Portable DVD Player for the Car About This Page:

[Happymommy]

Next summer we are driving from Philadelphia to Disney. I have read that some of you get Portable DVD Players for the car. Do you rent those or buy them? If you rent them, where do you rent them from? If you buy them, appox. how much do they cost?

Thanks!

[Colexis Mom]

I bought one at Target last Christmas. I think it is an Emerson or Memorex. It has a TV, with the DVD built in, and it came with the harness bag (to put over the seats)! I liked it because we use it all the time outside of the car, as it plugs into the car outlet, or a standard electric outlet!



We'd be lost without one, and I'm not sure what we did before we got it



Oops, forgot to add that I think it was around $180.

[graygables]

I bought a laptop instead Trip reports, photo storage, and a DVD player all in one! OK, OK, it was a little pricier than a DVD player. I did buy an adapter so I can plug the laptop into the car, if you have that option. I have heard that Wal-Mart has a good DVD player, I thought with 2 screens for less that $150, but you'll have to check me on that. I keep wondering how my parents did it, hauling us all over Europe on 6 comic books and a pack of Juicy Fruit! Hmmmmm, maybe it was the Benadryl mom slipped us in our morning tea?

[RissyRooMom]

We have the Disney portable DVD player. I think the screen is about 5 - 7 inches. We got it on sale at Sears for about $200. It's great for all the travel we do in the car - it comes with the car adaptor and it will also be great for the plane for our October trip - comes with a rechargable battery too.

[NJMama]

We have one from Walmart. It's a life saver for long trips. It cost us less than $200 (somewhere around $180 I think). It has a larger screen than most, but is very compact and easy to travel with. You can hook up to 2 additional screens to it and it handles video games too.

This past Memorial Day weekend we got stuck in major traffic and our DS watched Nemo at least 4x in a row (bless his heart) and stayed relatively content.

I'd call it a must have!!

[JoanW]

Look at Walmart.com. They have had the cheapest prices I've ever seen. We got ours from Best Buy, but DH bought them without checking with me to see what prices I could find online. We got two so there would be no fighting.

[graygables]

BTW, my Dad just sent me an article called "There are Benefits to Boredom" that was very interesting! Here is a quote: "There's no question in my mind that we have more restless, agitated, and unhappy children because they are dependent on instant gratification. Life is boring when you haven't acquired the capacity to solve problems as basic as knowing how to fill your own time." says Pittsburg psychologist Sharna Olfman.

Another expert is said to "hate" in-car DVD's, "They usurp conversation, word games, looking out the window, and, yes, quiet time and boredom. Some boredom is healthy."

Hmmmm, I kinda like that bit o' peace in the backseat!

I will add, however, that we picked up a Klutz travel book at Cracker Barrel (around $20 I think) that was great fun for several hours and was even (shhhh!) *educational* for the kids! I even enjoyed answering questions while I drove.

next time my kids say, "I'm bored" I'm going to say, "It's good for you!"

[IdahoDisneyMom]

Buy one! We've had ours (Panasonic) for several years. We've taken it in the car, on the plane and in the hotel rooms. Sometimes DD would wake up with REALLY bad leg cramps, and you can't always find Bear in the Big Blue House on at 2am!!

I like having the portable vs the car built in, because we can take it anywhere. Also, I only bring it out on car trips that are more than an hour. Otherwise she can look out the window, read, play her LeapPad.

Usually it's DH who's pushing to get electronics, but this is one that I would recommend to any and all parents. Let's face it, didn't you get tired of looking out the window when you were a kid? I sure don't hear "are we there yet?" as much as I would otherwise!!
Stephanie

[DonnaDuck74]

We also have that one from WalMart. It was on sale for around $150. They are usually around $180, but they do put them on sale a lot. We put ours on lay-a-way until we had it all paid for. We just got it out of lay-a-way last week, so we haven't got to try it out yet. But I have heard great things about it. I know that it will keep my 2 boys entertained on that 10 hour ride to Florida in November.
Good Luck!

[Happymommy]

[ QUOTE ]
BTW, my Dad just sent me an article called "There are Benefits to Boredom" that was very interesting! Here is a quote: "There's no question in my mind that we have more restless, agitated, and unhappy children because they are dependent on instant gratification. Life is boring when you haven't acquired the capacity to solve problems as basic as knowing how to fill your own time." says Pittsburg psychologist Sharna Olfman.

Another expert is said to "hate" in-car DVD's, "They usurp conversation, word games, looking out the window, and, yes, quiet time and boredom. Some boredom is healthy."

Hmmmm, I kinda like that bit o' peace in the backseat!

I will add, however, that we picked up a Klutz travel book at Cracker Barrel (around $20 I think) that was great fun for several hours and was even (shhhh!) *educational* for the kids! I even enjoyed answering questions while I drove.

next time my kids say, "I'm bored" I'm going to say, "It's good for you!"

[/ QUOTE ]

Dawn,
I definitely agree with you to a point. My kids take 2 and a half hour car rides to the beach all the time. I think sitting in the car is great for the imagination, plus we always play I Spy, etc. However, next summer we have a 17 hour drive to Disney. Though I hope alot of the driving will be done when they're asleep--that's still a very long drive. I remember doing that drive as a kid, and it was tough-- and I think it will be really tough for a 2 and 5 year old. Plus, I know that I got car sick if I read-- so I didn't want to get any books for them for the car-- if they're anything like me (which they are in every other way), they'll be sick and miserable. I think a few movies will make it a little more pleasant for them-- so I'm definitely going for the DVD Player.

Thanks everyone for all the info!! I know exactly what to get, and how much it should cost!! You guys are the best!!

[stacieps]

We bought one at Walmtar with a 7" screen for around $180. My kids really like it - don't forget the headphones (can get a splitter at Walmart for less than $3 if you have more than 1 person who wants to listen). I enjoy the quiet -- We didn't have a splitter for headphones the first trip we made with the DVD, so I had to listen to the movie.

[ducklite]

We gave our son one for a graduation present. It has two screens, can also be used to play video games on, has both car and AC adapters so he uses it in his bedroom at home.

It was a G2G, we bought it at Sams' Club for around $250, which was less than Wal-Mart was selling it for.

We do'nt use it non-stop, and we do'nt use it on short trips, but on that 18+ hour trip to Florida it's great. I watch movines with him as well when my DH is driving, it certainly helps pass the time.

Anne

[graygables]

Just another heads up about car sickness...my family's joke has always been that I up-chucked in the best places...the Vatican, Mount Vesuvius, Acropolis, the list goes on and on, b/c I would get terribly car sick reading those 6 comics my mom bought us for every trip! She didn't know about dramamine, so I learned the value of saving bread bags!

OK, that said, watching DVDs can cause some to get car sick. One of my DDs can read, but the movie made her queasy, so just be prepared, you never know!

[disneypro57]

The prices on these have come down considerably. A girl in my office just bought one. She absolutely loves having it in the car with her 5 year old. Well worth the investment. I would suggest calling a couple of pawn shops to see if they have them.

[disneymom9092]

We got ours at Walmart a few years ago. We also hook it up to the TV in the room-great for those rainy days at WDW.

Dianne