Travel must-have for kids: The LeapPad3 learning tablet

My kids are pretty awesome travelers for the most part. They can handle short flights like pros and are the best road trip buddies on long car rides. But, as it turns out, they are pretty awful redeye international travelers. Go figure.  

When I look back now, I can’t help but ask myself what I was thinking taking two small kids on packed overnight flights that included 4 airports, long layovers, no meals, and a trip through customs. Oh, and did I mention I am very pregnant and have a hard time getting comfortable in even the plushest digs?

Seriously. What on earth was I thinking?! Having taken dozens of flights with them before, some of them international and some of them redeye in which they handled themselves perfectly, I was clearly going into things far too cocky considering the itinerary and their ages.

Thank goodness our friends over at LeapFrog realized that even good travelers could use something to pass 14+ hours of travel and they sent us their newest tablets, the LeapPad3 to use on our way to #BeachesMoms Social Media on the Sand conference. I spent the night before our big trip loading up on learning software, TV shows, and music to put on the tablets in addition to our collection of software cartridges from our original LeapPad, and I’m so glad I did. This awesome show? This was my view during one of our shorter flights. Would you believe that she is rocking out to the old classic "Do you Know the Muffin Man"? Someone download this girl the Frozen sing-a-long, stat. 

By our third airport with almost no sleep, I’m sure everyone around us was thrilled that our kids had the LeapPad3 tablets to keep them busy. Instead of whining about who was sitting too close to whom {whyyyy?} or who got more crackers, they used the 4+ hour layover to set up their Pet Pads in anticipation of their Pet Pad Party on their LeapPad3 tablets. Let me tell you, it was much more pleasant to hear them discuss what time they should meet up and see them giggle as they linked their tablets and watched their pets have a virtual playdate while trying to get a few minutes of rest with my legs up.

By now you probably know how much I adore LeapFrog educational products, but this new tablet is by far my favorite product to date. It is similar to the original LeapPad that we fell for back in 2011, but has some really cool improvements that make it more like a grownup tablet, and therefore the coolest thing ever – for both my four year old and my six year old.

Like the original version, the LeapPad3 has a large 5” kid-friendly touch screen that is very intuitive even for young kids. But this version is even simpler to use as the touch screen is more reactive than it used to be, and they are much easier for children to master. Either using their fingers or the included tethered styluses, they were able to play games, draw pictures, and navigate like pros.

And, like the original version, the LeapPad3 has tons of apps, games, eBooks, videos and more, only their library has greatly expanded in the past 3 years. It now includes over a thousand choices in their learning library to help personalize your child’s learning experience for their age and stage. And, many of the games automatically adapt to your child's learning level and allow you to see their progress updates to show how your child's skills are developing as they play.

But, the new LeapPad3 also has some awesome new additions that make it a huge hit with kids and parents. The LeapPad3 now features a quad-core processor that is faster and more powerful so you aren't waiting as long for games and programs to load. The faster processor was one of the first things I fell for, but coming in second is the new Wi-Fi feature that makes it easier than ever to update and connect with your computer.

And, with the new Wi-Fi feature you can allow your kids to use the new kid-safe web LeapSearch powered by Zui. While this feature is easy to turn off and on by entering your parental password and disconnecting it from the Wi-Fi, it’s one of my absolute favorite new features. If your kids are like mine, they are intrigued by YouTube and are constantly begging to see videos online. But, without previewing these videos before, there’s no way I would let my kids blindly search YouTube or other video sites, so I love the new LeapSearch that serves up only age-appropriate videos and more from the web—all approved by learning experts.

The LeapPad3 also includes a new peer-to-peer play feature that allows them to connect and play safely with their friends across nearby devices. The included Pet Chat and Pet Pad Party apps are favorites of my kids for this reason as they love to meet for pet “playdates” on their LeapPad3 tablets. I also love the new rechargeable lithium ion battery instead of disposables, which makes it much easier to travel with. Traveling with a USB or AC adaptor is so much easier than packing a whole bag full of batteries that we may or may not end up using, especially now that we have two tablets to charge.

All of this and more is why I will never again travel with young kids without the LeapPad3 again. You just never know when a two hour road trip can turn into six hours of traffic or when a quick layover turns into a full-day of waiting, and I never want to be caught off guard again without my secret weapon. It’s the perfect quiet distraction {especially with headphones}, and it’s even better knowing that they are learning a ton while having fun playing games, drawing pictures, and watching educational videos. No one likes the idea of buying a gadget that the kids will only use a few times and discard, so I love that the LeapPad3 is a great rugged and tough tablet that grows with your child up to age 9. With 10 pre-loaded apps including the ones for peer-to-peer connect as well as two integrated cameras and video function, apps and games to delight any child available for purchase, and the new LeapSearch that gives you even more new content on demand, it’s bound to be a huge hit this holiday season.  I would highly recommend picking up the LeapPad3 before the holidays to surprise your little one. What better way to encourage learning while having fun and exploring new skills. As an added bonus, it is perfect for any road trips you might be making over the holidays, which I’m sure will make you all a little more merry. You can find the LeapPad3 in stores nationwide or you can buy it direct from LeapFrog.com and get some awesome bundle deals.

A big thank you to LeapFrog for coming to our rescue before our big trip and saving our sanity as well as everyone else traveling with us. We are forever grateful. As always, all opinions are 100% ours.