Gifts for long-distance grandparents: a call from the kids

The gift for grandparents who have everything

“Gifts for grandparents who have everything” is one of the most common holiday searches, and the usual answers are fine: a photo book, a mug with the grandkids’ faces on it, a gift card. They also end up on a shelf. When the grandkids live a few hundred miles away, what is usually missing is not an object. It is ordinary contact: the unplanned five-minute call where a seven-year-old reports that she lost a tooth.

This guide is about a different kind of gift. You give it to the grandkids, and the grandparents end up enjoying it most. It is a phone of the child’s own, so they can call grandma or grandpa whenever the family allows it, without borrowing a parent’s phone and without a parent dialing for them.

“Our kids call their grandparents on their own. Sometimes our parents hear more about their day than we do.”

Christophe, cofounder, Ring Ring Club

Gifts that work for long-distance grandparents

A phone is not the only answer, and for some families it is not the right one. Here is the honest short list, from cheapest to most involved:

• A standing call time. Free. Put “Sunday, 4 p.m.” on both calendars. It only works if someone starts the call, which is the problem a child’s own phone solves.
• Mail from the kids. Drawings, a school photo, a short letter. Paper still gets opened, and it pairs well with a call.
• A photo book of the kids’ year. A good keepsake, and a good thing to look at together while you talk.
• Video calls on a parent’s phone. Free apps, and lovely when grandparents are comfortable with them. Both ends need a screen and a data connection, and a parent usually starts the call.
• A home phone for the grandkids. The rest of this guide.

Why a kid’s phone is really a gift for the grandparents

The grandparents do not have to change anything. They keep the cell phone or landline they already use. On a paid plan, a child’s Ring Ring calls ordinary US phone numbers, so grandma’s flip phone and grandpa’s kitchen landline both work.

To connect them, a parent adds the number as an approved contact in the parent app or dashboard, or sends an invite. A grandparent who gets an invite joins by typing a name and a phone number. No app, no account, no new device, no smartphone. Calls work both ways, so grandma can ring the child’s Ring Ring number as well. Her own phone plan’s normal rates apply, as with any call.

Parents stay in charge. Only approved contacts can reach the child’s line, kids call a favorite person by dialing * and a number from 1 to 9, and parents can set quiet hours or pause the phone from the app. The child gets a handset and a conversation, not a screen.

What it costs, plainly

• Equipment, one time: the $59 Bridge connects a corded phone you already own, the $75 Modern Kit is a Wi-Fi handset, and the $89 Nostalgic Kit is a corded phone with the Bridge included.
• Calling grandma’s cell or landline: this needs a paid plan, at $8.95/month or $96.66 billed annually. The only thing added to the plan is sales tax.
• The free Starter plan is $0/month, but it only covers calls between Ring Ring members. It cannot call a cell phone or an outside landline. If the goal is to call a grandparent’s existing phone, budget for a paid plan.

A Modern Kit on the monthly plan comes to $182.40 for the first year before tax and any shipping, or $171.66 on the annual plan. If the grandparents get a Ring Ring of their own too, calls between the two Ring Ring phones are free on Starter. That does change their setup, so treat it as an option rather than a requirement.

If it is not a fit, there is a 30-day return window for the hardware. The details are on the refund policy.

How to give it so the first call actually happens

1. Set the phone up before the day, with the plan chosen and the phone working.
2. Add the grandparents as approved contacts and give each a quick-dial key.
3. Tell the grandparents which number is the child’s line, so they recognize it when it rings.
4. Wrap the phone with a note: “To call Grandma, press * then 1.”
5. Schedule the first call, then let the standing time fade as the unplanned calls begin.

What it will not do

It is a home phone. It needs power and an internet connection, it stays in the house, and it carries voice only, with no video or photos. This guide is about grandparents with US phone numbers; if yours are abroad, ask us before you buy. Emergency calling needs the paid plan and a verified address, and a home phone is not a substitute for a cell phone when your child is out.

Ring Ring is not the only kids’ home phone. Tin Can and Pinwheel make similar ones, and our Tin Can comparison lays out the differences.

Where to go next

If you are still deciding whether your child is ready, read what age a first phone makes sense, or see the first-phone guide. If you already have a corded phone, the Bridge may be all you need, and our old phone guide shows how to check. For help picking a spot and getting online, see the home phone setup guide and the Wi-Fi landline page.