Why we like it: The Apple AirTag is an affordable and accurate solution to keep track of your child's location. It works with the Find My app and seamlessly integrates with the Apple ecosystem.
Apple's AirTags are about the size of a quarter, and there are countless accessories you can use to attach the small tracker to a jacket, backpack, or even slip it into your child's pocket. The device uses an easily replaceable CR2032 battery lasts that lasts around a year.
The AirTag offers a solid performance. However, one caveat is that an AirTag requires another Apple device to be nearby and connected to the internet to share its location with Apple's Find My network. For example, if your child doesn't have an Apple device with cellular capabilities, tracking a young child on the school bus requires someone -- most likely another student or the bus driver -- to have an iPhone or cellular Apple Watch. If there aren't any Apple devices on the bus, the location can't update.
Review: Apple AirTag
Who's it for: The AirTag will best serve families already using Apple products.
ZDNET contributor Jason Cipriani tested out placing AirTags on his children's backpacks and found that he could still track them during a school day. "One backpack was located about 30 minutes prior, and the other had just had its location reported 2 minutes before I'd checked," he wrote. "Presumably, a teacher walked by their backpack with an iPhone in their pocket, or one of the students' iPads picked up the tag's Bluetooth signal and reported it back Apple, which in turn lets me view the location in somewhat real-time."
Of the customers who purchased an AirTag at Best Buy, 96% said they would recommend it to a friend. The device's overall review rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Who should look elsewhere: If you're not already an Apple product user, you'll want to check out our other recommendations.
Apple AirTag specs: Price: $29 or four for $99 | Battery life: One year | Real-time tracking: No | Monthly cost: None | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Apple's Find My Network