4 Great iPad Accessories for Kids
August 11, 2011, By Phil Dotree 0 comments
The iPad is a great portable computer or a giant phone or whatever it's supposed to be. If you own an iPad, though, your kids are likely to enjoy it a lot more than you do. Let them. But make sure that it's set up with enough accessories to keep your kid and your iPad safe.
MyPhones
It's a good idea to pick up headphones for your iPad, and a set especially designed for children was my first purchase. Sometimes I'd rather hear something other than Dora the Explorer when I'm driving my Explorer (sorry for that terrible pun). MyPhones are great for kids because they're large, comfortable and safe. A smart volume limiter is built into the headphones that will stop your kids from accidentally blasting their own ears off—even if the headphones are plugged into a device other than an iPad. It's a good use of technology and an essential buy for dads who are worried about their kids' hearing. If you don't get the MyPhones, be sure to pick up some sort of volume-limiting headphones and have a talk about safe volume limits with your older kids.
Otterbox Defender
As soon as I unpacked my iPad, I showed it to my son. He quickly dropped it. Then he picked his nose. Then he wandered into the next room. (I think he's growing up to be a Microsoft fan.) The point is that kids are hard on electronics, and Otterbox has thought this one out. Their Defender series is expensive—they're around $100 each—but they'll protect your iPad from a steamroller or an angry five year old without ruining the slim form that makes the iPad such an awesome device in the first place. You might also invest in one of the many invisible shield products available for the iPad if you've got a young kid, or you can expect a couple of chocolate smears on your beautiful touch screen. Invisible shields aren't exactly invisible, but they are cheap and they won't ruin the touchscreen functionality of the iPad.
NEXT: Etch-A-Sketch Case
