I think Catie wants a case for an iPod, not an iPad. If so, I would recommend a grippy rubber case, such as those by InCase, and a protective screen film. This is the combo we use with our toddler and it's worked great so far. The rubber case gives him better grip and cushions any accidental falls, and the screen cover is easy to clean and/or replace should sticky jam hands get on it.
I'm sure there are other even more protective options though...

we bought a sweet pea mp3 player for our 2 year old. doesn't play videos, but it was $60 and has been thrown to the ground many times and survived.

we love it

I agree...I have an iPhone which is only slighlty larger than the iPod Touch. I use a rubber case and the protective screen film...I have had the film on for about 2-3 months before I replace it. I was considering the iPod Touch as well as a secondary.

If there's a chance of drool / juice box / etc, the Otterbox is probably your best bet. It seems much more protective as far as throwing / dropping than other cases I've seen as well...

travis07 i was also thinking about getting an itouch for our lil one... all the apps on my iphone he LOVES and it is amazing how he can be occupied for ages (it has averted soooo many meltdowns it's like igold).... but i cant jusify the price of a new itouch... maybe a used one on ebay. we'll see. but i think a case is a must! i've dropped my iphone more than my son ever has....

@roxtarchic - I know I can't justify the price tag either. My guy watches YouTube. I am careful to monitor him but I pull it up and type into the search engine "trains"...or Disney Cars, etc. Currently he loves the Thomas App.
In my first comment I was going to say the same thing...I don't think my 3 year old has dropped it once...mommy on the other hand is a different story.

We use the Otterbox Defender for our iphones...so far it hasn't met any toddler disasters!

We use a Paul Frank case for our daughter's iTouch. It's great, cute and protects the phone. We also have a skin on the screen, so we can get rid of yucky fingerprints quickly. She loves it! We bought it during our state's tax free weekend last year, so we saved a little.

Buy him a book

I was hoping this was really for an iPad because I need to get a case for our iPad to protect from our toddler.

For iPhones, the Zagg invisibleSHIELD is a fantastic protection sticky type thing for the screen. This material is/was used to protect helicopter rotor blades!

http://www.zagg.com/

I read the question as...

"I have way too much money, how else can I spoil my child?"

And Ipod for a toddler? Get a grip people.

The Otterbox is great. We bought it for my husband, not for the baby...because the baby is less destructive of our electronics.

Put me in the camp with the other "why the hell does a toddler need a portable television to rot away his attention span" people. Perhaps a puppy would have been a better option.

Though I suppose if your baby is watching Tarkovsky his ability to focus is putting me to shame.

I don't have an iPod for my toddler. We commute by bus so when she gets cranky and we've exhausted all resources (books, toys, snacks, etc.) I've resorted to giving her my iTouch where she likes to look through pictures of the family.

I have an iphone and it can be a great distraction when my 2 year old is cranky . . . I would LOVE to find a good case for it that COVERS or locks the home button. Since its my phone, I just use a screen cover and regular plastic case, which has protected it from toddler mishaps (and my dropping it a hundred times). I saw those adorable ifrogz Tadpole kid-case for the Classic, but its not for iphone or itouch. http://ifrogz.com/products.php?cat=341.

@kdiffily - I, too, would LOVE to have something that would prevent my child from pressing the home button! I wish someone would invent a plastic piece that would snap over that end of the phone (while it's in my case!!).

Wow, I have been going through older posts since I am a new reader here and I am shocked by the amount of rudeness in the comments. This post is not as bad as some others but seriously. If you don't have a actual response to the question it would be best to not say anything at all.

I plan on buying my boys each an ipod touch for Christmas this year. I also plan on the screen protector and rubber like case. They already use their uncle's and it's held up well. We have had dvd players and gameboys for long car rides(like 26 hours to Florida!) and I can't stand loing games or scratching dvd's so the ipod seems like the best answer for both of those things.

I too am shocked at how rude people are.

Anyway , I found the perfect iphone/ipod touch case for little ones. When I saw this post I had to create an account to share it, but I think you will love it.

Its called the Woogie
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/woogie

Now if I can only find one for a iPad I would be super excited!

Hey kdiffily and AmberM, my 20-month-old son as well as my friend's small children all love to press the Home Button when we let them play games on our iPhones. I've looked and looked and found no solution, so I have come up with my own physical solution to help prevent kids from pressing that button (on iPhones, iPads, etc.). If you (or anyone else) would like to receive a free home button blocker in exchange for giving me feedback on my idea, please email me (see email address here: http://liquidsoapdispenser.com/contact.html )

How about KidsiPadCase.com??? $30 compared to $80 for Otterbox.

I worked with a lot of good product testers who all came from reading this thread. I wanted everyone to know that BubCap home button covers are now for sale on BubCap.com and Amazon.com. If your toddler is pressing the home button all the time, you'll love this new product!

Hi Catie and Everyone,

If you're looking for a great iPad case for toddlers and older kids too, please look at our new Muvn Case for iPad. It's made of durable, lightweight, easily cleanable foam (like Crocs).
You can see the case at www.gomuvn.com , or find it on amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Muvn-Case-Headrest-Mount-generation/dp/B003USYFXM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1299737818&sr=8-1
Thanks,
Brendan

Must buy Addycase. Toddler proof with handle. It's great!
Visit addycase.com to learn more.

Here's a low-tech way to achieve the same results:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/facepaintingisfunnet/toddler-proof-your-itouch-48a6