I received an Earpeace, a pair of noise reducing earplugs a few weeks ago. The Earpeace are an addition to the field of earplugs for adults to cut down the noise while outside or at a loud event such as a concert. They attempt to lower the overall volume while not muffling sound the way foam earplugs do. Independent tests (Michael and Associates) put reduction of sound pressure at 75%. EarPeace delivers 11+ to 17+ decibels of protection. This means that 80% of people will get more than 11 decibels of protection and 20% of people will get more than 17 decibels of protection.

In my tests at a loud concert, I found that they do decrease volume, but to my ear, there was some loss of crispness in the sound though I was still able to enjoy the music and to relax knowing I wasn’t killing what is left of my ears. I wish they made these for smaller kids since we often take our kids to concerts in the parks where the decibel level is just really painful for young ears.

These make a thoughtful gift at $12.95.

I feel guilty every time we take our kids to a loud concert. It’s easy for adults to think it’s not too loud, while actually allowing damage to little ears. For $20-$30 you can protect your ears and theirs as well.

POSTSCRIPT: I went to see Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol, last night. It reminded me that earplugs and noise reducers are not just for concerts. I’m going to start carrying them in my jacket so I have them when I go to the movie theater as well.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

It’s December 23rd and still time to answer a Craiglist ad for a new horse, pet pig, or used rabbit cage. Here’s our advice on six pets not to get:

1. Tarantula – Sure, they are cute, furry, and cuddly when you take them home, but wait until your son lays one on your face while you’re taking a post-football Sunday nap. Your heart attack won’t be as embarrassing as what you’ll do in your pants.

2. Snake – Yes, they also look great in the pet store when you’re thinking of how your ex-wife will react. But, trust me, they are a lot less fun when the wily creatures find a way out of the snake cage, free to wander through the walls and heating ducts of your house, ready to jump out at you.

3. Baby Croc – Ever hear of the alligators in the New York sewer system, some of which managed to crawl backwards up the pipes to take bites out of the rears of people sitting on the toilet. Even if it’s the goofiest urban myth imaginable, I still don’t like the image or increasing the probability of it happening.

3. Pony – Unless you have a driver to take your child to the stable a few times a week and a trust fund to cover the stable bills, this is not a gift any sane parent should consider.

4. Cat – Cats are the devil’s embodiment on earth, here to tease us while planting deep, dark thoughts in our brains, while they aren’t plotting to suffocate us while we sleep. Invite one into your home at your own peril.

5. Eboli Virus – It’s alive, active, and hard to kill. Sounds like a perfect pet for young kids then? Think again.

6. Dog – We love dogs. They are smart, loyal, and wonderful burglar alarms. But if you ever want to take another vacation, without a dog strapped to the roof a la Mitt Romney, think again. Even if you never vacation anywhere beyond car range, spending all your free time out walking a dog with a plastic bag of warm feces in your hand is no way to spend middle age.

7. Gerbil – Mess to clean with constant odor. They enjoy drawing blood from fingers just trying to pet them. Worse: a ferret.

Two suggestions:

1. Ant Farm – Ants make no noise and just eat through the jelly included in the ant farm. When they die, no one cries.

2. Miniature frogs – These frogs, like the ones from Wild Creations,

The Zazoo Photo Clock is really an amazing example of how technology has evolved and prices have dropped on multi-use photo frames. Where single use photo frames were once several hundred dollars, here is one that is kid-friendly, with a kid-friendly price that does so much more than just play a slideshow of photos.

The Zazoo Photo Clock, invented by an entrepreneur mom, can act like a clock. One of it’s key features is the ability to wake your child with a specific image so they know it’s okay to get out of bed in the morning or after a nap. And it’s specifically designed so they understand the message with the choice of image, whether they can read or not.

The Zazoo can also show photos or even movies with a simple menu system available through a remote or easy to use buttons on the back. And, if your child has MP3s he or she likes, it can play music off a memory stick or an SC card. It’s not meant to be an iPod, but for a small child, it does all the things a big kid gadget would do, but in an easy to manage package. Dads can imagine adding lullabies or other favorites to the playlist, even dad reading a story in the case of dads who are often away.

There are several colors available from girlish pink to eco-friendly green. It comes with a remote control that can easily be used to move from screen to screen. On screen menu graphics, controlled also by buttons on the back, are a little weak in design (think bad engineering graphics) but you don’t really see these unless you are moving from movie to images, or changing the clock settings. On the back of the machine are two inputs for regular and mini-USB, as well as an SD/MMC/xD card reader, so it’s easy to plug in inexpensive flash memory of 2-4 gigs for music, images, or maybe even a movie, if you can put it in the right MP4 format. Note: not all MP4s work, but there is a troubleshooting section at Zazoo.com website.

At $89 (slightly lower at Amazon), there are less expensive alarm clocks and photo frames, but when you factor in all the other uses, for some kids, the Zazoo will be the perfect gift under the tree.

Here are four distinctly different headphones, as opposed to ear plugs or buds, for holiday gifts. They come in a variety of price levels and serve different functions.

1. For little kids, consider the Griffin GB10027 MyPhones Headphones ($39.99 list). They are perfect for kids and unaware teens because the volume can’t exceed 85 decibels—the highest level recommended by many auditory health organizations.

2. For more fashion-conscious teens, the Wicked Reverb headphones look hot, and deliver good sound. And, at $20 (Amazon) they are imminently affordable. These headphones have enhanced bass, and include a 3.5mm and 6.5mm jack for use with iPod or phone (no mic though) and better stereo equipment.

3. When I tried the Frends Alli headphones while listening to music, I could hear a baby crying. I found this really annoying but these headphones don’t completely cover your ears. Turns out, it was a baby crying that I had never heard on a favorite piece of music. While these headphones don’t cover the ear completely and can let in outside noise, don’t be surprised if the train you hear bearing down on you is actually on the musical track rather than a neighboring train track. These headphones also have two great additional features. They have a mic so you can use them with your phone or other inputdevice. And, they have a fabric cord, which miraculously does not tangle and stick like most headphone cords. For $35, you can not go wrong with these.

4. Finally, we love our Crossfade LP headphones. They also have a fabric cord and an second cord that includes microphone/call/music button if you want to use them with your iPhone (3GS and newer) or Blackberry. As the more sophisticated phones that they are, they also have a 6.3mm and 3.5mm adapters for different size headphone jacks. These are more expensive at $199, but are high quality headphones with superior sound driven by HD drivers and gold-plated jacks. For this price too, you get a very cool, black “exoskeleton” back case with a red lining. These make a fine gift, but I’m happy to say mine are already in service and I don’t have to to wait until Christmas to disappear into their sweet sound.

It’s amazing how prices have fallen and the quality that is available even at lower spending levels for decent headphones for everyone this holiday season.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured products for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

For the iPad lover in your life, here are some things that should be on his or her wish list:

1. SuiteGear Kit from Bracketron – this is just a simple package for protecting the iPad. It comes with a protective case that fits on the back of the iPad, as well as cleaning fluid, a microfiber cleaning cloth, and a stylus. A stylus is really handy if you need to present or show things on your iPad and don’t want it to be covered with fingerprints. Price right now is $9.99 (50% off MSRP!) on Amazon, making this a perfect companion gift if an iPad is already going in the stocking.

3. Style-iT 2-in 1 Stylus – Another stylus from Braketron, but this one includes a pen. These styli come in bright, fashionable colors and brighten up a desk, again if you need to keep paw prints off your screen. Around $16 on Amazon.

4. Fling Game Controller – If you play a lot of games on your iPad, or even just have an addiction to Angry Birds, you need a little helper. The Fling Game Controller will give you an edge. It’s just a little piece of carefully designed plastic, but it gives you an edge because you have more control, but also because you keep your fingers on the controls even when you’re looking elsewhere. At $19.95, it makes a good stocking stuffer.

5. Toddy Cloth – The Toddy Cloths are brightly designed microfiber screen cleaners that are treated with a microbial shield that is supposed to help keep your iPad bacteria free. I don’t know about that, but they do have nice designs and are a good replacement for the hospital blue cloth that came with your bottle of iKlear. The only reason to really have one of these though is if you need to show things on your iPad. There’s nothing that makes a bad impression faster than handing someone your greasy, oily iPad. Actually, everyone’s iPad is greasy and oily, but no one like’s someone else’s greasy oily. The Toddy Cloth elegantly takes care of that.

6.

REV360 for iPad & iPad 2 (formerly known as the Handstand)

- If your iPad lover needs to hold on to his iPad for long periods, at trade shows, for example, he needs a REV360. The REV360 is an iPad holder that makes it easy to hold an iPad in your outstretched hand for long periods. Swing your arm around, and the iPad stays put and is far safer than if you have to juggle it or stick it under your arm while talking.

7. The

Mount Me

and

Ringo System – Both of these systems are designed to display or mount an iPad in a car or to a wall or cabinet. They allow you to easily affix the iPad in different situations, while making it easy to remove and take with you. The solution doesn’t come cheap though. Expect to pay over $100 for a starter kit. If your iPad lover needs this type of thing though, these are well-designed solutions that work.

Each i-device spawns thousands of accessories and cases. IPad users don’t need all of them, but some are certainly more fun or useful to have and make the i-device that much more useful.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

My kids think I’m a bad dad in our house on at least one score. I don’t let the kids play video games during the school week, and so far, we have not let them have a DS or other personal gaming device. We do let them play on the iPad, again on weekends. However, when it comes to video games, we mostly limit use to multi-player games on the Wii, which luckily are easy to find.

Many dads forget that there are still many electronic toys that captivate kids’ imaginations but don’t have anything to do with video. Here’s a list of a few that we like in our house, and still have the flashing lights, sounds, and movement to intrigue a ten year old.

1. Pinball – yes, pinball! It’s back among a lot of people as a classic game that works well for crowds and competition. There’s now a restoration market for pinball games, that were designed only to last a few years in a smoky barroom, but which can last a lifetime in a rec room. Maintenance is relatively cheap since the devices themselves are simple collections of wires, switches and cheap bulbs. For $500 you can pick up an old game that is fun to play and makes a great piece of modern art. We bought an completely refurbished game of High Hand and the kids, and their friends, love it! They are not maintenance free, but if you’re so inclined, can provide a decade of lessons in basic circuitry and a project for kids and dads to work on together. Most large cities have expert repairpeople if you need them.

2. Slot car sets – If you haven’t taken a look at these since you were 12, it’s time to take a look again. Now they are made with digital switches. That means you can have many cars on a 2-lane track. On our set from Carrera, you can have up to six cars, each with its own controller. With digital, the cars move from lane to lane at different switching points allowing for passing and intense action between cars speeding along limited real estate. The sets aren’t cheap, but about the same in 1980 dollars. Expect to pay around $300 for a good set that includes 2 cars.

You and your kids will be amazed how fun it is to watch the cars go around and around the track. Be prepared to squabble over who gets the “best” car, however, as well as a lot of jumping up and down as you chase cars that hit the turns a tad too fast. More cars and more controllers are on my own gift list for Christmas this year so I can finally compete with my 7 year old. He got permanent dibs on the Dodge Charger police car in our set while I have the surprisingly doggy Ford Mustang.

3. Remote control helicopters – These have been on the scene for about five years now, with the first ones completely unflyable. The early ones also had rotors that broke off during the first flight, ruining any father/child flying interlude and then costing at least a ten spot to repair. New helicopters, though, like the Military Thunder by Swann, use multiple flexible rotors that make flying a lot easier out of the box. With the older helicopters, I would wince every time my son took the controls, silently thinking, “well, there goes $30.” But this helicopter is really so easy a 7 year old can fly it (recommended age on box: 8 years). The secret is in the “twin counter-rotating coaxial rotors.” The instructions point out that you’d never build a real helicopter this way, but it does make a scale model that much more stable with less adjustments to “trim,” all while increasing lift. Kids love these helicopters! Good news, bad news is that you only get 5-10 minutes flight time with each 25 minute charge. Sometimes, though, dads like to limit break time from work or chores and this is a natural way to do it.

GreatDad Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

You don’t have to ride a bike to ride. And you don’t have to settle for the same old Razor Scooter. There are more options for kids that add new dimensions to the ride. Here are three of our favorites.

If you have big halls and flat surfaces, you have to try the Plasmart PlasmaCar. This little guy is just too fun. It’s powered on a flat surface by moving the the steering mechanism back and forth. While not explicitly made for adults, the car holds up to 220 lbs and I love riding it as much as my kids do. If you look at the Amazon link, you’ll find over 500 reviews for this car, and most of them 5 stars. It’s well made with fun styling and colors, and recent price decreases have made it really affordable at under $45. If you have the space, get 2!

We love our Jogo self-propelled Carving Scooter (from Trikke.com) as well.

It uses the same principle as the Plasmacar but in a scooter. It’s about twice the price at about $100, but while this one is made for ages 4-8, it’s a faster ride. And since it’s a scooter, the child is upright working out more muscles to make it go. To get an idea, see this video from a video contest run by Trikke. This film is of a 70 year old guy with diabetes and heart disease who swears by the Trikke adult scooter. When you see this, you might also have to get one for yourself.

You can see more videos on the kids’ version at Trikke.com. Trike makes all kinds of cool

Finally, with a slightly different mechanism, is the Rockerboard. This scooter is again twice the price of the Trikke (about $200), but the mechanism is clearly a lot more sophisticated and it works on a different principle. Here you are shifting your weight backwards and forwards to power a motor that uses a set of small pulleys and gears to turn a rocking motion into fast speed. The Rockerboard can be used as a regular scooter, but the real fun is riding it using the rocker board and getting some speed. The Rockerboard handles really well and I guarantee you’ll be the talk of the farmers market (as I was) if you cruise into the crowd on your scooter. This is also a “toy” you’re going to have to fight to share with your kids.

Have you tried other alternative vehicles? Motorized bikes and trikes? Let us know in comments!

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

When we had our kids, just seven years ago, “designer” stuff was just just being delivered. DaddyTypes was able to find it, but the average consumer was blissfully unaware. Then there was Boon and all the beautiful things designed by Rebecca Finell. Now there are a lot of baby companies making beautiful, practical products.

Skip*Hop is one of these companies (love their new baby linens) and we just tried their new
Skip Hop Soapster, a big blue plastic penguin that dispenses soap in foam form after seeing it at the ABC baby kids show in Louisville this Fall.

This thing is so fun that you have to get one, even if it’s just for you to keep in your own bath or shower.

The Soapster is fun because is does something very practical, but does it in an innovative and entertaining way. At it’s basic level, the Soapster dispenses soap, but not any soap. It ingeniously lets you dilute body gel or liquid soap and creates a foam at the same time. That’s all very nice and the designers could have stopped there. But they also took the need to have a filler line for the soap and made that into a clear belly of the penguin, through which you can see an outline of a fish. Open the top of the penguin to pour in the soap, and you find that the fish outline is attached to a wand and it’s actually a soap bubble wand.

Fun product that will amuse kids and dads alike. We are loving ours!

Skip*Hop Soapster is $19.95 on Amazon.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

The good people at Sweet Sally’s send us cookies from time to time. This is just a big “thanks” to them for keeping us fat and happy while we sit at the computer all day. We listed them in top food gifts to send for father’s day, and that could go for the holidays for anyone a long way from home cooking.

For Thanksgiving and beyond, they just sent us their Pumpkin Scones and a Pumpkin-cranberry strudel, both of which are very tasty and perfect to send to someone who lives far away, but are thinking about during the holidays. The scones are very good, and what you’d expect out of a scone. The strudel is also very tasty, but is a heavier dessert that’s better complemented with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

I’ve been reading way too many articles about laptop thieves in airports and especially coffee shops. The first step, of course, is to get a secure password and a secure encryption system (we like Macs for that reason), but the second, is to lock your machine down if you spend a lot of time working away from home.

We tried out the Griffin Portable Security Techsafe locking system, which was invented I would guess because computers, at least our Macs, no longer come with a security latch built in to their cases. Griffin had to figure out another way.

Their solution is pretty easy. The kit comes with tiny clamp that fits easily into the hinge of most laptops. It’s a slightly delicate maneuver and not one you want to force, but once you do it once and see how it fits, it’s very simple. (The one big fear would be closing the laptop before inserting the clamp all the way, which would probably break the screen.)

Once the clamp is in, part of it protrudes out the back of the laptop, making it easy to latch onto with the include combination lock. LIke any lock and cable system, this is clearly not meant to chain a laptop somewhere out of sight and will only act as a slight deterrent, but one sure enough to stop anyone in all but the meanest of Starbucks locations.

Pros:

Simple mechanism and combo lock so no extra keys to carry.

Cons:

Cable wouldn’t stop of a dedicated thief, but weaker length is the clamp, which is made of a thinner metal, which could be cut pretty fast with wire shears. This could have been made more difficult with a shorter clamp that was more covered by the locking mechanism. The lock is set on one combination for life, so don’t lose it!

All in all, a good laptop security solution from Griffin.

Techsafe Cable Locking System from Griffin Technology $24.54 on Amazon.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

I’ve been reading way too many articles about laptop thieves in airports and especially coffee shops. The first step, of course, is to get a secure password and a secure encryption system (we like Macs for that reason), but the second, is to lock your machine down if you spend a lot of time working away from home.

We tried out the Griffin Portable Security Techsafe locking system, which was invented I would guess because computers, at least our Macs, no longer come with a security latch built in to their cases. Griffin had to figure out another way.