In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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Finding a great set of walkie-talkies for kids isn't as simple as you'd think. With more than 40 options to consider, we chose the top 10 products to purchase and test to find the best the market offers. We tested each product for ease of use, quality, and more. With so many options and variations, it can be hard to tell one from another. Let our hands-on kid testers give you the insider details you need to find the right toy for your kids.
Editor's Note: We updated our walkie talkie review on February 1, 2024, to share advice on which products we recommend as alternatives to each award winner.
Batteries: Included Rechargeable | Additional Feature: Flashlight
REASONS TO BUY
Belt clip & lanyard
1-mile open range
REASONS TO AVOID
Too many buttons
Hard channel changing
The Wishouse Rechargeable Walkie Talkies is an excellent value with three handhelds, lanyards, rechargeable batteries, and a multiple-cord plug-in. This set is perfect for families with multiple kids and worked up to a mile away! We like the bright colors, easy-to-hold shape, and the cool flashlight was a big hit with testers.
Like some of the other options in this review, this product has a ridiculously hard method for channel changes, and somehow, children ended up accidentally changing channels during testing when they didn't mean to. Also, the phone ring sound is a useless feature that annoys even the most patient parent, and it seems like that is its only purpose. Those hiccups aside, we think this set offers a lot for the money, and our testers loved playing with them both day and night with flashlights on, making them a great buy. For easier channel changing, consider another option like the Motorola T100 Talkabout.
The rechargeable batteries and three in one pack are big pluses to the Wisehouse walkies.
The Motorola T100 Talkabout is a sturdy feeling basic walkie-talkie set for kids. It has minimal buttons on a straightforward user interface, and it gets the job done without some of the bells and whistles found on the competing kid's products. We like this set's simplicity, and we had more luck with channel setting and less accidental channel changing from little ones during testing compared to the competition. The pair takes AAA batteries and has belt clips to keep the unit nearby and ready to talk.
The batteries in this unit are more challenging to change with the belt clip in place than in the competition. They also drained relatively quickly compared to the other walkies that take the same number and kind of batteries. In our tests, fresh batteries lasted less than a day. A subsequent test day yielded longer results, so we aren't sure what is happening with this pair. Overall, we like that Motorola usually translates to quality, and the walkie-talkies were easy to use, had a good range, and the voices were clear, making them a good choice for most kids, but keep a set of batteries on hand just in case. If you would rather save money on batteries, consider a rechargeable model like the Wishouse Rechargeable Walkie Talkies.
New Model Available
The model we tested has been discontinued. It has been replaced with the T114. We now link to this product. The interface has new buttons shaped like icons and looks just as easy to use as the older version.
The Huaker Kids Walkie Talkies is a 3-pack set suitable for families with several kids. The handsets are the perfect shape for holding, have an easy-to-use talk button, and come with a backlit display and flashlight/lamp. They have a thick, short antenna that stays out of the way and a jack for a headset (not included). Our testers like the bright camo colors, lamp, and pressing the call lock button.
The call lock button stops other players from talking to you, and it makes a ring like a phone. The ring makes it appealing to children to touch the button, but the way it stops the relay of communication is frustrating for little ones who just want it to ring like a phone. Also, the push-to-talk button on one option broke off during testing, but we snapped it back in place, and it stayed there for the remainder of the testing. Overall, these walkie-talkies are an excellent option for larger groups looking for distance-talking fun. And yet, if your kids require a more durable model, we recommend the Retevis RT628 Walkie Talkies instead.
The Huaker come in a three-pack, and testers liked the colors and shape of the products.
If you're looking for something slightly different from the usual fare, the QNIGLO Walkie Talkies with FM is a fun animal walkie with a wristband, lanyard, and FM radio. Testers loved the radio components, and the cute design, and even older kids overlooked the cute animal for the lighter weight and clear sound. The shape fits nicely in little hands, and if kids look close enough, they'll see the lights around the eyes change colors.
The buttons on this option are harder to read and press. Also, parents will likely need to read the instructions as the fewer buttons are not readily apparent in what they do. Overall, testers loved this option, and while they are not the typical outdoorsy walkies, we think that is why many testers loved them. If a more straightforward user interface is what you're after, check out the Motorola T100 Talkabout.
The QNIGLO have an FM radio that testers enjoyed giving it a purpose outside of walkie talkie fun.
The Arcshell Rechargeable Long Range Two-Way Radios are grownup walkies at a kid-friendly price. These handhelds come with charging stations, rechargeable batteries, and cool headsets. Older testers like the adult look and the professional feel of this product, and parents like the intuitive buttons.
These "grownup" walkies probably won't appeal to little kids and those still attracted to bright colors and kid-centric features. However, for the price, they offer a great range, reusable batteries, and a military-type headset that can up the action of strategy games like laser tag and capture the flag. Older children and preteens might find these extra exciting. Little kids may find the animal-like design of the QNIGLO Walkie Talkies with FM more appealing.
While not kid-centric, the Arcshell is easy to use and comes with a headset.
The Retevis RT628 Walkie Talkies is a solid feeling walkie with a durable design and an easy-to-hold rounded shape. This option comes with a jack for a headset and a call button with a phone-like ring.
The phone call button ringing is annoying, and you can't talk through it. Unfortunately, young children find this to be the best feature. This option also lacks any exciting kid-centric features like a lamp, radio, or fun color scheme. We like how durable this pair feels and suspect it might take more than one drop before it gives up, making it a good choice for those who tend to drop things easily or want a camping-style walkie more than a toy. The bright colors and nifty flashlight of the Wishouse Rechargeable Walkie Talkies may be more appealing to younger kids.
The Retevis feel like the most durable in the group.
The Topsung Walkie Talkies are identical in every way except color to the Retevis RT628. It is a solid pair with an easy-to-use interface and a jack for a headset.
This pair is slightly more expensive than the Retevis RT628, so you can save a few bucks going the other way unless you must have a camo pair. Also, like its twin, it has no kid-centric features, and the call button will quickly annoy most parents. Still, we see a place for the durable-feeling Topsung set for those looking for outdoorsy communication instead of a toy-type model. But for the money, you may find the Retevis RT628 offers what you need.
Topsung Walkie Talkies are identical to the Retevis with more color options.
The Obuby Walkie Talkies were a big draw to our younger testers as the bright colors are hard to miss, and the lights make the dark so much more fun. Our testers liked the call button, and parents appreciated the lower price for a pack of three. This set comes with flashlights and jacks for headsets (not included). It has a backlit display and voice activation.
These talkies have a challenging channel-changing design that is hard for parents and surprisingly easy for kids to change accidentally. This design means a lot of parent involvement to fix the "broken" talkies. Also, the voice activation didn't work that well in our tests since kids talk all the time. The constant talking meant that kids on other talkies never got to speak. Overall, we see this kid-centric product's appeal and think it might be fun for a short period when playing in a group. However, it isn't the best pair, and we believe parents and kids will be happier with other options in this review. Those who want an easier-to-use model should look at the Motorola T100 Talkabout.
Kids love the Oububy walkies, but the channel-changing nightmare gave parents pause during testing.
the Selieve Walkie Talkies is a two-pack set of walkie-talkies that are all but identical to the Obuby, varying only in color. The two products have the same plastic case design, take the same number and type of batteries, and have the same buttons and flashlight accessory. We like them both equally, as the only discernable difference is the color of the units. This option ranks slightly lower because it comes in a two-pack instead of three for virtually the same price.
These walkie-talkies, alongside their twins, have many buttons, and to be honest, most are unnecessary or cause unintended channel changes that are hard to fix quickly. Even an annoying ringer may draw attention to your handheld buddy but prevents any talking and is irritating to adults. However, this ringer is a younger tester's favorite. Overall, this set isn't bad for a toy, but there are easier-to-use options in this bunch of similar fare, like the Motorola T100 Talkabout.
The Selieve Walkie Talkies are identical to the Obuby, but they come in a pack of two instead of a pack of three.
The Kids Walkie Talkies Watches is a camo-colored watch-style toy with a compass and a cool soldier look and feel. Testers were immediately drawn to the design and couldn't wait to use them. The talk button is easy to access, readily marked, and works well. It comes with more features than the competition, including a compass, magnifier, reflector, watch, nightlight, and secret compartments.
Unfortunately, this toy came broken, and we were disappointed that both compasses were knocked off-kilter and didn't move. Also, the antenna is an old-school telescoping antenna circa any time before 1990, and it doesn't play well with the wristband design of this "watch." Overall, we think it is a great concept that was poorly executed compared to the competition, and we are sad to say we can't recommend it. You may want to steer clear so you don't disappoint an eager explorer. Instead, take a look at what our favorite pick, the Wishouse Rechargeable Walkie Talkies, has to offer.
The Talkies Watches both had broken compasses, and kids were not enthralled with the old-school antenna.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Why You Should Trust Us
We researched more than 20 kid-specific walkie-talkies to find the best options for testing. We consulted little ones on what they thought looked fun or what kind of features they wanted. Once we purchased the devices, we assessed their quality, ease of use, and features to help rank them in our roundup. What's more, we gave them to kids aged 3 to 13 to see which options they liked and which fell short in fun. We used their feedback and our test data to influence award winners and rankings.
We've been testing baby gear and products for kids and pregnancy since 2012. We buy every product we test and make recommendations based on our hands-on testing results. Wendy Schmitz, a Senior Review Editor, and mother of two boys, led the charge on this review of walkie-talkies for kids. At 8 and 10, Wendy's boys are the perfect age for walkie-talkie fun, and enjoyed every minute of testing these cool toys and providing feedback. We tested these products with children from 3-12 with a nighttime laser tag party for more feedback. Want to know which toy is best for kids? Give it to the kids and see what happens. We tested each set side-by-side for quality, ease of use, and range to find the best kids' walkie-talkies on the market.
Our kid testers loved testing all of the walkie-talkies.
Most of the walkie-talkies come with a belt clip.
Analysis and Test Results
We purchased the top walkie-talkie products for kids and put them through rigorous testing hands-on "in the field" to find the best, so your little ones will have hours of happy fun on the run, staying connected.
The antenna on the Talkies Watches is long and gets in the way when you aren't using it, but you need it to get the range to work well.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Ease of Use
Many walkie-talkies are similar; some are identical with a different brand name attached. However, some differences allow some competition to stand out for good and bad reasons. The best options for kids are those with fewer buttons that are easy to identify and fewer opportunities to press the wrong buttons accidentally. Suppose a walkie-talkie has too many buttons, or kids can accidentally change channels without intending to. In that case, they can quickly grow frustrated if the fun stops for repeated assistance from an adult.
The walkie-talkies need to be easy to use to have the most fun, so kids don't need parent help during play or on the trail.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Channel changing is the biggest problem we encountered during testing. With most products, you hold down one button to initiate the continuous changing of channels. You need perfect timing to hit the talk button to stop the change rotation on your desired channel. This process is more challenging than our explanation makes it sound. Our timing was off most of the time during testing, and we'd have to start over to select the right channel. Each walkie-talkie requires this process, so everyone uses the same or different channels, depending on your plans. You might think, no big deal, I'll never change the channel. Unfortunately, your child will, even when that is not their goal or plan. We don't know how our testers did it, but they ALL did it repeatedly, with every set we tested, with no exceptions. From two-year-olds to 11-year-olds, they all accidentally started the channel-changing process. This accidental button pushing led to hearing more than one child exclaiming, "This one doesn't work," or "Mine stopped working." We suspect the desire to see what the products can do and discover hidden features leads to random button pushing and holding until the handsets are no longer set to the same channel or stuck in the rotating channel surf.
The only option that didn't have this problem was the Arcshell Rechargeable. The Motorola Talkabout T100 is also pretty good at avoiding accidental channel change. During testing, kids had the most problems regarding channel-changing accidents with the Obuby Walkie Talkies and the identical Selieve Walkie Talkies, which is why they didn't fare better in the ranking.
The OBUBY and the Selieve walkie-talkies are the same, and both come in fun colors with flashlights for more fun.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Quality
None of the products in this review are high-dollar, and we certainly don't expect them to work on the same level as professional adult walkie-talkies. However, we expect them to work without frustration and last as long as kids want to play with them or for the entire summer months. If they have additional fun features that work well, that's just a bonus.
The Topsung (left) and the Retevis (right) walkie-talkies are identical outside of color and brand name on the product.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Not all of the competition managed simple feats like working all of the time. The Walkie Talkies Watches came to us broken in the box, and there is nothing quite like the disappointment of a child expecting a cool gift and getting a broken one instead. While we concede that this could be an unfortunate one-off, we still report our experience to bring you the most accurate information we have. This set did come with the most additional features, but maybe this just proved the rule that multi-purpose products rarely do anything well. For ours, the compass on both watches was broken, and the old-school antenna was annoying as it had to be pulled out for use and pushed back in when not used to avoid it getting hung up on everything or accidentally poking kids.
In our tests, the Huaker Kids Walkie Talkies were a mixed bag as they worked well overall, but the push-to-talk button on the blue one fell off during play. We were able to pop it back in place, and it continued to work, but there is a quality issue here that could affect its overall longevity, and we don't think we played with them long enough to justify a button falling off. The Retevis, TopSung, and Arcshell feel like the most durable options. The Motorola Talkabout T100 is from a brand name you'll recognize, giving it a little more brand recognition and clout for quality. They felt sturdy and stayed in one piece in our tests, though they did go through batteries faster than the competition.
Some competition offers features outside basic handset communication, like flashlights and headset jacks. The QNIGLO Walkie Talkies even have FM radio capabilities you can wear on a lanyard or wrist. Depending on how you plan to use your talkies, you may want to consider these features. Our testers enjoyed the flashlights, which got them playing outside later than usual. All flashlights are dim and do not light objects at a distance, and a more accurate label might be "lamp," as some of the products describe them. However, there is something to be said for a straightforward product like the Motorola, which is just a walkie-talkie that gets the job done without all the bells and whistles that could complicate things for little ones. Older children might get more out of extra features. In our tests, younger users struggled to use the basic features, and the more buttons they had, the harder it was to use the products.
With so many options on the market, we can give you insider details to find the right option for your children.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Conclusion
Often, you don't know what you are buying until after you've made your purchase. Sometimes, this can lead to disappointment and frustration, but not always. In the world of kids' walkie-talkies, we discovered that some products are of higher quality and easier to use than the other contenders. Some products are standouts for a fun day or night, while others left little ones wanting. We believe our hands-on testing and review can provide the details you need to choose the best walkie-talkies for your kids. Whether serious hiking plans or playing in the yard are in your future, there is something for everyone in our roundup.
