What do you think of DVD players in cars? - Page 4

[PancakeGoddess]

Originally Posted by UUMom

If one did have a DVD player, I don't see why children would insist upon turning it on for every short car ride...couldn't there be a no TV rule or something? I don't see how they could be abused unless the parents abused it. I have vodka in the house all the time, but the kids never ask to drink it.

[TiredX2]

I'm not against them, but we do not have one.

We have never had the space until recently (we had an Escort & a Mini Cooper now we have a Honda Mini-Van). We don't take that many long trips (4 hours both ways once a month). BUT, thinking about it it would be convenient. We often leave after 8-9 pm so the kids will sleep most of the way. If we instead let them watch a DVD it would be easier to travel in the middle of the day.

I would probably go INSANE with some of the long trips y'all are taking, though. When we went to Yellowstone a couple summers ago we left in the afternoon and drove through til 6am just so the kids would sleep most of the way. And it was still hard.

[FireWithin]

I don't have a problem with one, but don't have one. Our trips are usually 5 hours, but will lengthen now that the grandparents have moved further away.

We traveled a lot when growing up, and we survived. One thing that was easier though back then was that we didn't have to be buckled in (thank god I survived!). Having the freedom to move around, even just a bit, really helped a lot.

I honestly can't imagine being a toddler and being strapped in so tightly and so long. yuck. but I prefer him to be safe.

If driving becomes difficult we will consider a dvd player, if we can afford it.

[corrie43]

We took long car rides when we were kids and werre fine, BUT we were all sprawled out in the back of the station wagon, NO SEATBELTS and had all our toys and games and just chilled out. It was much different when I was a kid.

As a mom who has done 3+ hour trips a lone with a baby and toddler, I feel it was dangerous with me being distracted by their whining and crying, handing back juice boxes, snacks ect. Once we got a dvd it was so much less stress.

Driving with 2 adults is a lot easier to distract children and help out. But I'm all for dvd players in the car.

[momo7]

I have a pretty big family (seven children) and because there are so many of us we don't fly on extended vacations, we drive. We live in Kansas and we usually go to Florida every summer on vacation. It is a 24 hr. drive. A VERY VERY long way when you have seven children ranging in ages from 16 down to 1 month. And EVERYBODY has something to say about EVERYTHING. And EVERYBODY is minding everybody elses buisiness except their own. And if you have a seven year old little girl who has to go to the bathroom RIGHT NOW every five miles. If your 16 year old and your 12 year old are mortal enemies and your 3 and 2 year olds are crying because they are convinced their parents are starving them to death. If your 9 year old is holloring because you wouldn't let him have that 150 0z bottle of soda he wanted at the LAST bathroom break. If you are tired of playing I-spy, the license plate game, grandma's trunk, or any other "keep them busy" games at the peril of your life and sanity. If children throwing their bottles, crayons and shoes out the window at passing cars are a constant threat. TRUST ME. A DVD player is a great idea. So are game boys and x-box, and PSP and ANYTHING that will keep them from arguing, fighting, complaining, crying and general chaos. That being said. Our DVD player in our 15 passenger van has saved my sanity and my marriage more times than I can count.

That's all I have to say about that.

jen wife to Rich (16 years)
momma to Richie and Chris
Grace and John :
Isabella
Michael
and Claire

[eminer]

IMHO, if one is very disturbed by the thought of a DVD player, portable or otherwise, one should consider lightening up.

When I was a kid, we drove from New York to Kansas every year. I have a fairly vivid memory of what things were like back then, and that drive was hell. I was stuck in a carseat, couldn't really see the scenery and in any case didn't appreciate it. It was so traumatic that I couldn't sleep at night and got sick. Every time. But yep, I survived.

Spending a lot of time in cars is pretty awful for our environment, our community life, and our personal health and well-being, in general. In-car DVD players strike me as a small issue by comparison. If they make things more pleasant and relaxed, that sounds great! When I first saw one, I thought, WOW, how wonderful, wish we'd had that a long time ago. Maybe I could have skipped vomitting in the carseat while my mom was stuck in traffic and had to lean into the backseat to try (somewhat ineffectively) to clean me up.

[EnviroBecca]

My honest answer as to how I would make a long trip with a young child is that we would take a Greyhound bus. Then I'd be available to interact w/him instead of having to make driving my top priority. I don't think that is "unrealistic" as my 4-month-old already behaves much better and acts much happier in my lap on a city bus than in his carseat when the only other person in the car is driving. I think that being available to my child is much healthier and more fun than sticking him in front of TV while I cope w/the stress of driving and feel jealous that I don't get to see the movie.

As for how I would cope w/having 7 children, my honest answer to that is that I would not have 7 children. My inability to cope w/that many kids for an extended period in a stressful situation is one of the reasons.

If making life choices in accordance w/my values and being able to explain why I think those are good choices makes me "judgmental", so be it. I realize that there are families who are forced into circumstances they would not have chosen and that these circumstances may lead them to (among other things) decide that watching movies in the car is a better choice than the alternatives realistically available to them. I don't say, "Look at those horrible neglectful parents" when I see a van with a TV playing, because I don't know the circumstances. But I am disturbed at the GENERAL TREND of regarding such things as a good idea.

[sohj]

Originally Posted by EnviroBecca

...If making life choices in accordance w/my values and being able to explain why I think those are good choices makes me "judgmental", so be it. ... But I am disturbed at the GENERAL TREND of regarding such things as a good idea.

[momo7]

"If making life choices in accordance w/my values and being able to explain why I think those are good choices makes me "judgmental", so be it. "

I'm not sure why that makes you judgemental As mothers we all do that everyday. If we didn't we would be poor mothers and role models indeed. The most important thing is that we raise our children to be caring, kind and responsible. So many people don't and the world is a worse off place for it.

[bobica]

We have a portable one. It only goes in the car for rides over 2 hours. DD is two & has a solid 1 hour capability in the car on a typical day. We drove to NC (from NYC) last summer & will do it again this summer. It was a godsend & kept us from having to make a million stops on the way!

[DebraBaker]

We have a dvd player in the van and we use it for long rides.

Ex; last time it was used was when we went from PA to DC for a karate tournement. We watched the Incredibles (funny movie) and the kids loved it.

We don't use it for local driving (that's what XM is for )

Here's my logic: back in the old days (when I was a kid) we could bounce around a large car (oftentimes a wagon) and lie down to nap and just bounce around the car (my brother rode straddled between driver and shotgun : Now kids must be in carseats or at least in seat belts (and I heartily agree) but they're not as comfortible for long rides as we were back in the day so technology to the rescue and they get to watch dvd's and play on the play station instead.

Sounds like an even exchange to me (well, they're better off now because they're *safe*.)

Debra Baker