ReimaGo

Review Score

This was a hands-on product review. The product was supplied to us to test and conduct the review.

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ReimaGo Photos

Our Review

It's in the news practically every day the startling figures that represent children's inactivity. According to the World Health Organisation children should aim to do at least one hour of physical activity a day. So how do you monitor children's activity, well an interesting new gadget has hit the market to monitor children's activity levels.

We are big Fitbit fans, and our oldest two have their own, but what about for younger children? This product might be of interest, so we just had to check it out.

So what is it?

Children's Nordic clothing brand Reima has partnered with sports watch brand Suunto bringing a wearable sensor that attaches to a pocket positioned on the arm of the ReimaGo jacket.

The waterproof sensor can track the duration and intensity of physical activity. It collects data and sends it to a specifically designed fun app that's free to download.

The app turns the collected data into energy for a virtual character to travel through imaginary world levels that the child has to complete. The sensor does not monitor steps, heart rate or calorie counts. It's all about encouraging an active lifestyle in a fun way.

The ReimaGo App

The app is free to download and simple to set up, adding your child's details. You can edit the details at any time and add additional children.

The screens are easy to navigate, but I could have done with a bit more explanation as to what some of the symbols represented. And yes I did go the help section.

However, there was no symbol explanation that I could find.

It is easy for parents to follow the child's activity levels and keep an activity log.

The game rewards children for their efforts with stickers and parents can also set their own rewards. I  like this feature of the app, as it makes it more personal and achievable for the individual child. It's a great way to motivate the child.

The ReimaGo Sensor

The sensor is a wearable movement sensor that just clips into the designated ReimaGo pocket on the jacket on the left arm.

Now you don't have to have the jacket to use the sensor. You can just put it in inside a pocket on any clothing.

We gave this a go, and it still did work, but you do get a more accurate reading with the jacket and wearing it closer to the torso.

Now our little tester is known for losing things, so a small device floating freely around in his pocket would probably get lost, and it's an expensive item to misplace! If you are looking at using the sensor this way it may be worth considering how you are going to keep the sensor safe.

The jacket

The jacket is excellent quality as you would expect from the Finland brand. All their clothing range are designed to give kids the freedom to be active.

Verdict

We are big advocates to getting kids outside, so anything that encourages this is a good thing.

It's a fun way to help your child to be active. With the popularity of phones and apps, this is going to be very appealing to young children.

The child doesn't have to wear a fitness band on their wrist so less intrusive.

Interestingly, the first thing our tester asked after wearing it was how many steps he had walked. Now the sensor doesn't record this, so he was a little disappointed and lost a bit of interest in it.  As a family we are always checking how many steps we have walked on our FitBits, so this could have influenced his thinking.

If you buy the jacket and sensor it's quite an expensive purchase for a child's activity tracker, so you could just purchase the sensor, but as it's not attached to anything, it is easy to lose.

I love the innovation and the ethos behind this product but am in two minds whether I would buy one. Should we be needing to measure our children's activity? If you get them outside walking, cycling, etc then you know for yourself what level of activity they are attaining and as a parent encouraging them to be active by setting an example, is likely to be a lot more influential than any app!  On the other hand, some children need a lot of encouragement to get outside, and this could just be the answer. What do you think?

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