Traveling With Kids: Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Tablet

“This post is sponsored by Amazon and the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet.  As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.”

Our Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet is the gift that just keeps on giving. We’ve had this tablet since August and up to this point, only had one for the girls to share.  However, we knew getting a second one for our upcoming Spring Break family trip would be a smart parenting move.  In fact, while making our list of things to pack for the girls, this tablet was at the top of our list. And guess what – our first family trip (and plane ride) as a family of four was a HUGE success thanks to our Amazon tablet.

We used it during our flight, in the car, and even at our Airbnb stay during some downtime. Trust me – this was the only time I was actually OK with silence in our home.  (If you’re a parent reading this, you know what I mean.  Silence with kids can be a really good thing or a really bad thing. Am I right?)  There was no fighting, crying, or meltdowns because someone didn’t share.  Just laughs and giggles and even a few “Look at what I’m playing sista!”  Now that’s music to my ears.

To prep for our trip, I made sure to download all the apps + videos she liked so she could use them during our flight.  With the tablet’s new feature, FreeTime automatically starts Offline Mode when there is no Wi-fi connection or the device is in Airplane Mode so she was able to continue viewing + playing all the downloaded content.  Then, the full FreeTime returned when we were able to reconnect with Wi-fi. Seriously – this was a lifesaver!

For Marli, I made sure to take full advantage of the ‘Learn First’ function where she had to complete some academic work before using the games/movies.  Now that she’s 5, it’s great to get her in that mindset of “work before play.”  So, if I set her time limit for 1 hour, 20 minutes would be dedicated to work, then she’d have 40 minutes of free time play.

I tried doing this function with Matea, but I think she’s still a little too young to fully grasp that concept. Instead, I let her pick and choose what she wants to watch/play.  And you know what?  I’m totally OK with it because it’s loaded with age-appropriate educational books, videos, apps and games for her to choose from. Plus, I love going to the Parent Dashboard to see where she’s spending most of her time.  She of course loves anything her big sister likes so here’s a roundup of the girls’ favorite apps right now which is perfect for pre-schoolers.

I also make sure to set her screen time limit through the Parent Dashboard so I don’t get any crying when time’s up.  Trust me, this was a routine we had to practice.  She had a complete meltdown the first 5 or 6 times it happened, but slowly learned that mommy wasn’t the bad guy. Now when the tablet shuts down, she simply hands it to me and says “Oh no. Time’s up. Next time we play tomorrow.”

The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet is affordably priced at $129.99, but if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can get it for only $99.99 ($30 savings)! AND, if you have more than one kid like me, you can get the bundle package (2 tablets) for $189.99 with the Prime Member price or $259.98 if you’re not an Amazon Prime Member.

The tablet includes a free year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited which gives you unlimited access to thousands of pre-loaded age-appropriate apps and a 2-year worry-free guarantee so in the event that your tablet stops working for whatever reason, you can easily replace it no questions asked.  Is that amazing or is that really amazing?!?

If you’re looking to travel this Spring Break or anytime this summer, thisAmazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet is a must! Even if you don’t plan on traveling anywhere this summer, there are so many amazing educational apps the kids can utilize over summer break. Thanks so much for reading, guys! Hope you have a great Easter weekend!