I have a iPod 5 and a child, went with a case. Lots of them out there, but the 2 I liked are Lifeproof and Griffin Survivor (at the time when I bought the case Lifeproof did not have a case for the iPod 5 so I bought a Survivor). Both are made for the iPod 4, both a little bulky, but protect the entire iPod against drops / falls, vibrations, sand / dust, weather, scratches, etc. NOTE: the Lifeproof is watertight and they claim you can go in the water with it, but some people have stated they can leak, the Survivor is waterproof, will keep most spills and driven rain off your iPod, I have been in the rain with it, I was soaked-- the iPod stayed dry, BUT drop it in the pond and your iPod will get wet. Griffin does make a watertight case but I do not remember the name. The Survivor also comes with a removable belt clip that doubles as a stand. Hope this hopes, Good luck.