Toddlerize My Touch

September 16, 2009 2:28 PM

How can I best deck out a Touch for a toddler (accessories, not apps)?

We had been planning on buying an iPod classic and getting this case which included little headphones. But now we've talked ourselves into a Touch. One of our big reasons for buying anything at all is for the kid to watch movies, especially on flights. We need to find a case/skin and some way for him to listen. Mommy and Daddy don't care if it clips on our belt or has a stand or anything. We have a kid--we're already going to have a bag we can throw it in.

Any recommendations?

Oh, he'll be just about two years old when we really need it. Yes, I know all the recommendations about kids and TV. Those recommendations were not made by people with a toddler in their laps on an international flight.

posted by wallaby to shopping (9 comments total)

My daughter turned four recently and I got a iPod touch for her to play games on (mostly memory and math games) and watch movies. I bought a generic rubber case to protect it from falls and it seems to have worked fine. For movies, if you want the best, the video player by philips for $99 on Amazon is a good deal. I wrote about it on my blog.

I've been meaning to do a write-up of all the apps she uses and likes.
posted by mathowie at 2:36 PM on September 16

A worker bought a touch-sized hard case and an iPhone-sized soft (rubber) case, for the Touch used primarily by his 4yo. Absorbs shock like a pro.

My 3yo uses my touch on a regular basis, and drops from 2ft or so high a few times every week. It is pretty reliable, but I doubt it will last as long as my coworker's or mathowie's.
posted by cCranium at 2:51 PM on September 16

using the touch on the trip is a good idea. when i took my daughter (18 onths) to visit family this summer, i loaded my touch with several sesame street episodes, some kid-friendly videos and a movie. being as it was just the two of us, i wanted to bring as little with us as possible. did not have any sort of stand or clip for it and that wasn't a problem---she was in my lap, so i held it for her. i wish i had thought of headphones for the actual plane ride, as you could not hear the audio at all in-flight. luckily, it was one of the first times she was ever allowed to watch such a remarkable thing and she remained enthralled--you may have the same experience. plus, i think headphones and kids are tricky because you definitely don't want to damage little eardrums.

i recommend saving it as the last "oh, look here!" surprises. definitely wait until you get the all-clear for electronic devices to be engaged, otherwise you'll start the movie, have to stop it during take-off and that becomes prime time for toddler meltdown.
posted by ms.jones at 3:00 PM on September 16

What about some earphones that you can put over his ears, instead of the in-ear buds? They might be less likely to cause him any damage, and are super cheap if you're not looking for high-quality audio.

Alternatively, if you want to risk annoying fellow passengers you could always get a cheap pair of folding speakers that run on battery power. That way you'll know exactly how loud it's getting.
posted by Pomo at 4:17 PM on September 16

My 2.5-year-old boy loves iColoringBook. In fact, after using it he often reaches over and tries to fingertip-paint on my wife's flatscreen monitor. *8-) IMO kiddy games are just about all the Touch or iPhone are good for.
posted by tra at 4:21 PM on September 16

Case-wise, you want the Otterbox Defender.

And definitely get some non-in-ear headphones.
posted by elsietheeel at 5:52 PM on September 16

Definitely get a good case, either the rubber type mentioned above (I have this) or the more expensive Otterbox elsietheeel suggested. I cannot stress this too much--if you drop an iPod Touch and it doesn't have a case, it will crack the glass. It's not nearly as resilient as a cell phone, where the battery might just fall out if you drop it.

Also, consider Apple care, because this IS a toddler we are talking about, and why worry about the stress if it DOES break?
posted by misha at 7:17 PM on September 16

Oh, for headphones, I've found at least with my daughter's slightly bigger head, any sort of noise cancellation headphones at the smallest size setting can just fit her head pretty well (and the noise cancellation means lower volumes and less hearing damage/tiredness for her, though you usually have to skip using them yourself).
posted by mathowie at 10:45 PM on September 16

Thanks for this question, wallaby, and I hope you don't mind if I piggyback one of my own. Is there a case out there that covers the Home button? Our 2 year-old loves playing with our iPod Touch, but he has a thing for buttons and closes apps all the time. I'd like to use it as a video player for him on trips, but don't want him to close the video every five seconds.
posted by DakotaPaul at 8:29 AM on September 17