Now really I know what people are going to say about this, but I'm going to post anyway…

Has anyone here consciously NOT installed DVD playing screens in the back of their cars for their kids to watch? By consciously I mean that you could afford it, and maybe your kids asked for it, but you said no?

Just wondering about the possible problems of constant stimulation in the modern world. I'm speaking as someone who never had such things in cars as a kid, and now if I am on a train say I don't even listen to music; half the time I don't even read, I just chill.

No, no, no, noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Give em some matches and lighter fluid to play with instead, hours of fun 😉

make the play the "that cloud looks like a ………" game or the alternative signpost game instead.

Do they still make I-Spy books?

They certainly help to pass an hour or two in the middle of a very long drive
I bought some a couple of years ago when we were driving down to Southern Spain, I think we probably put them on for 2 hours or so each day, late afternoon, just before we stopped.

Wanna buy them? 😀

Do they still make I-Spy books?

On re-published them recently and selling in Shell stations. My 6 year old likes his 🙂

We have used a laptop for a while. Advantage is that it is useful for other things but also has a finite life before the battery runs out (don't have a charger / lead that runs off the cigarette lighter). Both of them have mp3 players so got a bargain little splitter cable that allows both of them to run their headphones from the same socket.

Works for us on longer journeys.

My parents live in Northumberland and we're in Pembrokeshire. Just took the kids up there for half term…first trip with DVD players in the back.

PRAISE THE GODS OF TECHNOLOGY! 🙂 NO crying or whinging on the 10 hour journey.
They took it in turns to choose a disc, with a break after each one for a music cd of our (adult) choice.

Very civilised, and I got to sit in the back and watch Cars while mrslister drove through the West Midlands 🙂

We're very clear that they will only be used on long journeys though, nowt wrong with Eye spy and the rest of the classics for shorter trips.

Damm good at preventing travel sickness!

Best thing we ever did by installing a set.

Similar quandary here too. Was looking at buying these from Amazon as they get pretty good reviews.

Although my 4 year old loves eye-spy, he's still not quite grasped that you actually need to be able to see the object he's thinking about!

We've got one. It's great. Sony – very good screen for high light conditions you get in cars. Little G likes to hold it / have it on his lap rather than hanging off the seatback. I certainly wouldn't pay for a built in DVD player. Good for planes and trains too.

We still do all the in car games but on a 6 or 7 hr drive the in car games can only go so far.

Our Verso has them fitted in the back of the headrests, DVD player is fitted under the drivers seat and they have wireless headphones – they can watch their film, we listen to some tunes – sorted.

We limit its use to longer journey's too

I got a certificate from Big Chief I-Spy when I was younger – you have no idea how hard it is to spot a Golden Eagle on the M1. We never needed a DVD in the car – not that they'd been invented…or videos for that matter.

Our Verso has them factory fitted. Only ever used on very long journeys to be honest. Too much of a faff to use. Oh, & the stupid thing needs setting up again every time the ignition is turned off. To think, some daft bugger paid close on £1500 for it when the car was new. 😕

Seriously, if anyone is looking for a cheap pair of these – give me a shout, I have a set of Sevic Tech-Lux duo that were going to go to eBay at Easter

I have considered getting them fitted into the headrests for long journeys as we have 2 babies and if the wife is driving on her own and they start crying she has to pull over. My daughter has one of the little Sny ones as tonyg described and she sits and watches Peppa Pig on it- it's great.

I'd like to fit a screen to the steering wheel for when I get bored on long motorway drives….

DrP

I'd like to fit a screen to the steering wheel for when I get bored on long motorway drives..

I just use the one in the centre console 😉

DrP – Member
I'd like to fit a screen to the steering wheel for when I get bored on long motorway drives….

DrP

My satnav screen shows digital television or dvds but goes off when you put the car in gear. You can get a switch to override this, but I'm not doing it- too dodgy.

Sometimes I just do a puzzle or something….
Or Suduko?

DrP 😉

My satnav has TV too which works when driving along.

i used to watch the Grand Prix and join in 😉

I may get some rear DVD screens as thinking about a holiday in France this year. With a 2 and 4 year old if it stops the bickering it's worth it!

MM

Sometimes I just do a puzzle or something….
Or Suduko?

I like the look of this
http://shop.kb-online.co.uk/inch-rearview-mirror-monitor-bluetooth-touch-button-p-5820.html

no point looking at what's already passed so you may as well hook the mirror up to a DVD player & watch some TV whilst driving

My satnav has TV too which works when driving along

I'm surprised that's even legal. You can't talk on a mobile phone, but you can watch TV?

I was once driving whilst someone was watching a film on a laptop in the passenger seat. Now I'm a conscientious driver, but it was damn near impossible to concentrate on the road whilst it was playing. Really is incredibly dangerous.

I'm surprised that's even legal. You can't talk on a mobile phone, but you can watch TV?

It's not – there's a specific law against it, driving whilst tv viewing equippment is in view of the driver. It's not even the catch-all due car and attention one.

It's not legal. The standard car turns off but mine (which I bought second hand) has had some mod to make it work.

Obviously I don't use it…much

Has anyone here consciously NOT installed DVD playing screens in the back of their cars for their kids to watch? By consciously I mean that you could afford it, and maybe your kids asked for it, but you said no?

MrsV wants to get one for our toddler, I don't.

So far I'm winning.

Obviously I don't use it…much

Here's hoping I'm never behind you on the road then.

Here's hoping I'm never behind you on the road then.

I think a few hundred yards behind is just the place to be.

My son has a cheap DVD/screen we bought him a few years ago, its great on long trips as he has one set of grandparents near Edinburgh and the others in Pembrokeshire – while we live in Bucks. And a lead to the fag lighter for power, this is essential.

My parents had tapes of things like Fawlty Towers and Blackadder – I knew most of them off by heart before I ever watched them on TV!

uplink – Member
They certainly help to pass an hour or two in the middle of a very long drive
I bought some a couple of years ago when we were driving down to Southern Spain, I think we probably put them on for 2 hours or so each day, late afternoon, just before we stopped.

Wanna buy them?

I agree with uplink here, on long journeys (proper long journeys, not just the Lakes and back) our 9 year old has the option to use a portable DVD player that we bought him from Aldi. It stops the incessant "are we there yet" questions, and considering he appears to have no control in terms of speaking, it also shuts him up – the child does not understand that his mouth can sometimes stay shut with no words coming out of it!!!! God help his teachers, we've never been able to crack the problem (duct tape worked once 😀 ) but on a 2 or 3 day drive to southern europe he'd be dead and in a rolled up carpet on the roof sometimes!!!! I dearly love my son, but he seems to feel his voice must be heard and used every minute of the day!!

Needs negotiating when he'll watch a DVD, and also which one, he fixates sometimes on certain films, usually the most recent DVD he's bought.

I've never seen the film "Racin Stripes" but have heard the soundtrack man, many times over.

Can also be a faff if the child doesn't have the ability to sort out the device themselves – practice outside the car environment is essential IMHO.

My satnav screen shows digital television or dvds but goes off when you put the car in gear. You can get a switch to override this, but I'm not doing it- too dodgy.

If it happens to be a VW RNS510 sat nav there's a secret trick that allows you to override the screen switching off with a couple of button presses.

I never understood the idea of asking 'are we there yet?'. Is the car still moving? Then clearly, we are not. Or did we arrive two hours ago, and I've just been driving around the ring road for a laugh?

We've got a one with twin screens which is good for my 3 girls in the back. They used to love it but after a couple of years using it they started feeling sick when watching a DVD so it's not been used for a while.
They now concentrate on listening to music and fighting amongst themselves 🙂

I never understood the idea of asking 'are we there yet?'. Is the car still moving? Then clearly, we are not. Or did we arrive two hours ago, and I've just been driving around the ring road for a laugh?

Having said that to my 3yo, she now says "Are we nearly there" instead… Dagnabbit…

Wanna buy them?

could be interested if the price is right 😉 do they have a seperate av in on them?
email in profile.
Mike

They're great for a boring drive, stick one up front so the driver can see too.

Cruise control, TV…this driving malarky is easy

Having said that to my 3yo, she now says "Are we nearly there" instead… Dagnabbit…

I used to ask how many more miles we had to go.

More useful information 🙂

could be interested if the price is right do they have a seperate av in on them?

Yes – one of them has AV in – the other [the one with the DVD player] has AV out

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er…. no it isn't 🙂 but mine is in my profile if you want more details