Ah, Bella and IZP11-
Apologies to the hubbies, but I cannot imagine managing all of the music we use any other way!
Yes, my phone has it, as does the IPad...and we use that sometimes as well.
BUT: the IPod is devoted to her music, learning songs, audiobooks, even a couple of DVDs loaded for emergencies.
We take it wherever we go, and then I always have a huge selection to choose from in the car, wherever we are in the house. ( we have docking stations in her bedroom as well)
Here is maybe a way to justify the cost
*First off, any and all learning music is a complete waste of money unless it GETS USED! If it is in another room, not in the car, misplaced ,scratched, etc? Money down the drain...
*Also, CDs do not last long in our house as busy hands are always around...if you put them up high? They tend not to get played as much...how many more learning songs could you play if it was at hand
*once the CDs are safely backed up and loaded to ITunes, I allow her to 'have' the CD for her collection..she has a small inexpensive CD player that she can use on her own...talk about fine motor skills and she has to read the back covers to find the song she wants and match it to the correct track- a math lesson as well as she has to figure out how many times to skip forward and backward.
*i am convinced that always having music on hand to moderate the mood or attract her interest, calm her down to concentrate, or burn off a bit of energy makes our learning more efficient.
*having everything, literally in the palm of my hand, means that I am much more aware of all of my choices, and can quickly locate something appropriate to buoy the lesson, facilitate understanding, or just make sure we are having fun! Also, I think everything goes more smoothly if I don't have to fiddle with the remote, players, or locating material!
*** a HUGE one for me: SAFETY! I can create current playlists for on the go, which means ZERO mucking about while on the go, especially in the car!
One note of caution: there are special protective sets of headphones available, but after doing a fair amount of research, we decided against this option.
At night, she has a large, plush, cuddly penguin that has a pair of speakers in the form of 'headphones' on the penguins ears. It has parental volume controls, she uses it as a cuddle buddy/pillow, and the actual IPod is tucked into a flap in its backside
The IPod also has the great lock function so that no matter how many times she picks it up and pushes buttons, she cannot change it until I take off the lock! (Our case keeps it covered from view)
Also!
We have an IPod Nano that we bought when she was less than a year old. I am listing it here, but they are getting ready to release the next generation for about $75 cheaper.
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPod-Black-Generation-MODEL/dp/B002L6HDPG/ref=sr_1_37?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1349137098&sr=1-37&keywords=ipodWe did consider going with an IPod touch for versatility, but opted not to due to her age and that I don't want her to consider it in the same class as the IPhone or IPad!
So, maybe these ideas will help you in convincing SIgnificant Others that it is absolutely essential, will actually save money in the long term, will facilitate additional learning and creativity, and save a fortune in college tuition when the child is offered full scholarships/stipends to top universities???
Or at least so impress them with your rationalization that they relent in pure defense!
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