Tinytags - Our Story

Our Story

As we navigate through the challenges of parenthood I understand the constant worry we all experience when it comes to keeping our little ones safe. I’m a mum of two young children and with each passing day, it seems like our kids have an endless supply of energy and an insatiable desire to explore every nook and cranny. This can be quite anxiety-inducing, especially as they often want to go in different directions! Now in a post lock down world we love to be outside as much as possible but everywhere feels busier than ever.

I’m sure you can relate when I say that social media has become a valuable resource for finding activities and inspiration for spending quality time with our children. However, it also tends to bring up stories about parents losing sight of their kids in crowded places. These stories made me feel anxious and started affecting our own family outings, preventing us from fully enjoying our time together.

I’ve discovered some helpful tips online that could prove invaluable if we ever found ourselves in a similar situation. While our 8-year-old might know our address and mobile numbers, it’s uncertain whether they could recall them accurately in a stressful moment. As for our toddler, it’s not even possible yet.

Last year, at a family festival, we were offered paper wristbands to write our emergency contact information on. I wondered how we could implement something similar for everyday situations like going to the supermarket or visiting the park. That’s when I started to think about how I could use near field communication (NFC). I’ve started to notice them becoming more commonplace when using phones to pay at the checkout and we are so used to using QR codes to access information, whether that s ordering in a restaurant or visiting a website. It got me thinking about how we could use these two technologies in a practical way, especially considering we always have our phones with us.

While I noticed other products on the market they didn’t fix the problem. Some GPS devices are available, these are expensive and track the wearer, accessible on some phones and not all and raising safety concerns. At the other end plastic wristbands with names on display, not update-able and a safety concern. I didn’t want either of these. I wanted a lightweight, strong and cost effective alternative and something my kids wouldn’t mind wearing, something that will last and can be shared within the family.

Our tinytags have an NFC chip embedded into them making them lightweight and waterproof. This means that they don’t need batteries or to be charged, they can be used at the beach, in the pool and for everyday use. To access your child’s profile page simply scan the QR code or tap the NFC chip with your smartphone, no app required. The information is displayed on the phone screen. Location alerts are sent in real-time. This means that unlike other products your information with tinytags is contained on a secure web page. This also allows for regular updates so if we change our mobile number its no problem to update or if we want to share between our children we can add different instructions in regards to what to do in an emergency. This also means that your information is private and not on display for everyone to see.

Some children may be confident enough to simply show a tinytag to someone nearby if they need help. If they are too little for this we have added very clear instructions onto the products to show how easy it is to use. In its simplest form tinytags allows you to put your contact information on your children in a lightweight waterproof solution.

By knowing that our contact information on our children it means that we can be contacted and reunited quickly, reducing stress and upset for everyone involved. It’s a simple yet effective solution that brings us peace of mind during our outings and allows us to focus on creating lasting memories together, that is why I want to share tinytags with you x