Kidz Gear kids headphones – good for little ears and your sanity

No longer content with hours of “are we there yet” and I Spy, kids have far more choices in entertainment than I had as a kid. Many minivans come with a full DVD entertainment system, and most kids can find there way around an iPhone or iPod without any help.

For long road trips, being able to listen to your own music instead of Dora the Explorer or Spongebob could greatly improve your mood. This is where Kidz Gear products can help. The Kidz Gear line of headphones are specially designed for kids, and provide a perfect fit, along with hearing protection.

The headphones are available wired and wireless, which means you’ll be able to find a solution for any car and any portable player.

The wired headphones feature an in-line volume control, and come with a volume limiting plug, which is very handy for really young kids, or for kids that think “max” is the only volume you need to enjoy music. The headphones are comfortable (according to my four year old) and the cord is long enough to reach from the back seat of your car to the front.

The wireless headphones work using infra-red, and are guaranteed to operate on any in-car IR audio system. A volume control and power switch make it easy for kids to operate themselves. If kids forget to turn the headphones off (and they will), the headphones can turn off automatically when no signal is picked up.

One of the best features of these headphones is the optional IR transmitter (seen above on the left.) This box plugs into a headphone jack or line-out port of your TV, stereo system or MP3 player, and allows kids to listen to their own entertainment at home or in a hotel room. Its range is powerful enough to reach around a moderately sized room.

The Kid Gear products are well priced – $16.99 for the wired headphones, $29.99 for the wireless headphones and $14.99 for the IR transmitter. The entire assortment is available directly from the manufacturer.