Portable DVD Player On Airplane Question - UPDATED

[Doot Fan Mommy]

I just purchased the following headphones for my DS. They say they were made especially made for kids from age 2 so hopefully they will fit!

https://www.gearforkidz.com/assets/pdf_ch68kg01_headphones.pdf


I plan on bringing the DVD player to keep my 2.5 year old occupied on the plane but I don't think he will keep headphones on his head.

Has anyone had any problems using their DVD player on the plane (Continental) for their toddlers at a VERY LOW volume?

 

[tjmw2727]

You will get mixed responses about this but if I were you I would do my best to try and get him to wear the headphones.

Fisher Price makes a toddler size that will fit well and be more comfortable. Hopefully he will want to wear the headphones to be able to hear the dvd. Honestly other than that your choices are pretty much no volume or too loud because it will have to be pretty loud for your child to hear it over the airplane noise.

Personaly I would rather hear the movie than a tantrum but headphones are still highly recommended.

TJ

 

[crashbb]

I'm not sure if there are actually any rules about it, but I could definitely see it annoying the other passengers. If it is loud enough for your son to hear it, chances are it is loud enough to annoy those sitting next to you.

Be prepared to have someone sitting next to you to ask you to turn it off (or give your son headphones), though who the flight attendant would side with (if asked), I'm am unsure.

I have seen flight attendants on other airlines ask passengers to either use headphones or turn off their DVD player/laptop. The only mention of headphone use I could find (with a quick search) on the Continental site was that they needed to be used on the Clubhouse (frequent flyer/first class lounge).

 

[genius118899]

My sister loved wearing headphones when she was 3, listening to my iPod. Give your son a few trial runs, see how he does.

 

[stopher1]

I have definitely watched flight attendants ask passengers to put on their headphones or power off their devices.

As a frequent traveler for business I'm accustomed to all kinds of noises on a plane - but I can tell you that your fellow travelers appreciate as quiet of a cabin as possible... granted flying in silence isn't going to happen, but there's just something about hearing music or other noise above the normal din of conversation. Just think about it this way... what if more than half of the plane (which is about what I've been seeing lately on various flights in the past month or so, myself included) had their dvd players playing without headphones - and with all of the various types of movies, tv shows or other videos playing... what a cacophony that would make! Headphones definitely are the way to go.

 

[Doot Fan Mommy]

Thanks for the input! I am researching toddler headphones right now

 

[bjeannep]

My son was about the same age when I introduced headphones. He was fine. You would be surprised how introducing them in a different environment will change the way they react.

 

[tjmw2727]

Thanks for the input! I am researching toddler headphones right now

FYI I just saw them this weekend in the electronics asile at wallmart.

TJ

 

[bookwormde]

We use a portable DVD all the time, even if headphones are not tolerable, if the volume is at or below a talking voice level then even the grumpiest person will find it preferable to a restless child.

Overnight flights are a different situation, but most children sleep during these.

bookwormde

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

We didn't use head phones but I could barely hear ours over the noise of the plane. So I was going to suggest head phone just so you could hear it.

 

[nicki.momof3]

With head phones or without - we could not hear our DVD player on the plane last month - The plane just made to much noise.

 

[camlace]

My daughter used my ear buds when she was 2 and again on our flight in Sept when she turned 3. She did not keep them in her ears either time, but held them up and every time she lowered them she would look very puzzled at me and say "Where's the Music?" It was too funny but she was fine with the buds and quickly learned that if the buds were not in her ears she couldn't hear the DVD.

As a passenger I prefer a quiet cabin (as quiet as a flight to Orlando full of families can be). I cannot stand hearing random DVDs, music etc floating around the cabin....

 

[jenb1023]

My DD uses headphones that wrap around the back of the head and hook around the ears which helps to keep them in place. She has used them since she was 3 1/2. I think I bought them at Wal-Mart.

I don't know if there are any set rules but I was on a flight before where an attendant told a family they could not use the dvd player without headphones.

 

[tam626]

Great question. We leave Sunday & I hope my 3 yr. old will leave his head phones on.

 

[disney-super-mom]

We didn't use head phones but I could barely hear ours over the noise of the plane. So I was going to suggest head phone just so you could hear it.

I agree. We experienced the same thing when not using headphones, and no one around us could hear it over the noise of the plane either. Our little boys could barely hear it with it right in front of them on the tray table, but they could hear it enough that it kept them occupied during the flight.

We did get earphones for the next flight just so our boys could hear it, and they didn't have any problems keeping the earphones on.

 

[annacali]

Since I usually have two kids using it and we have a row to ourselves, it has never been a problem using it without headphones. The plane is usually so loud we can barely hear it, let alone anyone in front or behind us.

 

[all4fun]

We used to just turn the volume down all the way and at that age, ds didn't seem to mind not being able to hear it. I've also seen FA's tell people to turn their volume off or use head phones.

I've also been on flights where you could hear other pax portable entertainment devices and quite often you can just hear some of the sound - just enough to be annoying! So I used to think that people would rather hear a dvd playing than a fussy child, but now having been on the other end of the debate, I can see where others are coming from when they say hearing electronics on flights is annoying (I agree, it is).

I feel the pain of other parents who's kids won't keep headphones on though. BTDT. If it helps, here's a pair of headphones we bought at Target a while back that are designed w/kids in mind: GE kids flexible headphones (not recommending this site, just a random site that is selling them). They really are flexible, and therefore harder for a small child to break. They are also smaller than regular headphones and fit my ds head snug enough (regular ones would fall right off), but flexible enough that I could fit them on my head w/out breaking them - just a tad too tightly though, lol.


hth and hope you have a pleasant flight.

 

[santa's surpriz]

Oh my gosh, I can't imagine anyone complaining...do they know what the alternative could be. Kudos to you for trying to occupy your child! I opted not to bring mine for my five year old...2 trips to the potty in two hours, "I'm thirsty, " etc etc. What a mistake! It is difficult to keep a child sitting still when you really want them to. I can't imagine too many complaints as long as the volume is respectful. I would not be surprised if another child joins in watching!

 

[bavaria]

As someone who flies multiple times a week, I can assure you that sound travels oddly in an aircraft. Has anyone seen the advertisement in the inflight magazine with the two women who have loudhailers instead of heads? Sometimes one can hear the passengers 3-4 rows behind very clearly, simply due to pitch of their voices.

I cannot tell you how many times I am awoken by the noise of entertainment - movies, DVDs, etc. Certain sounds travel very clearly; I recall someone once watching a movie where there was a lot of breaking glass and it was very noisy for the rest of us rows away.

The reality is that the sound will carry, you will impact your fellow travellers, and the FAs will ask you to turn it off or use headsets (even when other passengers have not complained)

Please take the time to buy headsets and have your child learn how to use them, if you are taking a DVD player or game system. Many here have reported that it can and does work. It is a courtesy to those around you who do not want to have to listen to incessant beeping from a game, or SpongeBob Squarepants, or even a Disney movie. You I am certain would not want to listen to the sounds of a PG or R rated movie around your child, or music from a teenager a few rows away.

The sound can and does carry.

Thank you.

 

[puffkin]

I also think it depends where you sit on the plane. We always tend to sit towards the back of the plane (about 3/4 way back) and it can be pretty noisy back there with the plane noise. We can have our DVD player turned all the way up and barely hear it right in front of us....with headphones it is a little better, but not much.

On a trip a few weeks ago, I sat in the very first row of the plane (Southwest, so no business/first class) and I couldn't believe how much quieter it was up there. The DVD player without headphones would definitely not have been good there.

That being said, my 2 1/2 year old won't do headphones.....so we sit towards the back and just leave the sound on. We haven't had a problem yet. My mom was with us on the last trip and she couldn't hear the DVD player at all and she was right in front of us. So I say just use your best judgement. We keep trying the headphones and are hoping by the next trip that he will be able to use them.