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Motorola Talkabout 2-Way Radio Review

Links in this post updated 2/14/24

Parenting Hacks

I always enjoy doing reviews on family-friendly products that enhance life for parents, kids, and families as a whole and sharing them with all of you. This product test and review of the Motorola Talkabout Two-Way Radios was no exception.

MBE partnered with Motorola, this post contains affiliate links

Motorola Two Way Radios for 2024

My initial intention with this particular gadget unveiled by Motorola at the January 2010 Consumer Electronics Show CES was to experiment to see if the radio set would make a good substitute for cell phones since none of our kids has one. Prior to this whenever they needed to call home, they'd just use a landline or borrow a friend's cell phone.  

As it turns out, the two sets of two Talkabout two-way radios that Motorola sent us which are pictured at left, have been even more fun and practical than my four kids (triplets who are almost 13 and big brother one year older) and I could have ever imagined. The first thing I noticed out of the package was how the 6.46" H x 2.28" W x 1.35" D radio was perfectly sized for the hand for both parents and children to hold. The unit fits easily in a jacket or jeans pocket as well.

Set-up was a breeze -- our 14 year-old had both sets of radios up and running in less than 15 minutes. Also included in the package were detailed use directions in English that were actually easy to understand, plus 2 belt clips, a dual charger, one charging adapter, and two (3 x AA) NiMH rechargeable battery packs. 

All four of the radios -- 2 radios came in each package -- worked together as a foursome, my kids quickly discovered, so they were able to keep in touch with each other while each was at a different friend's house. That didn't help me much, though, LOL. With four radios out of the house, I was left with no way to reach any of them so I had to revert to my old-fashioned method of keeping tabs on them by calling the home and mobile phones of the kids they were with.

Nevertheless, these Talkabouts did give me peace of mind.  That's because after using them just a few times, they all reported back that they were very good about keeping in touch with one another. This impressed me that while they were biking around our hilly residential neighborhood which is adjacent to an urban area, they were able to stay connected to each other even when they were spread out over 2 or 3 square miles. A interesting sidenote: I was quite surprised at how well the kids got along with each other when talking on these radios out of sight of each other, since like most siblings they don't always get along when they're all in the same room.

Here one of my triplet girls is saying, "Copy that," to her brother who was about 1-1/2 miles away at the time. Based on the first few times we've used them, this product appears to live up to just about everything that was in the pitch I received from Colleen, Motorola's PR representative for this product line. 

Among its proven benefits, our family confirmed -- most notably -- this is a must-have product for active moms, dads, caregivers and their children that is practical for just about every adventure. It's also very easy to use -- for kids and technologically-challenged adults alike and is sturdy enough for youngsters who tend to break things (like mine) 

As a Certified Online Mom I will mention that like most other electronic devices, this has the potential to be most helpful when used properly but not if it's abused. I found this out accidentally when the kids started switching through the wide choice of channels on their radios just for the fun of it, listening in on some adult conversations on other people's radios that were definitely not G-rated.

I happened to overhear them playing around and I called an impromptu family meeting so we could go over the rules: if they used the radios responsibly they could hang on to them, otherwise I would take them away. Yes, technology can be a boom or bane to our children's existence. But, if parents teach their kids about responsible use, whole families can benefit from gadgets such as this Motorola's Talkabout line.

My kids and I look forward to testing our two sets of radios some more in the field as we travel both by air (to stay in touch in busy airports) and by car (especially when we are visiting museums National Parks) this summer while on vacation.

More About Motorola 2-Way Radios

The Motorola Talkabout two-way radio line (available as of 2024) includes an entry level Motorola 3 Radio Talkabout Set suitable for age-appropriate younger kids. A more advanced Motorola Two Way Radio 2-Device Set also currently is available and is designed for use by responsible teenagers and adults. Current models of Motorola 2-Way Radios are available on Amazon and at big box stores such as Target and Best Buy. Visit the Motorola's Amazon Store for additional consumer information on their wide assortment of Motorola two-way radios.

Mommy Blog Expert participates in the Amazon Affiliate program so we receive a bit of compensation, at no extra cost to you when you make a purchase using our Amazon links. 

FTC Disclosure: MommyBlogExpert received two sets of the Motorola Talkabout MC220R to facilitate this review. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Five Fun Family Vacation Activities Your Kids Will Love

Travel

At our house, Summer means family road trip time. Why fly somewhere when you'll miss all the out-of-the-way places that you can easily visit if you drive instead?  TwitterMoms inspired me to write this post and you can find out about lots of other great family activities there.

Here Are MommyBlogExpert's 5 Tips to Finding Fun Family Trip Stops That Are Also Really Inexpensive, Too


1.  Factory Tours are a novel way to learn and have fun at the same time and luckily, even with inflation and the closure of many U.S. factory tours to the public, there are still plenty of these you and your kids can visit for free or for a very low fee. Check out this website for factory tours in the U.S. and search by state to find places along your route. One of the most fun things we've ever done as far as factory tours go, was taking a tour of a pretzel bakery and then having the chance to make our own  in Pennsylvania.

2.  Sign up for a family membership at a museum, such as Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, which as a member of an international science museum group ASTC has reciprocal relationships with other science museums around America and elsewhere in the world. All you do is buy one pass and then use it at other museums in their network to get your family in free or at a reduced rate.  We've been to museums in many, many states by using this pass without spending hundreds of dollars more on admission fees for our 6-member family.

3.  Buy an Annual National Park Service Pass for just $80 and use it for your family to visit more than 300 parks and monuments in the U.S. without paying entrance fees at each location. We've seen more than 150 of our country's parks, monuments, and other park lands on both coasts, as well as in between, such as the Brown vs. Board of Education National Park site in Topeka, Kansas where a landmark decision about racial integration was made, saving hundreds of dollars if we had to pay entrance fees to enter each park individually.  After just 3 or so parks, depending on entry fees which vary, the pass pays for itself.

4.  Another great way to find out about fun, inexpensive things to do is while traveling check the brochure racks at any venues you do go to for other area activities.  Don't forget to pick up local newspapers in your travels too, and look at the phone books in your motel each night. Also, don't overlook all the fabulous brochures that are in the lobby of many motels and hotels, large and small, to look for more off-beat things your family will enjoy.  And, at all costs, always pick up any giveaways at rest stops and when you fuel up.  Be sure not to overlook truck stops, as we have found lots of booklets there to save money on motel rooms along the way.

5.  Last, but not least, don't leave on any road trip without a full set of free maps and travel guides from your Auto Club.  If you are a member of any of these clubs, such as the Automobile Club of California that we belong to, you will have access to lots of fun activities and there are even some that offer discounts to AAA members.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the Williamsburg Tourism and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Procter & Gamble's Pampers and Mommy & Daddy Bloggers Are At Odds

by Janis Brett Elspas

MommyBlogExpert.blogspot.com

After reading the story on Businessweek.com by Burt Helm published Friday Procter & Gamble in Bind Over Moms’ Web Attack on Pampers Brand it's my personal guess that this controversy is just starting to heat up and has yet to reach its peak.

But let me not get ahead of myself.  If you have not already heard, this should bring you up to date: a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's investigation began on May 3 in follow up to consumer complaints that Pampers Swaddler and Cruisers with Dry Max,  new to the P&G die-tee line up, causes rashes and chemical burns.  Procter & Gamble continues to deny these claims and is at odds with the potential image-damage that blogging parents -- both moms and dads -- might be able to cause through their demands for a Pampers recall.

Pictured here:

My own triplets some years ago wearing Pampers Diapers, which we never had a problem with personally, when they were just a few months old.  At the time my DH and I were changing 8 diapers per day.  With 4 kids in diapers at once (our oldest was only 1 when his younger sibs arrived) we were changing 32+ diapers per day, so I consider myself somewhat of an expert since we were buying multiple cases of diapers that we stored in our "diaper warehouse" in the garage.

Apparently many other babies since ours have worn Pampers without any side effects, too.  The chatter on both Twitter and Facebook, though, seems to be lively right now, and the winds may be changing direction.  Now there are various fan and like pages on Facebook advocating accountability on P&G's part including a group called Pampers Bring Back the Old Cruisers/Swaddlers which currently has 9,169 followers.  Also, the like page on Facebook that was set up just 8 days ago called Recall Pampers Dry Max Diapers has 861 followers as of the time this post went live, having picked up hundreds of more parents speaking out just since Friday alone.   There appears to be a building awareness about the issues now at hand on Twitter, especially among moms who blog, too.

I just don't get it. While my kids are now tweens, and we are well-past the diaper stage, I have to say I would definitely not be buying this brand until all the facts are in and would not wait for a product recall which may or may not be on the horizon.  If there is even a small amount of potential danger, I wouldn't want to take a chance if my kids were still in diapers since there are so many other brands of disposable diapers to choose from, not to mention cloth diapers which are actually much more eco-friendly and increasing in popularity.

What do you think?  If you are still using diapers, does the Pampers with Dry Max controversy scare you? Or do you think this is a bunch of nonsense and you aregoing on with "business as usual" and continuing to use the product any way?

Leave a comment below this post, NOW, and let your parental voice be heard!

FTC Disclosure:  MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.