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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Kids, gadgets and holidays

25 replies

DooinMeCleanin · 11/08/2011 08:07

My children have an inordinate amount of gadgets between them. Mainly belonging to tecchy dd1.

I have loaded iTeddy with Scooby Doo videos. I am awaiting two NDSes to load with movies and a playlist from dd1 for her ipod. Her digital camera/video recorder come MP4 player is on charge.

DH is not happy, we are not going abroad so that the children can watch hours of TV and movies. Which I agree entirely with however, surely travel is the what these gadgets were invented for?

They will have two hours (at least) in an airport, four hours on a plane and then an hours transfer there and back. We will want them to be good and quiet. We will expect them to be good and quiet in the hotel while we are doing boring but essential things like cooking and washing up or unpacking.

The gadgets will help? DH thinks we should leave them behind.

As an aside they're rarely bothered with at home. iTeddy has been dragged from the back of the toy cuboard and dd2's DS is still 'away' somewhere safe waiting to be found. (I think it might be in DH's wardrobe).

OP posts:

GwendolineMaryLacey · 11/08/2011 08:10

I'm a gadget freak so totally understand the need for them! But you seem to be doubling up on a lot of things. Surely only one device to play video is needed etc.

Sirzy · 11/08/2011 08:11

As long as you limit the time they spend on them then fine. That said there are plenty of other ways of entertaining children without these things being needed and that is up to you and your dh to decide on.

Original poster

DooinMeCleanin · 11/08/2011 08:12

It's to with storage space, you can only fit so many videos on each gadget. I guess we could leave the ipod behind as she has her camera thingy, which can play music.

OP posts:

overmydeadbody · 11/08/2011 08:14

I think hours waiting in airports and sitting on planes is exactly what these gadgets are great for!

It's not like they can do much else in that time, apart from read a book, talk and get bored.

Take them.

Gonzo33 · 11/08/2011 08:18

I always make sure my ds (10) takes his DS and ipod with him when we travel (quite a lot as we are living overseas due to work). He doesn't use them on the plane because he watches the films, but he does in the car and in departures.

MagicFingerGoesPop · 11/08/2011 08:22

We have none of these gadgets and regularly travel 4 or 5 hours each way in a car. TBH I think they are unnecessary, but then I have friends who load up a DVD player in the car for a five minute journey! Do whatever you think the kids will suit best. Enjoy your trip :)

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 11/08/2011 08:24

Up to you in the scheme of things. That said, we flew 12 hours with two stopovers recently without the benefit of any gadgets at all, and were then on a driving holiday. I think we hired a family DVD on day 12 of the holiday and that was it for technological assistance. But it depends on the children, their ages, etc.

emsies · 11/08/2011 08:26

How old are the children. I have some sympathy for your husband in that I prefer to be gadget/tv lite - we have colouring, magazines, playing games with them etc BUT my daughter is only young and I suspect once she is older I will give in to some sort of video player!

Sometimes its a case of what works. As long as you also enjoy the journey with your children, pointing out things, exploring the airport, etc ad not just plugging them in the whole time (i'm sure you're not!) then I don't see why there is any problem - YANBU.

bellaisgoingtoHawaii · 11/08/2011 08:29

He is being unreasonable!

If it keeps them happy and entertained what is the problem?

mummytime · 11/08/2011 08:33

It sounds OTT to me. Why do you need so many DVDs?
My 3 will have 2 ipods, up to 3 DS's between them, and then access to my Kindle and maybe Daddy's ipad (although most films on there are unsuitable).
Also what is wrong with reading a book????
My kids have enjoyed watch Sponge bob in Dutch and German, and a holiday is a chance to be more active than normal.
My kids also enjoy the journey at least to begin with, and doing new things. We also talk to each other more on journeys.
We've never had a DVD in the car (any car we've used) and have done 14 day driving holidays before.
Admittedly my eldest is worried about the lack of access to wifi, and not having access to you-tube.

marriedinwhite · 11/08/2011 08:33

An Ipod and a DS and don't forget the international plugs for when you get there. There are also books, conversation, looking at the aeroplanes, to keep them amused and on long car journeys there are also books on CD which can be ordered from the library and which even now we still talk about as part of the holiday. "Do you remember the drive across France with Harry Potter, the drive to Cornwall with Ravens Gate, the drive to Northumberland with the Lottie Story.

emptyshell · 11/08/2011 08:33

Doesn't sound to me like they'll actually USE all these gadgets while you've brought them along if they've been abandoned to the back of the cupboard the rest of the year.

I'd streamline.

Trifle · 11/08/2011 08:40

I totally agree with your husband. We dont have much technology, only a wii so never take anything abroad and dont even dream of taking stuff which is merely there to 'shut the kids up'.

There is no reason at all why they cant read a book, talk to eachother (remember that, the art of communication, a dying trend nowadays), how about looking out the window on the transfer coach and absorbing their new surroundings.

These techy things are rarely educational, they are merely there to ensure kids are quiet. The amount of stuff you are taking is phenomenal, far too extreme and totally unnecessary. Why cant your kids help unpack, wash up etc, isnt that what families do, you know, join in.

How about going with absolutely nothing. How liberating that will be to not be surrounded by technology and you may even get to know your kids.

Original poster

DooinMeCleanin · 11/08/2011 08:52

We are taking books too, but dd2 cannot read. Of course I will read to her on a night, but I think the people on the plane sat next to me might get annoyed after the third read out loud Charlie and Lola book

I know my children perfectly well thank you, Trifle.

OP posts:

Sirzy · 11/08/2011 08:55

I doubt they would, it's expect on a flight! I read Thomas to ds at least 10 times on a recent flight, I doubt many others could hear it tbh no need for it to be any louder than a normal conversation!

Morloth · 11/08/2011 09:00

I would pick one gadget for each kid.

We regularly do long haul flights with kids and don't bother with all this stuff.

We are geeks, but I find myself agreeing with your DH.

A bit of techy help with the boring bits is fine, but it is pretty sad to just shove them in front of a screen for extended periods just to shut them up (believe me, I often want to shut them up!).

sherbertdipdab · 11/08/2011 09:03

do take them, think of your own sanity !!

Maybe they could be kept in your husbands bag and he can monitor their usage.. he is probably thinking it is a family holiday to spend talking and doing stuff... not glued to a screen.

However as we all know, sometimes you do need the screen

chopstheduck · 11/08/2011 09:09

it's a holiday, take the gadgets!

Considering, its a holiday and you will be stuck with them 24/7 for however long it lasts, I wouldn't feel even slightly guilty about a bit of tech to keep them quiet on the journey there.

When we go, we wil take the in car dvd, the dses, the laptop, ipods, everything! our holidays generally involve driving around 3000kms. During that time, they have their tech, plus other things like word searches, books, etc, and they keep themselves entertained, without me entertaining them.

The rest of the time - once we are at our destinations the gadgets will go away and there will be plenty of time for conversations, and education (we do a lot of galleries, history, culture, etc.) While on site, they will be running around and playing sports, so I make the most of the time off when I can get it!

Groovee · 11/08/2011 09:13

Whatever happened to colouring sheets/books and pencils and a magazine. Even now this is all I take for my 2 and they are happy. If we're on a country road, ds has dh's PSP otherwise he gets car sickness.

pictish · 11/08/2011 09:15

What a preachy post that was Trifle

"How about going with absolutely nothing. How liberating that will be to not be surrounded by technology and you may even get to know your kids."

Rude rude rude.

Take one gadget each OP. I think these things come into their own during boring waits around airports and on the plane.

Ben10isthespawnofthedevil · 11/08/2011 09:22

Definitely take them. If you don't have them, you'll need them. DS has always had DVDs on the plane and I am sure that the other passengers are very pleased that they don't have "are we there yet" for hours

emptyshell · 11/08/2011 09:24

Just seems like you're going to have a LOT to carry with all of this and their associated chargers.

4madboys · 11/08/2011 09:30

well when we go away we dont take them, my kids dont have loads of gadgets anyway, ds1 has a cheap mp3 player and we have ONE ds between the elder three we did take the ds when we went camping the other year and it sat unusued in the car glove box, what happend to lookign out of windows, playing eye spy and all the other games that require imagination but no technology?

we dont have dvd player in the car despite going for long drives and the kids chat, play games, read (apart from ds1 how feels sick if he reads) i think you can rely too much on them to entertain kids tbh.

i regularly flew and travelled a LOT as a kid (forces parents) and didnt have gadgets, we survived and behaved!

Original poster

DooinMeCleanin · 11/08/2011 09:59

emptyshell most of them charge with my universal/ipod charger. I am not leaving my ipod behind. No way in hell am I spending two weeks without my ipod. I need it for sunbathing when DH is forced to spend time with the dc

They had clouring in to do last year. This resulted in lots of "She's got my pink pencil." "Haven't" "Have" "So?" "My pen is under his seat" "My favourite red pencil is lost. It's my favourite WAIIIIL"

OP posts:

bonkers20 · 11/08/2011 12:47

What I really dislike about gadgets is how for some children they became the default entertainment. With limited use then they are simply another form of entertainment (like reading, watching telly, playing cards whatever) and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

What I don't like to see is kids glued to their console at the airport when there is SO much going on. For a couple of hours you can go to a cafe, watch the planes, get an iSpy at the airport book. Part of the holiday is the excitement of the travelling...isn't it? I wouldn't want my children to miss the scenery on the transfer from airport to hotel because they're plugged in to something or reading a book.

It reminds me of when we were in India with DS1 (then 7). He'd just got into the Harry Potter books and could not put them down. Me and DH were ready to leave our lodgings and had to ask DS "please can you put your book down so we can go and see the Taj Mahal". That J.K. Rowling!

They might be useful on the plane if the LOs are too small to see the tv screen on the head rest.

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