Wired vs Bluetooth Headphones for Kids on a Plane
For a kid on a plane, the best choice is usually Bluetooth headphones that also come with a 3.5 mm cable. You get no cord to tangle while they watch the tablet, and a wire for the seat-back screen or a dead battery. Here's how wired and Bluetooth compare when the passenger is small.
Wired wins on the seat-back screen
Most seat-back screens don't have Bluetooth. They have a headphone jack, often in the armrest or under the screen. If your child wants to watch the in-flight cartoons, you need a wire.
Wired headphones also have two other plane-friendly habits:
- They never run out of battery. No charging the night before, no dead headphones at hour four.
- There's nothing to pair. You plug in and press play, even in a dark cabin with a tired toddler.
Wired is a pain with a toddler
The cord is the problem. On a plane, a toddler with wired headphones can:
- Pull the cord and yank the tablet off the tray table
- Wrap it around a hand, a toy or the seat belt
- Catch it when they climb onto your lap
- Chew it, which parents mention often enough that some bring a spare pair
A short cord helps a little. A tablet stand on the tray table, so the cord isn't stretched, helps more.
Bluetooth wins on the tablet
With Bluetooth, the tablet can sit on the tray table or in your lap, and your child can turn, wiggle and lean on you without dragging it along. Nothing hangs off their head to grab.
Kids Bluetooth headphones also tend to have long batteries now. Our top pick, the iClever BTH22, is rated at 60 hours per charge. That's enough for a long trip there and back.
Where Bluetooth lets you down
- You forget to charge them. It happens. A battery rated at 35 hours or more gives you room for mistakes.
- Pairing can fail at the wrong time. Pair them with the tablet at home, and test them the day before you fly.
- They can't reach the seat-back screen on most planes, unless they also take a cable.
- Noise cancelling may switch off on the cable. The iClever BTH20's listing, for one, says its noise cancelling doesn't work wired. Check this if you plan to use the seat-back screen.
The answer: Bluetooth with a cable in the box
Many kids headphones now work both ways. They play over Bluetooth, and a 3.5 mm cable comes in the box. When the battery runs low or your child wants the seat-back screen, you plug in.
When you shop, check that the listing says a cable is included, not just that there's a jack. All four headphones with speakers on our comparison page come with one.
One more thing for older planes: some seats have a jack with two round holes. A small two-prong airplane adapter turns it into one normal socket. Our guide on using Bluetooth headphones on a plane explains the adapter and other options for the seat-back screen.
Sharing one tablet between two kids
Siblings often end up watching the same show. You have a few options:
- A daisy chain cable. The Puro BT2200 Plus includes one that connects two headphones to one device.
- A share mode. CozyPhones 4.0 has a Share Mode that links two of its headsets to the same tablet. Both kids need that model.
- A headphone splitter. A cheap Y-shaped plug turns one jack into two, for two wired pairs.
Test whichever you choose at home. A setup that takes ten minutes to figure out in the living room is worse in a cramped row.
Quick packing list
- Headphones, charged the night before
- The 3.5 mm cable, packed with the headphones, not in a checked bag
- A two-prong airplane adapter, for older seat-back jacks
- A splitter or share cable if two kids will watch together
- Shows downloaded to the tablet, in case the plane has no screens
The bottom line: get Bluetooth that also plugs in
Wired headphones are simple and never die, but the cord is a hassle with a toddler. Bluetooth is easier in the seat, but it needs charging and can't reach most seat-back screens. A kids headphone that does both, with a long battery and a cable in the box, covers every case on a flight. For five options compared, see our best toddler headphones for airplanes.