Need help with decision - portable dvd player or tablet?

[Mrs. Bradbury]

I am now a "grand" and because my 15 month old grandson lives an hour away, I'm considering getting him a portable dvd player for my car. Or should I get a tablet? I'm honestly kind of stumped about tablets, whereas a dvd player is very straightforward. I have and love my kindle for reading, and have never even entertained the idea of a tablet because I just don't get them. I want a keyboard, and my laptop is the size of most tablets so . . . what's the point of them, has always been my opinion.

BUT ANYWAY. Please explain why a tablet might be better to have in a car than a portable dvd player. Things to consider would be, we have a fairly slow dsl connection at home (I assume I would download movies/shows from . . . what?) Also, I would not spend a lot of money on either item; I would simply want decent quality for a good price. Would I download movies to a thumb drive or what?

I'm not un-technical, but it's not really my interest either. I can manage to borrow kindle books online from my library, use our fire stick, program a VCR back when those existed, lol.

Thanks for your help! I can always count on good opinions from the Budget board.

 

[fofinia]

My kids have tablets/Ipads and portable DVD players. I prefer the Dvd players for the car. If you all ready have most disney movies on DVD then you are all set. Just changing the movie in the car may be an issue with a 15 mon old. (scratching etc).

Movies take up a l lot of room on the tablets. My daughter has Star wars Force Awakens on her tablet. It takes up more than a 1/4 of the space. Plus if you don't all ready have digital downloads of movies you'll have to pay for them. Tablets are nice for the other things. Tons of free games that you can just quickly download. So you could have 20 different apps that will entertain a kid. So many choices. It can be very overwhelming. But lots of choices. My kids like the dressing up the animated kitty games (My Angela is one) Or putting makeup on girls or different dress up ones. Drawing apps, learning apps. Tons and tons. Of course some apps need wifi in order to work. So they wouldn't be a godd choice for the car.

But for movies- I still prefer the dvd player. It's straightforward. Put in the movie and play. We drive to Disney every year. The dvd player is the most used item. ONe of ours stopped working on the way down. We went to Target and bought another one for the ride home.

 

[scrapquitler]

I am now a "grand" and because my 15 month old grandson lives an hour away, I'm considering getting him a portable dvd player for my car. Or should I get a tablet? I'm honestly kind of stumped about tablets, whereas a dvd player is very straightforward. I have and love my kindle for reading, and have never even entertained the idea of a tablet because I just don't get them. I want a keyboard, and my laptop is the size of most tablets so . . . what's the point of them, has always been my opinion.

BUT ANYWAY. Please explain why a tablet might be better to have in a car than a portable dvd player. Things to consider would be, we have a fairly slow dsl connection at home (I assume I would download movies/shows from . . . what?) Also, I would not spend a lot of money on either item; I would simply want decent quality for a good price. Would I download movies to a thumb drive or what?

I'm not un-technical, but it's not really my interest either. I can manage to borrow kindle books online from my library, use our fire stick, program a VCR back when those existed, lol.

Thanks for your help! I can always count on good opinions from the Budget board.

I agree with what the previous poster said. And I'm going to tell you another reason why the DVD player is a better option that she didn't mention: You can get the DVD player that straps on the back of the seat in front of you, so the child can just watch and not touch. With a tablet, he (or she) would have to hold the tablet while watching it. And if the child touched the screen in the wrong place, or touched the power button, the movie would stop and you'd have to take the tablet, restart the movie and give it back. Or if the child dropped it while you were driving, you'd have to retrieve it for him. For that reason alone, the DVD player is much easier.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I agree with what the previous poster said. And I'm going to tell you another reason why the DVD player is a better option that she didn't mention: You can get the DVD player that straps on the back of the seat in front of you, so the child can just watch and not touch. With a tablet, he (or she) would have to hold the tablet while watching it. ....

There are many cases for tablets available which strap right on the back of the car seat, just as the cases do for dvd players.

OP, if this device is just for watching movies, get the dvd player.

 

[wenrob]

We prefer tablets, it saves the hassle of dragging movies in and out of the vehicle. If you already have a DVD collection chances are good there are slips in them that have digital movies codes. If you are just starting to collect them you can choose ones that have a digital code included. We use DVD/Bluray at home and digital on the road. Digital movies do take up a lot of space but most services give you the option of downloading lower quality to your phone or tablet. I can fit quite a bit on my kids tablets. That said, if you get a tablet get at least 32GB storage, more if you can afford it. Most services (iTunes, VUDU, Amazon, Google Play etc.) require the movie be downloaded within the app so a thumb drive would be out. There are plenty of mounts for tablets that work in the same way as the ones for portable DVD players.

 

[Sadie22]

I vote neither. What about the new studies regarding TV/videos and the effects on infant and toddler brain development?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I vote neither. What about the new studies regarding TV/videos and the effects on infant and toddler brain development?

I completely agree with you; a 15 month old should not be having screen time, However, the OP didn't ask about this and it's up to parents to make these decisions for their children.

 

[Sadie22]

I completely agree with you; a 15 month old should not be having screen time, However, the OP didn't ask about this and it's up to parents to make these decisions for their children.

The OP is a grandparent and may not have heard of the newest studies, which I just learned about myself in a medical context rather than in the media.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

I vote neither. What about the new studies regarding TV/videos and the effects on infant and toddler brain development?

I completely agree with you; a 15 month old should not be having screen time, However, the OP didn't ask about this and it's up to parents to make these decisions for their children.

The OP is a grandparent and may not have heard of the newest studies, which I just learned about myself in a medical context rather than in the media.

Working at a research university, I am aware that what is considered "correct" changes seemingly with the wind. My 3 kids, all with well above average intelligence, watched limited amounts of kids programming even at 15 months and were enriched by it, not harmed. We're talking about approximately an hour's drive in Atlanta traffic. What else is he going to do? I can talk to him some, and I have kid's music CDs, but I need to pay more attention to driving in that situation. So yes, I'd rather he be enjoying a children's show like Barney or Kipper or whatever he likes at the time.

But thank you for your views and concern.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think we will go with the dvd player. I did have tons of kids movies and stuff, but it was all VHS. Time to check out Goodwill!

 

[DisneyPanthersFan]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think we will go with the dvd player. I did have tons of kids movies and stuff, but it was all VHS. Time to check out Goodwill!

Goodwill is a great idea! Used bookstores sometimes sell dvds as well.

 

[SMD]

Is there possibly going to be a second grandchild before you plan to upgrade the device? If so, it's easier to share a DVD player.

 

[Madteaparty001]

We have both, my main problem with the DVD player is that it's bulky and can run very hot. It's also a royal pain to take down and put back up. The tablet just clips into place and has many more options because we don't have to haul around a bunch of movies. With Disney movies anywhere, and Neflix and Amazon Prime allowing for dowlnloads to watch shows and movies without internet we haven't pulled out the player in years.

I will say in defense of the dvd player it's a much simplier machine so it doesn't have as many technical issues.

 

[disneychrista]

Honestly, for a 15month old I would not get either. Seems like there are so many better options for in car entertainment.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Honestly, for a 15month old I would not get either. Seems like there are so many better options for in car entertainment.

I would love to know what those "so many better options" are, for just me and my grandson in the backseat, riding for at least an hour in possibly some of the worst traffic in the US. Something that he can't drop (he easily pops those rings apart that are supposed to secure toys to his carseat), that doesn't require my attention because of the traffic (he gets all of my attention otherwise ). Of course he's free to look out the window if he chooses.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Is there possibly going to be a second grandchild before you plan to upgrade the device? If so, it's easier to share a DVD player.

I don't think there will be another child from this pair, and my other two kids are definitely not going to have kids anytime soon. My daughter is saving to go to Europe for 6 months and then be a travel nurse, and my 19 year old son hasn't had a date yet, lol.

 

[Sadie22]

Music.

 

[angierae]

I would vote for the dvd player, and I would also point out that countless children survived hour-long car rides before in-car entertainment was a thing.

 

[disneychrista]

Something that he can't drop

This is the first I am seeing that you not wanting something he would hold on to but anyway, here are few options Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

I am not saying that "screen time" is bad or to be avoided at all costs. For an hour car ride I think he would be fine without the need for a video or entertainment.

 

[angierae]

This is the first I am seeing that you wanted something he would hold on to but anyway, here are few options Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

I am not saying that "screen time" is bad or to be avoided at all costs. For an hour car ride I think he would be fine without the need for a video or entertainment.

I'd also be stunned if a 15 month old held onto a tablet for an hour to watch anything. You'll want to get a kit to affix it to the back of the seat. (Not sure how that works now that kids are supposed to stay rearfacing longer.)