If like us, you'll have very fond memories of using walkie talkies as a child to talk to your friends. The excitement as you pressed down the button and spoke into it and then stopped to listen to hear someone chatter back was like nothing else. And although many children now have their own tablets and smartphones to talk to their friends, we still think there's something special about talking on walkie talkies, even in this modern, digital age.
Whether they’re just playing garden games outdoors, chatting with their friend down the street or keeping in touch with you on family camping trips, a walkie-talkie set provides oodles of fun, helping your child feel like a secret agent. And models are more sophisticated than ever, with an array of features to choose from, offering things like long battery life, flashlights and even games to play.
The best walkie talkies for kids are designed with little hands in mind. They should be small enough to fit in their hands and the buttons should be easy enough for tiny fingers to control with ease.
To help you decide which walkie talkie is right for your little one, we've rounded up some of our favourite walkie talkie options for kids below.
The best walkie talkies for kids
Best for voice effects
VTech is a much-loved brand by parents and these walkie talkies are certainly child-friendly with built-in screen animations and different voice effects so the kids can have fun experimenting and even pranking each other. There are also four different games to play in real-time to put their memory skills to the test.
Review: "This is a great startup walkies. My son loves it, especially the voice effects and games. Very easy to use. The battery doesn't last long so be sure to have extra AAA around."
Pros
- Voice effects
- Games
Cons
- Short battery life
| Range | <meta charset="utf-8">65-foot |
| Dimensions | <meta charset="utf-8">9.7 x 17.8 x 19 cm |
Best range
With crisp, smooth sound quality and adjustable volume level, your child will hear absolutely everything on this walkie talkie. Offering the ability to use different channels and broadcast to one or many units, they are easy for your little one to carry at just 90g.
Review: "Adults and kids all love these! Bought at Christmas for 7 & 4 year olds and my 2 year old can use them too, very simple. Tested the reception right across our village and lost no signal. Very clear. Great buy! Wish I got a 3 pack rather than 2 to keep one at our house!"
Pros
- Great range
- Adjustable volume
Cons
- Basic design
| Range | 3 miles |
| Dimensions | <meta charset="utf-8">15.1 x 7.8 x 6.2 cm |
Best rechargable walkie talkies
They may be pricier than other options but we love the look of these walkie talkies. When the speaker is talking, the eyes of these walkie talkies twinkle with colourful lights and they come with a watch strap and lanyard, making them easy to keep strapped to your youngster, leaving their hands free. You can even communicate with other radios regardless of the brand, simply by being on the same channel and using a privacy code.
Review: "These are absolutely brilliant! The sound quality is brill - crystal clear! My daughter has been running around the house, upstairs/downstairs using it she's all chuffed and we've all had a good laugh with them!"
Pros
- Rechargeable
- Fun design
Cons
- Some found the range to be limited
| Range | <meta charset="utf-8">2 miles |
| Dimensions | <meta charset="utf-8">20.83 x 12.45 x 3.3 cm |
Best Disney walkie talkies
Rrp: £16.99
Ideal for young children who are fans of Toy Story, the sculpted design of these walkie talkies means your little one can bring their pal Buzz Lightyear along for the ride. Easy to use, simply press the push to talk button and away you go.
Review: "Lovely walkies talkies, hours of fun for both of my children. Bit quiet but overall good."
Pros
- Easy to use
- Fun character design
Cons
- Poor range
| Range | 250m |
| Dimensions | <meta charset="utf-8">26.7, W4.8, D20.3cm |
Best 3-pack walkie talkies
One for families with three kids, this trio of walkie talkies has cool camouflage exteriors, built-in flashlight and bright LCD display. Simple to use for all the family, they are 1.2m drop resistant and automatically suppress any pesky background noise so your child can communicate clearly.
Review: "Very pleased with this product the kids have had fun testing these out, they are easy to use and the sound quality is very good crisp and clear. They have a really nice shape in the hand and are compact and light I like the army combat design and colours, it means they're suitable for any age any situation."
Pros
- 3 in a pack
- Drop resistant
Cons
- Limited battery life
| Range: | <meta charset="utf-8">3 miles |
| Dimensions: | <meta charset="utf-8">17.1 x 11.9 x 6.4 cm |
Best walkie talkies with torch
Small enough for little hands to hold, there's no need to stock up on batteries with these walkie talkies as they come with a UK charger and rechargeable batteries. It also has a built-in flashlight for playtime in the dark.
Review: "Very functional, small and light so can be clipped to a belt or collar without weighing it down. Haven't tested their full range but perfect for what we need. Clear when speaking over 20-30 meter range with internal and external walls between. Double charging dock which houses both handsets."
Pros
- Rechargable
- Includes torch
Cons
- Tricky to fit into charging dock
| Range: | 500m |
| Dimensions: | <meta charset="utf-8">11.5 x 5.5 x 2.8cm |
With a perfect call alert function, clear and smooth sound quality and adjustable volume level, this walkie talkie will have your kids having fun parent and child communication within the comfort of your own home.
Are walkie talkies safe?
Children's walkie talkies are generally safe for kiddies to use, however, it is important to be aware that walkie talkies work by tuning in to the same frequency as other devices. With this in mind, it could be possible for other people within the range to be able to communicate on the same channel. We're sure you have taught your little one all about stranger awareness, but it is always good to remind your child not to talk to people they don't know before they play with their walkie talkie. It's well worth teaching your youngster how to turn the walkie talkie off and how to switch channels just in case this ever happens.
How we test and choose recommended products
Our product recommendations are based on a combination of real-world testing from our burgeoning army of mum testers and the extensive knowledge of our experienced editorial team and product specialists. Where we can, we also consult experts who specialise in that field to ensure you get the right advice along with the right product, and we listen to what you say as well.
Our thriving mum community on our Facebook group #mumtribe consistently provides great insights into which products mums like best and why, helping us highlight the products that will meet your needs. For essential products, our annual Mother&Baby Awards shortlist the top products tested. Full reviews from our mum testers can be found on our product pages. The winners and runners-up for each category will also appear in our top picks article for that product, along with other products that were rated highly by our team.
A journalist since 2015, Emily Gilbert is the Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby and has written for the website and previously the magazine for seven years. Emily writes about everything from the top baby products to pregnancy, fertility and maternal mental health. Specialising in product reviews, Emily is the first to know about all the exciting new releases in the parenting industry.