MP3 Players for Kids

My Top 3 MP3 Players for Kids

SanDisk came up with the Sansa Shaker, an MP3 player designed for the very young. It utilizes ear buds or, until you child is old enough, will play their fave tunes through a built-in speaker. Included is a second jack so that you can listen with your child. A SanDisk SD flash memory card with pre-loaded music comes with the player or you can download your tot's favorite music. Inside you will also find an included AAA battery that will allow up to 10 hours of playback. Neither of these are easily accessible for small fingers.

Available in blue or pink, a child can easily fast-forward or back up to another selection with its controller. This will also change the volume control. Why is it called the Shaker? Because you can shake it to change the music and make sound effects your son or daughter is sure to adore but that will probably drive you bonkers.

The petite 1.6 x 1.6 x 2.8" Shaker weighs only 2.6 oz. It also comes with stickers for customizing, a USB 1.1 cord for connection to PC or Mac, a lanyard, and has a price of about $29 for 512 MB or $49 for the 1GB model, depending on where you shop.

After the summer movie premiere of "The Transformers," Takara Tomy got together with SoundWave to create the innovative Transformer MP3 Player. It actually alters in form from the action figure Decepticon to become a portable audio player. Two weapons and four hands are included for Transformer fun.

The mini-SD memory card that holds almost 1GB goes into its chest, and the unit fires back with an audio frequency range of 60Hz - 16kHz. With a maximum power output of 2mW, it runs on a single AAA battery (not included) for up to 6 hours of tunes. There are earphones to go in its mini-plug so your kids can enjoy their music and you won't have to. The Transformer Music Label Sound Wave MP3 Player is available for $129.99 in blue or white.

By the way, if you want to go whole hog for the kid who is obsessed with Transformers, Takara Tomy has an entire series of Music Label Transformers. Frenzy and Rumble turn into earphones at a price of $37.99 and Convoy is an iPod docking bay with speakers for $109.99.

Disney also has an incredible array of child-friendly MP3 players. For younger music fans, there is the Princess Flower and the Cheetah Girls. For boys who love swashbuckling, there is a "Pirates of the Caribbean" version, and for older kids, "Hanna Montana" and the cast of "High School Musical" players are available.

All of them have built-in rechargeable batteries for up to 8 - 10 hours of play at a time. They are compatible with Windows and Mac (check individual players for differing versions.) They can store MP3, WMA, and Disney Mix Clips music files as well as data files. Each of them is made of plastic and metal with a size of 4 1/5 x 1 1/2 x 3/5."

The players come with audio-in jacks, lanyards, ear buds, and USB ports. Prices vary depending on the style you choose and its memory capacity. A Jack Skellington from "The Nightmare before Christmas" version that holds 256 MB memory has been marked down to $29.99, and the others that have a 512 MB capacity have a price of $49.99 with a SD/MMC Card slot for additional memory.

They're not iPod killers, but they just might be more fun, less expensive, and more age-appropriate for kids who want an MP3 player. I'm sure that once your kids have gotten their first MP3 player, they'll be so busy with it that you won't hear from them until they demand more memory, a new skin, or docking station to go with it. Do you have a cool kid-friendly MP3 player to recommend? Post a comment below...