There comes a time in every family where the children in the family begin asking for a cell phone. Many parents struggle with this as cell phones can get expensive yet the benefits of always being able to reach your child and additional safety net that a cell phone gives a child are things that many parents want.

You’ve probably noticed the cell phones out there that are designed specifically for children. These phones are often simple and many only have a few buttons that allow the user to call pre-set phone numbers. These phones certainly reduce the risk of your child accidentally calling China for three hours, but many older children and teens will want a fully functional phone. At some point, your children will be ready for a real phone and it often makes sense to start them off with a real phone, especially if you can find a good price on one.

We all know that cell phones can be extremely expensive. Many children do not understand how expensive it can be to have a cell phone and pay for the plan with the provider and children are much more likely than adults to lose or break a nice phone. This creates a problem for parents looking for a phone for their kids because they don’t want to pay a lot for a phone that will inevitably get lost or broken. What many parents forget to think about, however, is that they can find a good deal on refurbished cell phones for their children that will hurt the bank account much less when the phone is broken or lost. You can find phones for any cellular provider in the used market with a simple internet search, such as “used Verizon phones.”

With something fancy, like a used blackberry your family will be able to take advantage of all the fancy bells and whistles that are popular today. Things like GPS capabilities can come in handy in emergencies and almost all teens will want to be able to stay in touch with friends via text messaging. Older children will also appreciate phones with features like cameras and the ability to play music.

Giving a child a phone with full functionality gives many parents concerns about surprises showing up on the bill. If you are really concerned, you can get your child a phone on a pre-paid plan or you can use the parental controls offered through most providers to block your child’s access to features that you do not want to pay for. When the right amount of research and shopping around is done, families on any network can find something like a cheap refurbished tmobile phones (or Verizon, AT&T, etc.)for their child that gives the kid more functionality from their phone than a kiddie phone but also allows parents to monitor and block certain features and applications.