So in answer to this growing demand, companies have designed phones especially for young children. They can only dial certain phone numbers that you set up in the phone and each of the phones have emergency buttons so children can call either 911 or their parents very quickly.

“The latest trend in cell phones for kids are phones with GPS locater chips in them," Genovese explains. "So you can monitor where your child is at all times. The Wherifone works just like the other cell phones that are out there. You log onto their webpage, you put in your phone ID and your password and it locates the phone on a vector map or on an aerial map which shows you a picture of where the phone is and exactly where the phone is located.”

The Firefly was a favorite among Good Housekeeping's kid testers. It carries 22 phone numbers in its address book and has two buttons right on top—one for Mom and one for Dad. The Verizon Wireless LG Migo was best for kids ages 6 to 8 because it’s so simple to operate. “No address book, no scrolling through numbers. Just one, two, three, four and an emergency number,” says Genovese.

And Good Housekeeping says that the parents liked the same phones their kids did. The Wherify GPS Phone goes on sale October 1st at Toys R Us, on the internet and at other stores. To learn more, check out the October issue of Good Housekeeping or visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.