Productopia | MP3 Players

If your young child has an MP3 player on his Christmas list this year, don't worry, we’ve found a few options that are designed with kids - and budgets -- in mind. These kid-friendly MP3 players can stand up to a few falls and bumps, and are much less expensive than the typical $150-plus players on the market.

Keep in mind: when shopping for a kid-friendly music player, sound quality isn't the most important feature - but safety is. Look for MP3 players that use speakers rather than headphones, so you don't have to worry about hearing loss. Older kids can use headphones, but we recommend looking for a pair that lets you restrict volume levels.

With much of the competition dropping out or shifting their focus, Apple is one of the last players standing in the MP3 player field. The iPod touch (*Est. $230 for 8 GB) remains the best MP3 player - though it's much more than that. It can also play video, surf the web and run apps and games. In recent years, the one weak link in the iPod line was the shuffle, Apple's smallest and cheapest player, which often seemed like an afterthought. Critics typically recommended stepping up to the iPod nano or considering another brand altogether, like Sandisk. Times have changed. While the iPod nano has been consistently well-liked since its debut, the latest version gets several poor reviews. At the same time, the latest shuffle gets accolades, and pulls ahead of the competition for the first time. See our just-updated report on MP3 Players for all the details.