Fitbit wants to help you make mommy-and-me time healthier

Maybe you grew up in a family that started every Saturday with a sunrise hike, or perhaps you dream of someday having kids who will become your best running buddies or built-in workout crew. Whatever the activity, you’re one who believes the family that works out together, stays together. And now Fitbit has created a wearable specifically for kids, and it might help you make fitness tracking part of your family fun.

This week, the wearable brand introduced its first fitness tracker for the 8- to 13-year-old set. The $100 Fitbit Ace offers similar features to the brand’s other products, including step counting, sleep tracking, and reminders to move. (But the move reminders can be muted during the day, so you don’t need to worry about your kid getting up in the middle of science class, armed with the excuse “but my Fitbit said to.”)

The tracker, which is available for pre-order now and will ship in May, is also water resistant (like many other models), so you can keep track of how many steps you log during those long summer days at the water park. And the purple and blue watch bands are adjustable to suit your kid’s smaller wrist size. Plus, with the new Fitbit family account, parents can check their kids activity levels and control the friends with whom they connect in the Fitbit community.

While getting a fitness tracker for your mini me might just amp up the household step competition, considering childhood obesity rates are hovering at close to 20 percent nationwide, gamifying physical activity is simply a good thing.

“As childhood obesity rates continue to rise, it’s more important than ever to empower the entire family to embrace a healthy and more active lifestyle. By bringing that experience to families, it can make healthier habits feel more achievable by making it fun and engaging.” —James Park, CEO and co-founder of Fitbit

“As childhood obesity rates continue to rise, it’s more important than ever to empower the entire family to embrace a healthy and more active lifestyle,” said James Park, CEO and co-founder of Fitbit, in the press release. “We know from our community that network effects are key to getting and keeping people motivated. By bringing that experience to families, it can make healthier habits feel more achievable by making it fun and engaging.”

And, hey, maybe it can be used to incentivize chores (which offer their own host of health-boosting benefits, BTW). Just imagine all the extra steps that can come from vacuuming a floor!

Fitbit also wants to help you track your period and get the best workout ever with a virtual trainer. And here’s why wearing a fitness tracker now can seriously improve your health in the future.