Protecting Your Kids' iPad: Cases, Settings and Habits That Work

Kids love iPads, and iPads take a beating from kids. Drops from the couch, juice spills, chargers yanked out sideways and the occasional surprise in-app purchase are all part of family life. The good news: a few smart choices can protect your kids' iPad from most of it, and save you from repeated repairs.

Choose the right case

The case is your first line of defence. For younger kids, look for:

• Thick foam or rubber bumpers that absorb shock, especially at the corners, where most drops land.
• A raised lip around the screen so the glass doesn't touch the floor when it falls face-down.
• A built-in handle or stand, which makes it easier for small hands to hold and less likely to slip.
• Covered ports and buttons to keep out crumbs and liquids, as long as they don't block charging.

For older kids who carry the iPad to school, a rugged folio-style case protects the screen in a backpack. Slim, stylish cases look nice, but they offer little protection in a fall onto tile or concrete.

Add a screen protector

A tempered glass screen protector takes the scratches and, in many drops, the crack, instead of the iPad's own screen. Replacing a protector is far cheaper than a screen repair. Install it carefully in a dust-free room, and replace it as soon as it cracks, since a broken protector won't absorb the next impact. Our article on screen protectors and cases explains what actually works.

Use Screen Time and other built-in settings

Protection isn't only physical. iPadOS has strong parental tools built in:

1. Screen Time (Settings > Screen Time) lets you set app limits, downtime, content restrictions and a passcode only you know.
2. Ask to Buy, through Family Sharing, sends purchase requests to a parent for approval, which prevents surprise charges.
3. Guided Access (Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access) locks the iPad into a single app. It's ideal for young kids watching a show who might otherwise wander into settings.
4. A separate child Apple Account through Family Sharing keeps their apps and data apart from yours.

Also turn on automatic iCloud backups. If the iPad is dropped, lost or damaged, the photos, drawings and game progress your kids care about are safe.

Build simple family habits

The best case in the world won't save an iPad that's regularly used on the edge of the kitchen table. A few house rules go a long way:

• No drinks or snacks next to the iPad. Liquid damage is the hardest kind to repair, and repairs on liquid-damaged devices carry no warranty.
• Use it sitting down, on the couch or at a table, not while walking or in the bath.
• Charge it in one spot, away from where people walk, so the cable doesn't get tripped over or yanked.
• Pull the plug straight out, not sideways, to protect the charging port.
• Keep it out of hot or freezing cars. Extreme temperatures are hard on batteries.

What to do when accidents happen

If the screen cracks, cover it with clear tape and take it away from the kids until it's fixed: broken glass can cut small fingers. If it gets wet, turn it off, don't charge it, and get it checked quickly. Rice won't help. If it suddenly won't charge, start with our iPad not charging checklist; kids' iPads often just have a port full of crumbs.

Kids' iPad repair in Ottawa — we come to you

When accidents happen anyway, Fix Revolution makes it easy. We're a mobile repair shop: we pick up the iPad at your home anywhere in Ottawa and Gatineau, including Barrhaven, Orleans and Kanata, repair it, and drop it back off. Nothing is sent out. Most iPad repairs are completed the same day, depending on parts availability, with a 90-day warranty on parts and labour.

Learn more about our iPad repair in Ottawa, then get a free quote or call 613-265-4349.

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