The best Fitbit for kids (April 2023)

Not all kids need to count their steps to stay active, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. Get your little ones on the tracking train early with their very own Fitbit. We rounded up the best Fitbit devices for kids, from tykes to teenagers.

The best Fitbit for kids

When it comes to the health of our kids, the more resources, the better. The CDC recommends kids participate in physical activity for an average of 60 minutes per day. For some parents, prioritizing fitness is easy. For others, fitness trackers can help lighten the load. No matter where your family falls, even the most active children enjoy the fun features of a good gadget.

• Fitbit Ace 3: The best Fitbit for kids, the Ace 3 offers a playful aesthetic, parental controls, and basic tracking tools.
• Fitbit Ace 2: For the Fitbit Ace experience at a cheaper price, the older Ace 2 is the best budget pick for kids.
• Fitbit Inspire 3: A very solid entry-level device, the Inspire 3 offers older kids a more mature look and a few more advanced features.
• Fitbit Charge 5: The Fitbit Charge 5 is the company’s best fitness tracker and a great choice for teens.

Fitbit Ace 3: The best Fitbit for kids

Get used to hearing “Guess how many steps I have so far.” The kid-focused Fitbit Ace 3 is a fitness tracker designed with children’s small wrists (and big smiles) in mind. For starters, it features a comfortable silicone strap and comes in various bold, playful colors. Beyond looking cute, it tracks your child’s steps, sleep, and activity, and provides move reminders as well as incentives.

The biggest upgrade this tracker brings to the Fitbit Ace series is extended battery life. Now your youngster can go up to eight days without a charge. Additionally, it boasts cute animated clock faces to keep your kid’s attention including rocket ships, monsters, and more. These new faces gain details as your child achieves goals, incentivizing activity. Between these upgrades and the preexisting features of the Ace series, this is easily the best Fitbit for kids available.

Fitbit Ace 2: The best cheap Fitbit for kids

The Fitbit Ace 2 is the direct predecessor to the Ace 3 and offers many of the same features at a fraction of the cost. Often on sale at a reduced price, the Fitbit Ace 2 still brings comfortable, informative tracking right to your child’s wrist. Like the Ace 3, it also provides bedtime alerts, morning alarms, alerts, and a useful stopwatch.

While not the best of the best, it is a great cheap fitness tracker for children six and up, especially because the entire Fitbit Ace series is tied to parental controls through the Fitbit app. When kids use these devices, they register a child account under a guardian’s account and can be limited to Kid view in the Fitbit app. Plus, family members can compete in challenges and share encouragement through their linked accounts.

Fitbit Inspire 3: The best Fitbit for older kids

A solid entry-level fitness tracker, the Inspire 3 is the best Fitbit for older kids who have outgrown the aesthetic of the Ace 3 and want some deeper insights. Its slim design is still a good fit for smaller wrists, but its elevated look won’t embarrass your preteen walking the halls at school. It offers basic health metrics as well as workout and sleep tracking. Plus, it has features like Stress Management Score and Daily Readiness Score so your busy teen can keep tabs on their rest and recovery habits.

While the Inspire 3 has fewer features than Fitbit’s more costly devices, it is a great entry point to tracking for older kids. During our Fitbit Inspire 3 review, we were particularly excited to see the colorful, touchscreen display and ten days of battery life. However, it is important to note that devices outside of the Ace series also offer features like calorie counting and weight management. Talk to your child about using these tools in a healthy and safe way.

Fitbit Charge 5: The best Fitbit for teens

For some of the most advanced sensors you can find on a fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 5 is a great option for teens and up. It’s quite a bit pricier than the devices above, but it packs way more tools for upper ages. Additionally, it features a bright AMOLED color display and always-on display options. Initially, we found this device a bit overpriced but now you can often find it on sale. During our Fitbit Charge 5 review period, we were impressed with the available exercise tracking modes and health stats, including heart rate variability.

Like the Inspire 3, the Charge 5 offers stress management features, but with its electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor, it can also measure the body’s response to stress. Plus, the Fitbit Charge 5 can track nighttime blood oxygen via its SpO2 sensor. Most importantly, it’s a feature-packed device your teen will love wearing.

How to set up a child account and pair a Fitbit Ace series

One major draw of the Fitbit Ace series is parental control. By linking your child’s account to your own, Fitbit makes it easy to keep your little one active while also keeping them safe. It’s this feature that makes the Ace 3 the best Fitbit brand device for kids, and one of the best trackers for kids overall. Follow the directions below to set up a child account in the Fitbit app.

• Open the Fitbit app and tap on the Account icon.
• Tap Create Family Account, then tap Create Family.
• Tap + Create Child Account, and type in your password to confirm your guardian status.
• Follow the onscreen prompts to enter your child’s information and set up an account. Once you complete the process your app will switch to Kid view.
• Finally, tap Set Up to add their device to the account.

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