when it comes to kids and teenagers.

PollyWolly98 · July 2014

I got a Geopalz pedometer for my daughter (6 at the time). She would log numbers of steps into their website to earn minutes playing games. Plus she would try to beat me (I have a Fitbit). It was for fun, more like a game. I think they were coming out with newer ones with Bluetooth. It's all in how you approach it with kids.

WalkingAlong · July 2014

In reply to 'wildly inaccurate'--

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/20/activity-monitor-accuracy-fitbit-jawbone_n_5516156.html

I guess 10%ish would be 'wildly' to some, though. Mine have been good predictors, better than a TDEE calculator that just applies a multiplier to BMR based on 3-5 activity level settings you pick between.

Zomoniac · July 2014

In reply to 'wildly inaccurate'--

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/20/activity-monitor-accuracy-fitbit-jawbone_n_5516156.html

I guess 10%ish would be 'wildly' to some, though. Mine have been good predictors, better than a TDEE calculator that just applies a multiplier to BMR based on 3-5 activity level settings you pick between.

I find the step count bang on, but the distance to be off if you use it for running, since my run stride is much bigger than my walk stride. Number of steps always seems to match very closely, but distance travelled for running can be under by up to 25% compared to my GPS.

WalkingAlong · July 2014

There is both a running stride and a walking stride setting in Fitbit's profile data. It uses a default formula if you don't manually enter values. GPS will always be more accurate, though. Fitbit just does 'steps times stride length' to estimate distance. Distance doesn't count into calorie data or anything, though. It's just a stand-alone metric, like floors.

wellforlife_uk · July 2014

Good. A fitbit will help your daughter develop healthy habits, so she'll grow up with the knowledge to make healthy choices.

mickiebabs · July 2014

I got a Geopalz pedometer for my daughter (6 at the time). She would log numbers of steps into their website to earn minutes playing games. Plus she would try to beat me (I have a Fitbit). It was for fun, more like a game. I think they were coming out with newer ones with Bluetooth. It's all in how you approach it with kids.

That's the name of it. About drove myself nuts trying to think of it last night.

JustSomeEm · July 2014

I think a pedometer (a cheap one - not the more expensive fitbit) is a fantastic idea. My boys have done sessions in school where they had to carry a pedometer around, and it became a competition between them regarding who was most active. I may just see if they'd like one - then they can try to out do their old mom... Like previous posters have said - just make it about their activity levels alone, and it should be fine. :flowerforyou:

Samstan101 · July 2014

In reply to 'wildly inaccurate'--

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/20/activity-monitor-accuracy-fitbit-jawbone_n_5516156.html

I guess 10%ish would be 'wildly' to some, though. Mine have been good predictors, better than a TDEE calculator that just applies a multiplier to BMR based on 3-5 activity level settings you pick between.

I find the step count bang on, but the distance to be off if you use it for running, since my run stride is much bigger than my walk stride. Number of steps always seems to match very closely, but distance travelled for running can be under by up to 25% compared to my GPS.

You can set your running stride as well as your walking stride in the settings.

Jacwhite22 · July 2014

My son is 7. He wanted a Fitbit......we told him if he paid half then we would pay the rest. He doesn't log/care about food but he does care about his steps. He likes competing and having the leaderboard......What would the downside be? He is too active? Too competitive? I think he'll be ok.

lalawaterlala · July 2014

Hmmm yes this is a tricky call. If she seems like she is kind of obsessing about the way she looks and trying to lose weight when she is perfectly average for her age I would say don't get her one and try not to let her see you wearing one since this might give off an unhealthy vibe for her if she is already displaying signs.
I'm not sure though because I'm not a parent, I just am very passionate about little girls developing disordered eating habits.

I think that what you are doing right now, giving her healthy options and letting her know it's good to be active is an amazing step in helping her be healthy. Ultimately the choice is up to u though. If you see a nutritionist or a dietitian it might be helpful to ask them since they are professionals about this kind of stuff.

clover04750 · July 2014

You're lucky to have a child that wants to emulate your healthy habits! Every day, I invite my son to join me in exercising and he always declines. I force him to walk the dog as part of his chores in the evening just so he can go outside at least once during the day. I also bribe him that he can use my apple product to watch videos while on the treadmill, but he can't do more than maybe 6-10 minutes before wanting to quit. He enjoys roller skating and swimming, but that's it. It has been determined that he has hyper mobility in his joints, so I don't push him. I've offered my step counter to him, but he is totally not concerned about his health or appearance. I have to threaten his life to make him bathe and brush his rancid mouth. I'm just going to let him be the smelly immobile lug he wants to be until he's ready to make changes for himself. Of course he's still going to eat the relatively healthy foods I have to choose from, do some form of daily exercises, and bathe/brush daily. With this being said, I have to say it again: You're really lucky that your child wants to emulate your healthy habits.

FireOpalCO · July 2014

I see nothing wrong with a kid having a FitBit, as long as s/he enjoys it and is showing a healthy attitude towards it.

I don't know if you are aware, by LeapFrog has an activity band for kids coming out called LeapBand. The idea is the kid's activity level allows them to play with their pet on the their device. It's supposed to encourage more then walking (eating healthy, dancing, jumping, etc). They do list an age range of 4-7, so a 10 year old may or may not like it.

http://www.leapfrog.com/en-us/products/leapband

Fit Bit for my 10 year old? Good or Bad?

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