Clip-On Personal Speakers for MP3/iPods

Look at these wonderful clip-on speakers!



They were an accidental discovery at our local dollar store. Hopefully your dollar store carries them too; it's worth a look.

They meet our headphone needs perfectly!

The speakers can clip to fabric near my daughter's neck, on a collar or the sling seat of her jog stroller. They can also click together and hang around her neck.

Clip to a collar or the sling seat back of a jog stroller...

Or wear them clipped together around your neck
(we don't opt for this style much because my daughter's
fingers tend to get tangled in the cord).
Here’s why we love them...

1) Head size doesn’t matter. Few headphones are sized small enough to fit my daughter’s dainty head. 

2) They don’t fall off. Things that fall off are things she is unable to put back on her head. 

3)  They don’t force the sound right into her ear, which makes them much less fatiguing than headphones or ear buds. 

4) They allow her to have access to the sounds around her, like when my husband calls back to her in the van, “Look, there’s a UFO out your window!” Okay, more likely, he’ll say something like “Look at the little calves out your window” or “There’s a cool antique car coming down the road.” But if he did see a UFO, she wouldn’t miss hearing about it! 

5) They are completely portable and leave me hands-free to assist with walking. 

6) They don’t mess up her hair. This matters when you are a teenager. 

They don’t have fabulous high-fidelity sound, but what do you expect for a buck?  

At just a dollar, I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t last long.  

My daughter loves hers. We bought two pairs (after all, they were cheap!), but I’d like to go back and pick up a whole 'nother handful.


Walmart.com used to have an iPod accessory kit  that included these speakers. Maybe they'll get it back in stock?

In searching for a higher quality product of a similar design, I stumbled across one website which produces only this style of speaker, but read reviews from runners/cyclists that they had lousy customer service. Nix that.

Another company carries an interesting looking design that clips at the shoulder with magnets. These might be an interesting possibility for some kids. Since my daughter has a Vagal Nerve Stimulator, we steer clear of magnets on principle.

The clip-on idea is so perfect. Bose? Bose, are you listening???

Have you found any creative headphone solutions for your child? We'd all love to hear about it! Please let us know in the comments box below. Thanks!

13 comments:

Unknown said...

That is a fabulous idea for DynaVox! My daughter uses DynaVox with auditory scanning and has the earpillow, but it always falls all over the place. It can be hooked up with headphones, but that is not practical. THe clip ons will be perfect!

Rose-Marie said...

Chaney, that would be such a perfect use for these mini-speakers!

I hope you have an easy time finding them. If that turns out to be a challenge, would you be able to rig up a clip for the pillow speaker or another lightweight personal speaker?

Ann Marie said...

I have looked for those exact things without much luck. I'll be checking our local stores, too. Abby also has difficulty keeping her headphones on. Thanks for sharing.

Gina @ Special Happens said...

Wow. Now *that* is such a creative fixer! It's perfect for all the reasons you stated. I'll be sure to keep these (and your site) in mind for other individuals I come across that could use those.

A said...

So, just out of curiosity, when her dad calls to Angela to look at the _______out the window, does she? Amelia almost never looks when someone is trying to direct her gaze. She might sneak a peak later.

Rose-Marie said...

Gina,
Thanks for your kind comment and for passing the idea and site along to others. So glad you found us!

Rose-Marie said...

A,
She rarely turns her head right away to look when we comment on things out the window, though sometimes it happens. More often it is a delayed response and, of course, we have long since passed the site.

More often she is likely to look immediately towards environmental sounds...a knock at the door, the start-up clicks for the tv... Do you find this to be the case at your house?

Unknown said...

These are fantastic!! I'll have to look for some. Katera won't tolerate earbuds or headphones, unless someone is right there holding them on. And, we have the "dainty head" thing, too.:)

Rose-Marie said...

I suspect Katera has LOTS of company in the dislike of earbuds and headphones. For me, the focused sound waves coming into my ears is quite tiring; makes you wonder how kids with any kind of sensory issues handle that. I hope you can find some of these nifty little clip-on speakers locally...definitely worth more than a buck!

Anonymous said...

Do you remember which dollar store? If it is a chain, other stores might have it!

Rose-Marie said...

Ours is a Dollar Tree Store. Their online site didn't list these, but it could be other local Dollar Trees might have them. I hope so!

Amazon.com listed something a little different for the "myTunes personal speaker," but when I clicked "new and used," there were a couple places that sold these same units for about $1.00. The down side was the shipping...usually $4-5.00.

If I find any other sources, I'll post them. Will you do the same? These are working so well for us and there are many other music and audiobook lovers that would benefit from them. Thanks!

funakoshi said...

Wow! This is just what I need for running! I hate wearing earbuds because I get ear infections. I saw something called Aftershokz that work by bone conduction, but I prefer just clipping these to my collar. Great find. Thanks!

Rose-Marie said...

Funakoshi, I have not been able to find these wired mini-speakers for some time now. Have you looked into Bluetooth headphones? Of course, your device has to send Bluetooth, but it appears the industry is headed this direction. Too large for running, we've moved over to the Ion Clipster portable speaker, which has good sound quality and a nice price (about $15-20US through Amazon.com). But they clip to straps and handles and seatbelts nicely, making them a great option in a wheelchair/car. There are Bluetooth wireless headphones (over-the-ear style) that might work for you without causing ear infections...the selection online covers all quality and price points. Good luck in your search! Let us know what you find.

Rose-Marie