In car DVD player with 3 children?

[fatsatsuma]

I know some come with twin screens so in theory all three could see a screen - but only two sets of headphones? Will we all have to listen to the sound turned up to full volume? Or does anyone know of a way of using a DVD player in the car with 3 sets of headphones?

If anyone knows of a way of doing this, I will love you forever, as we are facing a very long car journey next year, and thought an in-car dvd player might be the key to retaining our sanity...

Bumping this, cos I want to know too!

Ours have one headphone socket per screen, you can then buy a splitter to turn one into two meaning you can get up to 4 sets to two screens.

You just need to be careful that the splitter you buy will fit into the socket, not just the pin type but also the shape...not easy to explain but sometimes the case of the dvd player dictates the shape of the splitter IYSWIM...?

3.5mm splitter - this type would be more likely to fit sockets which are recessed into the DVD case.

Excellent! I regularly do an 8 hour car journey with 3 dc's in the back so this would be ideal.

Just a word of warning, we drove down to Cornwall one year and Dd had a DVD player in the back of the car for the trip.

We ended up stopping 3 times to clean up vomit! Made her very car sick!

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice - and for the warning too izzybiz

Am hopelessly un-technical but will pass your advice re splitter on to dh

I had one fitted in our volvo during the summer. It was more expensive that the ones that you can just hang on the back of the seats but its fab.
It is fitted into the roof of the car and then folds down when in use. Better still, it comes with two sets of headphones and you can buy more and they do not need to be connected as they run off batteries. Perfect for our 4 kids. As long as you have the headroom for that (volvo is a jeep so higher than a 'normal' car) it should be ok.
I will ask DH when he gets home if he can remember what make it is. Think I paid £400 for it to be fitted (came with the 2 sets of headphones) and an extra £60 for 2 more sets of headphones

Thanks mumoverseas, that sounds good but well over our budget - I was thinking of getting one of the cheap sets that is under £150. Would be interested to know the make etc tho' - thanks.

It was expensive but fabulous quality and hopefully it should last a lot longer than the seat back ones (that the little darlings can reach and kick easily!)
DH can't remember the make but we got it from a company called Road Radio in Crawley if that helps (we are abroad at moment so can't exactly pop out to driveway and check)

We have 4 kids, but youngest doesn't count yet for in car dvd.

We have a 2 screen one and it's fine. I personally wouldn't get one built in as a. it costs loads more and b. when you change cars you loose your dvd player. We have our sat nav built in and I wouldn't do it again, even tho I do like it. Plus, for us anyway, I could see it being an issue wanting to watch dvd more, even on relatively short (ie 1 - 1.5 hours) journeys.

We've never had headphones, the kids just listen to it. I quite like hearing the dialogue, if it's a film you'0ve already seen you can easily follow it. It doesn't need to be on full volume blasting out! What also works really well, if not better for us than films are comedy sketch shows. The boys (aged 10, 8 & 6) all love the Goodies and that's also fun to listen along to. So personally, a 2 screener that you can remove when you want, and no headphones works well for us. And we've never had a travel sickeness problem - on the contrary, it focusses their eyes and minds and attention, so avoids it rather than cretes it. $we've had ours for about 5 years and still going strong.

Mumoverseas - may be Alpine. Alpine PKG-2000P is a dropdown monitor with built in DVD and uses IR Headphones. Cost wise seems around the £600 mark, unless ex-demo - so if it is that one and you paid around £400, then you got a good deal.

I've been considering the lower cost hung from back of the seat style things but I'm concerned about security - anyone have that style? If so what do you do about security... if it's easy to fit, it's easy to take. Is it only used for long journeys, rather than being in the car most of the time?

ok, i know this is not what this thread is about, but whatever happened to playing games based on the passing cars or countryside, or staring out the window, a little daydreaming?

I know what you mean, goodnightmoon, and we've been doing that for 11 years, but we're planning a very long drive up and down France next year with all dc's including dd2 who will probably be her usual high-maintenance self all the way - so we are considering other options.

Am I making too many excuses ?

nannynick, yes ours is almost identical to that one. It is very good and was worth getting as we are planning on keeping the car for a while. We were worried about the security of the ones you hang from the back of seats and also, DD2 is rather destructive and has been known to kick the back of seats

fatsatsuma that is exactly why we got ours last summer, the week before we drove over to France. Kept the little darlings quiet for hours

izzybiz, all three of ours simultaneously vomited whilst watching a donald duck dvd - the blasted thing got sold on eBay pronto.

Nice idea, didn't work for us at all.

We all had to sit on the Isle of Wight ferry stinking of sick.

We have the ones that you put over the head rest, it's fine, we just take it off again at destination - we only use for long journeys.

goodnightmoon we typically drive for up to 14 hours - from Southern Germany to Kent, only so many spot the yellow car games you can play.

Ours are currently obsessed with spotting mini coopers, keeps them enthralled for every car journey, but it ain't going to do us a mamoth trip, and why should it? Why not let them watch a bloody dvd while they've got to sit in a car for so long? (We do stop for breaks of course!)

BTW, we've had ours for years, it was pretty cheap, certainly under £150 and has survived the less-than-delicate- handling of my 3 boys, so money well spent imo.

Prefer to have the option to remove it.