Waterproof Kids Watches

Buying your kids a watch is a great way to help them keep time and encourage them to take responsibility.

With their own watch, your kids can see for themselves when it’s time for dinner, or when they need to come back home after a playdate with a friend.

However, most parents would agree that a kids watch needs to be robust enough to stand up to some wear and tear.

A waterproof watch for children is essential, as they’re unlikely to remember to take a watch off before jumping in a pool, washing their hands, or playing in the rain.

Waterproof childrens watches can look very similar to adult models and offer all kinds of features.

Importantly, a waterproof childrens watch should be easy for a child to use and fit their smaller wrist well.

We’ve scanned the market for waterproof watches for kids and found some great options.

Read on for a selection, and our choice of the best waterproof kids watch.

Children’s Waterproof Watch Buying Guide

Type

If you’re wondering which type of watch to buy for your own kids or as a gift for relatives or friends, here are the options you could consider and the pros and cons of each:

Analog

An analog watch features a traditional clock face, so this is ideal if you are looking for a watch that will help your child learn how to tell the time.

Analog watches will typically have fewer features than a digital option, so you’re less likely to find functions such as a stopwatch or alarm.

There are also analog digital watch options, but these are rare, and not many people use them.

Digital

A digital watch will show the time on screen for a child to read, so it won’t teach them to actually read a traditional clock face.

However, for a child who already knows how to tell the time, a digital watch can offer lots of exciting features they can use to help establish their own routines and independence, such as an alarm.

Smart

Older kids, particularly those who love sport, might find a smartwatch appealing.

These watches usually have a digital display and can help track exercise and sports activities, from timing runs to tracking the number of lengths swum.

Features 

Active kids are constantly on the move, and are probably less likely to be cautious about the knocks and bumps they subject their watch to.

It’s important for a kids watch to be durable, and be water resistant, if not waterproof, so playing in the rain or getting the watch wet whilst washing their hands won’t cause damage.

Unlike adults whose wrists are unlikely to dramatically increase in size, kids are constantly growing, so an adjustable strap will avoid needing to purchase a new watch too often.

Here are some other features you could look out for.

Water Resistance

Few watches are truly waterproof, but many have a degree of water resistance.

The water resistance is measured in metres and doesn’t indicate how deep the watch can be immersed in water, but refers to the pressure it was tested under.

A watch which is water resistant to 30m should cope with splashes, but shouldn’t be worn for showering, bathing or swimming.

For those activities, you’ll need a watch that’s water resistant to 50m or more.

Timer

A timer can be a useful function to help kids manage their time.

It could be used to count down the amount of time they need to spend on homework, or how much time they have to play before dinner.

Alarm

An alarm is another way that kids can start to learn how to manage their own schedule.

An alarm can be used to wake up in the morning or even as an alert to take medication during the school day. Many parents also buy their kids vibrating alarm watches, which have become fairly popular both among the adults and kids.

Stopwatch

A stopwatch is a fun way for kids to see how fast they can run, compete against each other in sports or used in games.

Tracker

You’ll usually find trackers on smartwatches and they’re used to track exercise or sports activities.

They can encourage kids to be active and set themselves goals such as walking a certain number of steps in a day.

GPS

GPS is a feature of many smartwatches and is used to track running, walking or cycling routes as well as providing a map right there on your wrist.

Some smartwatches with GPS are even able to send an alert with the location if for example a child was injured whilst out with friends.

Best GPS watches for kids offer a notable number of features, and parents often choose these to buy their kids as a safety measure in the case of an emergency.

Shock Resistant

Given the rough treatment a kids watch might receive, choosing a watch which is shock resistant is a smart idea. A shock resistant watch won’t stutter or falter if the watch is dropped or knocked, like a G shock watch for kids.

Great Battery Life

A watch with a good battery life is especially important if you’re choosing a digital watch as using all of the different functions can run down the battery more quickly.

If you are looking for best smartwatches with long battery life, make sure you give our guide on it a read!

Style & Design

Kids will undoubtedly have their own views on the style of watch they want to wear. Many kids’ watches are very similar in style to adult watches, but in a cut down size.

Sports watches are popular, and are available in a variety of colors.

They’ll often have an LED backlight which gives kids the true feel of an adult watch. Little kids may need something simpler, as sports watches can be too bulky for small wrists.

Whatever style your kid prefers, it’s important that the watch is comfortable which brings us on to the subject of material.

Material

Comfort and durability are really important for kids’ watches, so soft but robust materials such as plastic and silicone tend to be the most popular.

An elastic fabric strap is also a good choice, especially for smaller children, as they’re very simple to put on and take off.

 

A waterproof watch for children is essential, as they’re unlikely to remember to take a watch off before jumping in a pool, washing their hands, or playing in the rain. Waterproof childrens watches can look very similar to adult models and offer all kinds of features.

Stainless Steel

You’re less likely to find stainless steel used as a strap material for kids watches, but it’s often used for a case back or even as a bezel material.

Quartz

Some more decorative watches feature quartz accents to give the feeling of a ‘grown up’ watch but at a much more kid-friendly price.

Plastic

Plastic is durable and robust so is a really popular choice for kids watches. It can be all colors of the rainbow and is also fine to get wet.

Silicone

Silicone is often used for kids watch straps, as not only is it durable, it’s also very flexible and comfortable to wear.

Pricing Range

Kids can be very tough on watches, so you probably don’t want to invest too much money in a watch which is going to get knocked, scratched or potentially even lost.

The good news is that it’s very possible to find cheap kids digital watches for as little as around $12, and spending not much more will give you a really wide selection of options.

Our Verdict

There’s something to suit all tastes in our round-up, and we were impressed at the number of features that are packed into kids watches.

Our Best Entry level option is the AXSPT Kid LED Multi Function Digital Wristwatch.

It’s a shock resistant, sporty design with plenty to appeal to active kids including a LED backlight with a choice of seven colours, an alarm and stopwatch.

For Best Value, we rated the Cofuo Kids Digital Sports Waterproof Led Watch. It has a fun camouflage design and the functions should be easy for kids to access once they’ve been shown how to use them.

Our Top of the Range choice is the WUTAN Girls Leather Strap Casual Waterproof Wristwatch. It’s a decorative and colorful style with flowers on the purple dial, a purple leather strap and easy to read analog face.

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