DVD player for the car

[katydid1971]

I vowed I would never buy an in car dvd player because kids shouldn't spend their lives in front of the TV. So much changes once you have kids. I don't want it for in town drives but we make about 3 or 4 long (8+ hours) trips each year and I need something to help keep DS entertained during these trips. Someone told me about a dvd player that the screen attached to the back of the headrest of the front seat so the passengers in the back seat can watch it. This would be perfect becuase I could put it out only when we go on long trips. I went to Amazon and couldn't find anything like this. It seemed they only had dvd players that sit on your lap. I don't think my 2 year old would be able to hold a dvd player on his lap for very long. Plus I want to have control of when the dvd starts and stops etc. Do you have one of these? What is the brand and model? What do you think of yours? Thanks for your help. We have another big trip at the start of June and I want to get this before then.
TIA
Sarah

[bluestar2]

If you can't find the model you are looking for, you may want to consider getting a DVD case with straps that hook over the headrests in the car. That way, you can use any player and it may be more versatile (for hotel rooms etc). Though it's not a perfect system, it works. HTH

[MarisaSF]

This doesn't really answer your question, because I don't know where to get one of those dvd players with straps.

Just wanted to say, though, that we borrowed a friend's portable DVD player for a long car trip recently. It kept DD entertained for parts of the trip when I was tired of reading/singing/talking. She didn't get "hooked" at all and never asked for it after the trip was over.

[schums]

I've seen these a lot recently. Try Sams or Costco -- I know I've seen them there in the last year or so. Also, if you google "headrest mount dvd", you'll come up with a TON of hits.

GL,
Sarah
Mom to Alex (3/2002) and Catherine (8/2003)

[SnuggleBuggles]

We just bought ours' at Best Buy, I think. It was less than $100 and it came with the straps that you could use to hook the DVD player to the seat. Now, my dh is pretty handy so he was able to rig it well. I usually research these things but we just bought the one that fit our budget and it works fine. We only use it 2 times a year for long trips.

Beth

[katydid1971]

Thanks for the information. I think I'll go to best buy and see what they have that isn't too expensive.
Sarah

[supercalifragilous]

My local Costco and Sams have sets that include a portable DVD player and case - do you have one near you? That would be a great deal if you don't already have a DVD player.

We got this case by CaseLogic @ Fred Meyer:
http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-Koskin-DVD-Player/dp/customer-reviews/B0000DIJYQ
I've also seen them @ Target and Wal-Mart though. You just strap it around the seatback - not too hard to install.

Unless you want to spend the $$ for the headrests, I'd go with the portable player idea. It's one thing to take the player out and only see it for special occasions, it's another to have the player sitting idle right in front of their face for every subsequent ride, KWIM? Outta sight, outta mind....

When CarToys did a roadshow @ Costco, I was tempted to buy the DVD headrest, but decided against it, since the portable player is such a cheaper option. It's the one thing we NEVER forget in our carry-on for airplane trips and has come in quite handy.

Here's a tip - look for one with a disposable battery option instead of just a rechargeable one - it only lasts 2.5 hours! You might want to consider that for an extended road trip unless you have a plug-in adapter to keep it charged in your car.

The one drawback is, depending on how far away you install it from your DC's hands, you might not be able to control little hands pushing buttons and starting/stopping the movie. Ours came with a remote, but I haven't used it. I just told DD that when she pushes buttons, the movie goes bye-bye and she won't get to watch it.

[betsydenny]

We are on our 2nd and prob soon to be 3rd car DVD player. We take many long drives throughout the year and it is an invaluable tool in the car.

I would recommend getting one that isn't super fancy because they don't have a very long life (a year or two depending on use/abuse). get the basics of what you need at the best price you can find. You should be able to get one for about $100. Target, Walmart, Circuit City, Best Buy all have them. Many come with cases to hang the dvd player between the front seats or on the back of one seat but you can buy that separately if it isn't included. We got one with our first dvd player and when the player died we just put the new player in the old case and it worked fine.

Also, I find that 7inches is plenty big for a regular sized car. We have a Volvo XC 70 and the 7 inches is fine for all three passengers int he back to see. Our first was 9 inches as I was worred they wouldnt be able to see the smaller ones. When we downgraded to 7 inches there were no complaints and when I rode back there one time we could all see perfectly well.

Anyway, that is my 2cents. Hope it helps!
Good luck!
Betsy

[JacksMommy]

Girl, I feel you on the vow to never get a DVD for the car, but one came with our minivan and I tell you, it's been a godsend. My kids watch very little TV and know that the DVD doesn't go on for short rides (1.5 hours or less). For longer rides, it's fabulous and we actually bought one with the screens for the headrest (at Target) for our trip to the East Coast cause we did 11 hour days in the car and couldn't imagine being without entertainment. I grew up without a TV and always thought I wouldn't have one, but DH can't imagine not having one. And now this! Oh, how we change in parenthood!


Laurel
Mama to Jack 6/02 and Maddy 12/04

Babywearing education in Napa, CA

[tarahsolazy]

There is a Nextar model available at Target for around $150 that has a bracket that attaches to the headrest as you describe. It seemed much more secure than the straps/case arrangements, although I am sure neither are crash-tested. We have had it for about a year, and have been very pleased. It only comes out for drives of longer than 2-3 hours, and DS understands that.