Recordable Book or iPad?

What about using FaceTime on the iPad? When I have to travel for work, my girls and I stay in touch with Face time. They love showing me their school work, art projects they brought home and even what they are eating for dinner! :)

Both my boys have the Hallmark books that their Grandpa gave them 1.5 years ago ~ they both still work and they read/listen to them regularly.

The iPad would be pretty cool for a 4 y/o though :)

I think it's great you are looking for something so you two can stay connected! 3 weeks is a long time!!

When my son was a baby, my husband recorded himself on one of those hand hand tape recorders before he left on a 6 month Navy deployment. He filled the both sides of the tape by reading stories to my son. 8 years later my son still pulls out that old tape and listens to it with his younger sister when my husband is away. Who can object to good old fashion reading? I also think if his mom would not like him to have a ipad at home she will not be happy to find out he has it at school!

It sounds like Mom is the real problem so why exacerbate the situation by doing something behind her back, that you know she won't approve of?

You should talk about it with her first (through a mediator if necessary) and propose a couple of options. The book should be a good for him to "read" whenever he wants to, and you should also have scheduled times to call one another on the phone (practice this now and you'll get better interaction from him later, if he's not already used to talking on the phone). You can propose the ipad also, explaining that you won't enable anything other than photos and videos that you've loaded onto it.

If she balks at your ideas, I would be adamant about the phone calls. Even if she has a court order for exclusive time with your son, I think she has a responsibility to him, to let him call his dad. You wouldn't exclude him from talking to his mom (I hope), so she shouldn't either. It's not fair for the child. Maybe establish regular phone calls with her now, so she will feel more compelled to do the same.

Stay calm and don't do anything sneaky that she can hold against you. Take the high road if you have to, it will teach your son that he can count on you to be the responsible, reasonable dad he knows and loves already.

The iPad 2 and later models have an integrated camera, so you could do "FaceTime" with him. Is it possible to find a used iPad 2?

How old is he? I have had good success with the Hallmark recordable books, I didn't know people complained about them! But, I will say that an older child might think these are "babyish", not sure. My kids are 2 and 4 so they think it's cool, but I'm not sure how much older you could really get, but I don't know! Is it at a camp with other kids around or just on a trip with his mom or something? The iPad would certainly give him some street cred if other kids are going to be around but you also don't want it easily lost or stolen. You can do so much more in the future with an iPad though, especially if he's older than 4 or 5.

I'd say evaluate the situation of where he's going and who he's going to be with before deciding which one to buy. Either one will make him happy I'm sure just to be able to hear your voice and feel close to you! Also, don't overlook just making a good old fashioned photo book of the two of you. You can use actual prints or make a small book on Snapfish or something. You can make cute books for pretty reasonable, especially if you get a coupon or deal.

Face time on the iPad is way cool!!!
an iPad would also allow you to make him an album of pictures and record videos of you AND you could take a video of you reading SEVERAL books for him!
(Can you tell I am voting iPad?)

Phone calls, skype, recordable books, videos of you on DVD's..
Schedule actual times and dates prior to him leaving.

And then yes, if you can both have an ipad it will work.. Just make sure his mother is ok with whatever you decide.

I do not think Daycare is the place for any of this.. It should just be kept at his moms home.. To much of a chance at daycare of things getting damaged or lost.

We have a hallmark recordable version of the night before Christmas from my in-laws. My kids love it. We haven't had any problem with it. You could give him one of those and a little picture album that he can keep in his room.

Before you purchase something "expensive" like the iPad.... What if, his Mom will not even let him keep the iPad at Daycare?
Either.
And she takes it.
Will the Daycare providers, let him keep it at Daycare?
Or will they tell his Mom that he has an iPad there, from you?
That is what I would wonder about.

Will his Mom let you phone call him while he is there? If you 'schedule' certain times that you'd call him, will his Mom let him talk on the phone to you?
Or can you make a photo album for him to take with him?