Daily deal – iFrogz iPod kid friendly case + headphones for $12

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for a product that can help keep your kids entertained on your next trip. The iFrogz Tadpole kit consists of a kid friendly iPod case and a pair of kids headphones. The products come in nice bright colors (green or purple) and the case is made of a sturdy yet soft non-stick silicone.

Once your iPod is inside the case, your little one will be able to hold onto it using the 2 large handles on the side. The case even comes with a screen protector, to keep your iPod screen free from scratches.

The kit normally retails for $34.99, but it is currently on sale for $14.99, plus an additional 20% off (this weekend only), bringing the final price down to just $12. Shipping is an additional $4.49. Even if you don’t always need the iPod and its case, you’ll be able to use the headphones anywhere you run into a regular headphone jack, including the one on your next flight!

The case is available for the 80/120/160GB iPod Classic and the previous generation 30/60/80 Generation 5 iPod. The headphones on their own cost just $7.99 (plus an additional 20% off), but they are currently out of stock.

Product page: iFrogz Tadpole Kit

Booster seat laws: How old is your child? How big? It matters.

by Jamie Rhein on

“Ah, geez!” said my son, throwing himself back on his bed when I mistakenly told him about the new booster seat laws two nights ago at lights out. He just turned 7. In his mind, this is an invitation for older kids to tease him.

Starting in February, it’s back into a booster seat for him. In Ohio, the governor just signed a bill that requires children to be in a booster seat until age 8–or until they reach 4-feet 9-inches tall, the magic height when a seat belt will fit them properly. I heard about this change on the radio on my way home. According to what I heard, what was written about the law back in December currently holds.

The law, as it was signed, says that a police officer can’t pull over a motorist for the booster seat violation unless there is another reason to stop the vehicle. Failure to yield, faulty lights, driving while drunk, etc., etc., etc. Even though the law will be in effect in February, there is a grace period where drivers only will get a warning. After that, tickets will be given. The fines will vary from $25 to $75. Different counties will decide how much the fine will be.

Awhile back, I wrote a post about other states’ booster seat laws because we were traveling in states where the older age limit already applied. Here is a more current link to a map of the U.S. with state booster seat laws. Because it was last updated in June of 2008, it doesn’t reflect Ohio’s change, I recommend checking a state you will be visiting in order to find out the current regulations.

My son might have reached the height limit already. He’ll be pleased. Although I think it’s better to be safe than sorry, I can see how it’s going to be hard to get older kids back into a booster seat now that they see themselves as bigger.

With more and more states adopting the same age and height regulations, it seems that it would behoove car companies to design cars that can accommodate the changes. Why not design seat belts made for children who are out of toddler-hood? They could be adjusted as a child grows.

As my son and his friends grew out of car seats, it meant they could comfortably fit in the back seat of our car. Three booster seats won’t fit.

For a handy information about car seat and booster seat safety guidelines, check out this page from the Academy of Pediatrics website.

The booster seat in the picture is made by Graco and the kind we bought. It works great on long car trips. This summer we drove from Columbus to Missoula, Montana and back without a complaint–at least not about the car seat.

Give a Toy and Get a Smile: a charity organization in Cancun that helps tourists give

by Jamie Rhein on

Last March I went to Mexico on a do-good travel venture which involved building a house. Here is a simpler way to do good if you are heading to Cancun, Mexico on a vacation and want to share your good fortune at being able to afford such a vacation in the first place.

When I read about this program in Home and Away magazine, it caught my attention as one way to count blessings while on a holiday jaunt. As a response to the often impoverished conditions outside tourist resorts in Cancun, Andrew and Nancy Myers began Give a Toy, Get a Smile. The organization gives toys to children in the region who may not have many toys, if any at all.

The suggestion of the organization is that you add hair ribbons, non-battery operated or non-electrical toys, school supplies, a backpack, or any other simple and useful item a child might enjoy to your bag when you pack. When you arrive in Cancun, you can drop off the items at a specific location.

In case you get to Cancun and don’t have items to donate, it’s not too late. Buy school supplies at a local store and donate those. There was a small grocery store near the house that I helped to build. The house was not really in a town, but perched up on mountainous area about thirty miles from Tijuana. Among the shelves, I saw items a child would enjoy. I imagine that while you are in Cancun you can find a box of crayons somewhere.

Here are more ideas for what you might bring to donate if you feel so moved.

Galley Gossip: A question about traveling with kids and scoring an extra seat

by Heather Poole on

Dear Heather,

I’ve written to you before and now I have another question. So I’ve told you that we’re traveling w/ our one-year old next month. No car seat, etc. Are there any sneaky ways to insure that we could get an ’empty’ seat for her???? I think currently we have it booked so my husband gets the window seat and I get the aisle. We thought that might work as nobody would want to sit in the middle of us. But, I’m sure they’ll have to put a single traveler in the middle. We’re leaving on the 26th of December w/ American Airlines. I’m sure it will be busy, but what do you think?

Thanks so much!
Marlo

Dear Marlo,

I remember your question, as my answer did get quite a rise out of many Gadling readers, especially those who do what I do for a living. Flight attendants everywhere scolded me for telling you that it was okay to travel without the car seat, even though I did point out that it was much safer to book the extra seat and take the car seat along with you. For those of you who missed that one, here’s a link to Galley Gossip: a question about traveling with car seats and strollers. If you’ll be traveling with kids during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, make sure to check it out, along with Galley Gossip: The best invention for kids on the airplane – CARES,

As for scoring a middle seat, Marlo, I think you did all that you can do, as that’s exactly what I would have told you to do – book the aisle and window and leave the middle seat open. Remember, you are traveling during one of the busiest holidays of the year, so if the flight is not full, it’s probably getting there. I have yet to work an empty flight this year. Since the back of the airplane is a lot less desirable than the front (and also bumpier if there’s turbulence) you could move your seats to the rear of the aircraft, cross your fingers, and pray no one wants to sit that close to the toilet. It’s your best bet. I’d also like to point out that there are going to be mostly other families traveling during the holiday season, so that single traveler sitting between you and your husband is probably not a single traveler at all, but a traveler displaced from their family, a traveler who is praying he or she can get you to move to another seat! So be patient. Be kind. And remember, holiday travel is never fun. Unless you can just relax and go with the flow.

Your question brought back a memory from long ago, so there’s one more thing I’d like to mention. If you do decide to book the aisle and window seats, leaving the middle seat open in an attempt to score the extra room, remember that middle seat passengers are people too. Please, do not talk over the unfortunate person who ends up getting stuck between the two of you. And please, do not pass things over the person, particularly food, even if you think that person is sleeping. Twice I’ve awoken to loud voices, crumbs in my lap, and my magazine gone after getting stuck between two people traveling together. For more information on what you should and should not do concerning the middle seat, check out my other post, Middle Seat Etiquette.

Happy Travels

Heather Poole

Have a tip when traveling with kids? Post a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

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Photo courtesy of matth

Photo of the Day (11-12-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

In the theme of places you gotta see before you’re twelve, here’s my suggestion. A dock. Any dock that’s perfect for jumping into a lake will do. jonrawlingson, who snapped this shot of a boy taking a leap in Gibraltar, caught the lighting and the movement at just the right time. I love the way the boy’s legs and arms are positioned–just like poetry.

About this photo–Jon posted it in 2005. It may take awhile, but one of these days, when you’ve given up, there is your artistry as a Photo of the Day. Send us your best to our Flickr photo pool.