minivan - will I regret skipping the DVD player?

[KrisM]

I am (again) shopping for a minivan. I'm leaning towards no DVD player. My parents live an hour from us and we visit at least once a month, on average. They have a lakehouse about 2.5 hours away and we go 5-7 times over the summer. And, we go once every 1-2 years to NH on vacation (15 hours).

Plus, things like Target, Sam's Club, the mall, are 25-40 minutes away. Other than school, the grocery store, local friends, it's a it of a drive to pretty much everything.

My fear is that if the DVD player is built into the car, it'll be a big arguement for the kids wanting to use it for every trip.

I'm thinking that if we want to go the DVD player route, and we haven't missed it so far, we'd get 3 individual players and everyone could watch what they wanted, but they wouldn't be in the vehicle 100% of the time. Make sense or will I regret it?

[hillview]

I was going to say it was no big deal but then I read about your trips. Those are the sort of situations I'd want one but since you already have portable ones I think it'd be ok. DH would NEVER EVER allow one installed in the car so ... we wouldn't have one :)
/hillary

[Cam&Clay]

In a word: YES

We have one in our minivan. It has saved my life many, many times as I travel the vast majority of the time without DH.

[JBaxter]

Yes --- We dont use it unless we are on a trip long enough for the DVD.

[kdeunc]

I would have been in the "we don't need it camp" until we got a Suburban with one (not a choice, already there). It has saved my sanity many, many times on the three hour trip to my parents or to beach. :thumbsup:

[KrisM]

I was going to say it was no big deal but then I read about your trips. Those are the sort of situations I'd want one but since you already have portable ones I think it'd be ok. DH would NEVER EVER allow one installed in the car so ... we wouldn't have one :)
/hillary

We do not have portable ones.

[BillK]

will I regret skipping the DVD player?

In my opinion - yes.

[smilequeen]

At first we had a rule that it was only for long trips (1 hour or more) and that worked out really well. They never asked for it at any other time. Then I got lazy and I kind of wish we didn't have it (DH is working out of town all week and that's my excuse LOL). I could go either way. I would want SOMETHING for the long trips, but a portable unit would be sufficient, something that could also go on an airplane trip.

[WatchingThemGrow]

You know when you're out somewhere, stayed a little too long and everyone's about to melt down and you're rushing to get them home for bed....THAT'S when the DVD pays off! Seriously, it saved us when we were coming home from my brother's house (35-40 min away) after a wedding event. They were cooked and screaming, and we drove home peacefully listening to a Thomas episode or signing time or whatever.

Sometimes, we'll be on our way home and we need to stop at the grocery or Target or Sam's or at a friend's house to pick up something. DH will sometimes turn it on as a distraction if they've been strapped in too long and are getting antsy.

You can be very selective about your mobile DVD collection, just the way you would what you let your kids watch on TV. Mine are not addicted to it, and they don't know to ask for it (much) unless they've been stuck in the car for a looooong time. Your car. Your rules. You decide when/what to watch, but having the option is invaluable to me.

BTW, we did have the strap on kind, and I feel like the built in one is SO much safer.

[o_mom]

If you are driving solo on the long drives, I think you might miss it. We have zero discussion about it on regular trips around town. They just know that it's not even an option. It only comes on for long trips (> 1-1.5 hr if I'm alone, > 3 hr with both of us) and they accept that.

The portable ones are really only good once they can run them by themselves, IMO - age 7+ usually, maybe younger with practice and you would need three. Nothing like a 3 yo that pushed a button and now Thomas is gone <cue loud wailing while going 70 mph on the freeway>.

You can always get an aftermarket one installed later, but it won't have the driver controls - I'm 50/50 split on this being better/worse. Better in that if something goes wrong it is less expensive to repair - worse on the controls and having to deal with aftermarket stuff. I love that I can load and control from the front since they are not able to navigate the menus and use the remote yet (DS1 doesn't use the TV remote at home, so YMMV on this).

[Jo..]

I'd say you'll regret it. It's so nice just to flip the screen down during long trips. We use ours only for trips over 1 hour (so rarely), and it has never been an argument, that's just the rule. We have a portable player that doesn't get any use anymore. It's just so neat, nice, and convenient having a built-in. I say do it.

ETA I used our portable player during a 17 hour two day SOLO trip with kids when Adam was 2 and Leah was 7 weeks old. Adam KEPT kicking it, pressing buttons, turning it off, and I had to pull over to change discs. It was a total nightmare.

[momof2girls]

Yes! Absolutley get the DVD package. I regret not getting one.

[AnnieW625]

Not a mini van owner, but we didn't see the need to get one in our Pilot. We've recently been as far away as 5 hrs. away and DD did okay, yeah she did drive us nuts a bit, but really it wasn't that bad. Flash cards and board books were great too as we some stuffed animals. As some one who used to get car sick as a kid I am always telling DD to look forward (thankfully she has never been car sick) and I think that is best. Now I might look at the portable kind as she and #2 get older, but I am still not 100% sure it will be a necessity.

[Fairy]

Gotta say, Kris, I'm in the minority for the second time today. I regret HAVING the DVD player. DS wants it every single time we get in the car, and if he doesn't get it, he sometimes sulks and gets upset. Sometimes he accepts it, and it's fine. But the times he doesn't, it's a struggle. Ay yi yi. I do miss the days when he got in th car and stared out the window or we talked about his day or we listed to a CD. Now, don't get me wrong, we still do that, but the fact is that the first thing he thinks of is wanting a movie.

So. We'd maybe skip the DVD player this time and let him just have his portable DVD when we need to have it. Thing is, tho ... we're on our 5th portable DVD player in 3 years. They are built like s***. Seriously like s***. The one in the car is alot more reliable and SO much better in quality.

So, if you think you can manage the use simply with rules of when it's acceptable to use it, and you feel you can stick to it an/or not go insane (or if you dont' have begging type of kids), then go for it. You can always still have portables in the car for the kids who don't want whatever the minivan one has. But if you think thsi may be a serious issue, then I might skip it.

Hope I didn't make things worse, here.

[Aishe]

Well, we're obviously weirdos becuase we've never missed it. (Note that we do not own a tv either so I may have a different perspective than most.) My dc are 4 and 1 and we make a seven hour drive (each way) about three times a year. Also, we live in SoCal so we spend more time in the car than the average American probably. But we've never felt the need for a dvd player in our Ody. Honestly, we don't even pack special toys for our road trips. Our magic trifecta for road trips: special snacks, music, and rest stops. We get out and run around (and run and run and run some more) a lot. We also try to time the drive for naps or bedtime. It works for us, but YMMV (no pun intended) of course. And I have no doubt that if we had one we would use it and like it. But so far we've managed to survive pretty comfortably without it.

[scrooks]

Interesting thread...we too are considering it in a potential minivan purchase in the near future. We were leaning towards no DVD because of the issue brought up by Fairy. We have a portable unit and honestly for as much TV as DD watches at home:bag on a recent 2.5 hour trip she was very happy to take in the scenery or snooze. We didn't even bring the portable unit with us. We are planning a 12 hour trip this summer so I'm just not sure...

[3blackcats]

KrisM! Let me harass you again with my Ody vs Sienna research, this time publicly....

In the Sienna, you put the dvd in in the rear and can not control it from the front. In the Honda, you put the dvd in the front the slot is in the radio console, you can control it with the buttons on the radio or with the remote that comes out of the ceiling in the back. So if you were worried about them getting to it, just take it out and put it up front with you.

Just tell the kids the dvd player doesn't work unless you are going on a really long trip, lol.

The dvd package was a must for us. DH is excited that he can plug a video game system in the back and run it to the tv :)

[mom2binsd]

I like the idea of the portable ones, then you also have them at your destination....esp for those rainy days at the lake or just when someone needs some down time...

Depending on your children, are they all going to want to watch the same thing??

[tarahsolazy]

We don't have one, and I'm fine with that, I didn't want to spend more than $1K extra essentially for that, since I didn't want any of the other stuff that came with it. We use a portable that we strap to the headrests. I realize its not as safe as a built-in, but its a risk we've been willing to take. We only bring the player out to the van for trips of over 4 hours, so we use it when visiting grandparents, who live 6 hours away.

I think you can go either way. I'm not averse to using DVDs in the car, I was just way too cheap to buy the built-in.

We have a Sienna, BTW.

[Indianamom2]

Yes, you would regret it. After-market players just aren't as good, I don't think. (Ask me how I know!)

You can always decide how and when to use it or not. It can still be a privilege, but I personally think it would be a nightmare to mess with three individual DVD players and remembering everything necessary...

[Melaine]

My philosophy is BRING ON THE TV (in the car)! In general, my children watch too much TV, but I would rather limit watching in the home and have more watching in the car for my sanity. At this point, we have a portable that we strap into a case and bring along on long trips and it has been such a life saver. There have been many times when we were driving back into town and the girls were either hungry or tired and the TV keeps them happy and AWAKE all the way home. Just occupying them so they are less likely to be shrieking in my ear makes my driving long distances safer.
ITA I would keep it for long trips only, but I would do it if it were me.

[LD92599]

Putting cost aside, think about the wiring of the portables, would you have 3 that all run off the accessory plug? Or the battery operated ones, etc?

We have a portable that we haven't used in awhile because my mom bought her Ody w/ RES and we ended up using that on long road trips. I find that as DS gets older anyway, he's good for 1 movie and that's it, the DS and the ipod occupy alot of the other time in the car.

I do like having the one built in though w/ the wireless headphones, controls up front, etc - less wires, things to plug in etc.

[KrisM]

Wow! Great opinions and things I hadn't thought of - portables not being able to be controlled by youngest kids, controlling from the front, portables not lasting very long, etc.

Now I'm more unsure than ever :).

Okay - for built in players, do you find the 3rd row kids can see it fine? What about the rear-facing kids...do they get upset they don't have one?

[bubbaray]

We don't have DVDs in my Ody or DH's truck. We use a portable DVD player on long road trips. We take MANY long road trips every year.

I would never get a DVD system. Its totally not work the extra money. i'd way rather get portable DVD players and eventually have each child control their own. Right now, it sits on the console between the driver & passenger and I control it 99% of the time on long road trips (DH usually drives, though when I do drive, he controls it).

JMHO

[JBaxter]

3 row can see it in the Ody. Rear facing is an issues to watch the video.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Now I'm more unsure than ever :).
What? Make a poll.


Okay - for built in players, do you find the 3rd row kids can see it fine? What about the rear-facing kids...do they get upset they don't have one? in the Ody, 3rd row kids can see it well! If seats are moved over and an adult is sitting in front of a 3yo, they may complain they can't see it until you move your head. RF 2yo looks up/back and over his shoulder. For long trips, we FF him in the back row and use the other captain's chair as the command center for feedings/baby soothing - heck it's just for baby admiring. He's usually A-OK... Resale should be better when you go to sell it, right?

[maestramommy]

My cousin makes a drive between MI and NJ a few times a year with 2 dc. That's when they break out the DVD player. They also used it to come up to NH.

The furthest we've driven was from NH to Philly. 12 hours one way (holiday weekend). We didn't need it. We are hoping to hold out forever.

Depends on your kid though. My cousin has a carseat/carride hater. Our kids read and listen to CDs. And take naps:p

[Jo..]

My DD was rf until last month. She just turned her head and watched it anyway. I don't know how she didn't get a wicked neck ache. Kids are made of rubber.

Adam has always been in the 3rd row and watched with no issues.

PS we got an Oddy Touring with ALL of the bells and whistles. Everything available except PAX tires. It wasn't much more than a bare bones model. A couple of thousand for everything, and in the grand scheme of things, I didn't see a ton of difference between 30k and 33k.

I will say that our portable navigation system (Garmin) is far superior to the built in, BUT I only whip it out if the Oddy system can't find something. As part of a package, I think the dvd player is reasonable.

[DrSally]

I try to limit tv, so I opted for no DVD player in our van. We have about an hour drive to my mom's and BIL's, and 2.5 hours to the cabin on a regular basis in the summer. The drive to/from the cabin can be bad, with the screaming and crying, but it's mostly overly tired DD, and she has no interest in TV anyway. DS looks at the scenery, reads books on CD, etc. So, for us, no, I don't regret not having it.

[Momof3Labs]

Never had one and haven't missed it yet. That said, we don't often travel longer than an hour in the car. But when we do, the kids take their Nintendo DS, Leapsters, and our iPods, which they can play games and watch tv/movies on. DS1 is also content to read on longer trips, and DS2 loves watching out the window of the car (he's a street sign junkie).

We talked about it with our newest van, and decided against it. It's not like all four of our kids will ever agree on what to watch - even the boys rarely agree these days. Too large an age span. We already have three video iPods among us, so eventually we'll add a fourth and they can all use those on long trips.

My niece got in the habit of watching the DVD player every time she got in the car, and it was a tough habit to break.

[alexsmommy]

The portable ones are really only good once they can run them by themselves, IMO - age 7+ usually, maybe younger with practice and you would need three. Nothing like a 3 yo that pushed a button and now Thomas is gone <cue loud wailing while going 70 mph on the freeway>.


My 2.5 y/o can work the controls including changing the dvd's

[o_mom]

Wow! Great opinions and things I hadn't thought of - portables not being able to be controlled by youngest kids, controlling from the front, portables not lasting very long, etc.

Now I'm more unsure than ever :).

Okay - for built in players, do you find the 3rd row kids can see it fine? What about the rear-facing kids...do they get upset they don't have one?


In our Ody (old style) third row can see fine. RF DS3 can also see it just fine from the second row.

If you are buying new and they have one in-stock that has it, see what you can do on the price. I wouldn't have them search for one as that tends to hurt negotiations, IMO.

Used, I think you have a lot less opportunity to decide that. We lucked out on ours that it had one, but we would have gone without it if one wasn't available.

If you don't end up with one, then you can look into aftermarket ones or portable ones if you decide to get them. Some of the aftermarket ones are bad, but I know other people that have had them for years with no issues. It would be something I would look hard at the warranty terms and reliability of the company and if someplace like Costco had them it might be worth it (BestBuy would not be my first choice, IOW).

[o_mom]

My 2.5 y/o can work the controls including changing the dvd's




With practice, some kids can do it very young. Just like some kids can operate the TV remote or surf the web at that age. However, for someone that isn't in the habit of turning toddlers loose with electronics, or can't afford to replace them if broken, then I wouldn't count on it being a viable solution.

DS1 is almost 7 and couldn't do this - mainly because we didn't see it as a life skill that he needed to practice just for road trips a few times each year. I would say my nieces and nephews would be about 50/50 on doing that at that age depending on how much exposure to electronics/tv they have had.

[khm]

We used to drive two 3.5 hour trips weekly, the kids were under 4. We didn't have a DVD and didn't ever consider it. The youngest was RF and they slept in the car, really. We did this for a couple years.

Now, we don't drive as much and definitely don't need one. The kids are 5 and 7 now. We do pull out the DS's on long trips though! So, really I think it just depends. As the kids get older, I think there are other distractions that can be employed. ;)

My kids don't really know it is an option. I mean, they've seen them in friend's cars, but it just isn't on their radar. Now that they are more "into" DS's than TV shows, I know that I wouldn't add $1000 onto a car price to get a DVD. If it came installed with no extra $, then so be it, but I won't pony up for one.

[Fairy]

My 2.5 y/o can work the controls including changing the dvd's

Mine could do this by age 3, as well. :bag

He also knows how to use the Tivo and go from Noggin to PBS Kids on the 2 tuners :bag :bag

[gatorsmom]

Well, if you've never had one I guess you won't know what you are missing.

However, if you HAVE had one in your minivan before, then you'll definiltey need one again, imho.

I can't imagine life without our DVD player in the minivan. Well, actually I can and it ain't a pretty picture.

[hobie]

No. My DS gets car sick from watching tv in the car. Cleaning up kid vomit is not fun. Books/stories on CD are much better for us.

[JamiMac]

I would regret not having one now that I do have one. I have a flip down screen in my Suburban and it's been a lifesaver on long trips. We drove to Kentucky from Texas and back and then a couple of weeks later drove to California from Texas last summer. My kids never complained one bit. They don't even ask for it around town because that is not an option and they know it. We use it strictly for road trips. It really does make things easier for us.

[jbowman]

We have an Ody w/o a DVD player (we've had it for 4 years now) and I have no regrets. I am not anti-TV in the least *and* we travel long distances frequently, but I just didn't want one (and didn't want my kids to depend on it). It has never been a problem.

[nfowife]

We don't have a built-in one and I am not missing it. I do have a portable 2-screen system for when we travel on longer trips- which is frequently. Most of my friends who do have it built in have gotten into the habit of using it every time they go somewhere, which I think is unnecessary. When we aren't using ours they are packed away in the storage area of the car. Also I like the portable one because when we get to our destination we can use the dvd player hooked up to the tv at the hotel and watch our own shows/movies.

[funda62]

Totally regret it here. We traveled from VA to FL twice a year with no DH and I burned through 2 portable ones in one trip! I didn't buy another portable one but it is a long hard trip.

[egoldber]

Do you NEED it, no. Does it come in handy? Absolutely. When you are driving by yourself, I do think that the built in ones that the driver can control from the front are much safer than the other ones.

We had one in my van and I loved it. It never became an issue for daily around town driving. And once my older DD could read well, she typically preferred to do that on long trips. But it was then a blessing for my younger DD who couldn't read and gets very restless in the car after about an hour.

[Gracemom]

We did not get the built-in package, but we have a 2 screen DVD player that is on its last legs but did last for three years. They strap to the headrest, and one of the screens has the controls (I put that on my 7 year old's side). I travel very frequently throughout Texas, and several times a year make the 10 hour each way trip to my mom's house. What I like about the portable one is that I don't put it up for them to use right away. I see how long they can go without it, with just books, music, toys, games, etc., which is sometimes several hours. Then when we stop and I can tell they are getting restless I can put up the DVD player. We can also take it in to hotels, houses, etc. As soon as we get home from the trip, it goes in storage. I would not like them to watch it during trips around town.

[m4nash]

With practice, some kids can do it very young. Just like some kids can operate the TV remote or surf the web at that age. However, for someone that isn't in the habit of turning toddlers loose with electronics, or can't afford to replace them if broken, then I wouldn't count on it being a viable solution.

DS1 is almost 7 and couldn't do this - mainly because we didn't see it as a life skill that he needed to practice just for road trips a few times each year. I would say my nieces and nephews would be about 50/50 on doing that at that age depending on how much exposure to electronics/tv they have had.

I think it depends more on the DVD player than on practice. My 2.5 yo could use the fisher price DVD player easily and we never practiced. We actually gave it to him minutes before a 12 hr road trip. The screen is tiny on it, but he has yet to care (He's 4 now.). We only pull it out for long car trips and occasionally for air travel. It seems really durable.

We have yet to regret not getting a DVD player in our van.

[Ceepa]

We don't have one built in and I don't regret it a bit. We take a 7-8 hour trip several times a year. On those trips we bring the portable DVD player and break it out sometime after hour number 5. Otherwise I'm that mean old school mom who makes the kids listen to music, talk, play with small toys or gaze out the window. Sometimes it gets a bit tense and we stop and everyone walks around and gets a small snack and drink.

I remember long drives growing up. Very National Lampoon's Vacation feel to it. But I think it was good for us. :)

[DebbieJ]

We bought a van that happened to have one and I really like having it. We have driven to quite a few medical appts that are an hour away and it's nice for DS to watch a movie so I can get some quiet time.

When DH is in the car with us, it's nice for DS to watch a movie with headphones on so DH and I can have an adult conversation without worrying about who is listening.

We will be driving from IL to FL this summer and I'm sure it will come in handy!

[creativelightbulb]

I've sworn off all TVs/DVDs for motor vehicles and my kid isn't here yet...

I think I'm old school in my thinking...my sister and I grew up taking loooooong road trips with my parents back and forth from DC to Florida a few times a year and DC to South Carolina at least quarterly and DC to NJ almost monthly...

we sort of grew up rolling around the back seat of my dads old Cadilllac..lol. We were subjected to his limited assortment of blues tapes and my moms country western...and the occasional obscure radio station that read books - in hindsight these are some of my best lifetime memories..

we'd talk and sing along...we'd listen in on heavy conversations between my parents...silly arguments on stopping or not stopping at this rest stop or that bbq pit....

I can remember starring out the window and formulating all kinds of ideas about what I thought life was and was not and who I'd be when I grow up....

certain songs immediately bring memories of starring at the stars - or a random barn and wondering what the animals were doing...

in short - IMO the tv hurts the current generation and they aren't forced to think/imagine or just sit still and be - nearly as often as they need to...

my kids will have to suffer my ipod selections...family conversations...the random word search or etch a sketch ish type of toy....and my new favorite audible books....