DVD while rear facing in the car....

zarapipe

How does this work? LO never watches TV, she has no interest. However, this weekend we are taking a six hour drive to the beach. I thought maybe a DVD would help her since she hates the car. How do you have it positioned if your LO is still rear facing... Thanks!

ashnoelle

umm...if my kid is still RF, there will be no DVDs in the car. 

JKB1986

I actually did that for the first time this weekend.  I just hung it on his mirror but if that wasn't there I'd just put it on the head rest.  One of the cords was a little short so he could grab it but I sit back there with him so I just held it out of the way.  Not sure how else I could have kept it out of the way though?

zarapipe

ashnoelle:

umm...if my kid is still RF, there will be no DVDs in the car. 

May I ask why??

jarbatz

zarapipe:

ashnoelle:

umm...if my kid is still RF, there will be no DVDs in the car. 

May I ask why??

Glad you asked...I was just about to!  We're taking a 12 hour drive this summer and DD will still be RF and we are definitely stockpiling anything and everything we can to entertain her...including DVDs! 

jenn&Dave2005

Hanging on the mirror seems VERY dangerous in an accident.  I would think you're safer FF and properly mounting the DVD player.  

JKB1986

zarapipe:

ashnoelle:

umm...if my kid is still RF, there will be no DVDs in the car. 

May I ask why??

This.

JKB1986

jenn&Dave2005:

Hanging on the mirror seems VERY dangerous in an accident.  I would think you're safer FF and properly mounting the DVD player.  

 It wrapped around the mirror the same as it would the headrest.  It wasn't loose..sorry hanging was the wrong word.

ashnoelle

zarapipe:

ashnoelle:

umm...if my kid is still RF, there will be no DVDs in the car. 

May I ask why??

I rarely watch TV myself and I haven't put Sophia in front of it yet (though my mom and SO have rarely). I think that a toddler is to young to entrance with a DVD on a car trip. If she's fussing in the back seat on a long drive someone will sit with her to entertain her or we will make a stop so she can get out of the car for a bit.

Also, the mounting does seem a bit sketch.

Brit710

Those things become dangerous projectiles in car accidents. Please re-think this unless the DVD player is properly installed IN the headrest/head liner.

Normally I'm not one to comment on what people do with their own kids, but I have worked for a place where I've seen way too many accidents that could have easily been prevented. 

jenn&Dave2005

JKB1986:

jenn&Dave2005:

Hanging on the mirror seems VERY dangerous in an accident.  I would think you're safer FF and properly mounting the DVD player.  

 It wrapped around the mirror the same as it would the headrest.  It wasn't loose..sorry hanging was the wrong word.

I guess that's better  Still doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but that's just me.  

JKB1986

jenn&Dave2005:

JKB1986:

jenn&Dave2005:

Hanging on the mirror seems VERY dangerous in an accident.  I would think you're safer FF and properly mounting the DVD player.  

 It wrapped around the mirror the same as it would the headrest.  It wasn't loose..sorry hanging was the wrong word.

I guess that's better  Still doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but that's just me.  

You're right!!  We use it extremely rarely but I will make a point to do something different with it next time!  I appreciate you pointing it out though, I honestly didn't really think much of it at the time but now that you mention it, I'm thankful that we didn't get in an accident and have to find out!  I promise I'm not a terrible mom when it comes to safety!!  Got my fire place, light plugs, corners and cabinets all child proofed!

ashnoelle

mooshagirl:

ashnoelle:

zarapipe:

ashnoelle:

umm...if my kid is still RF, there will be no DVDs in the car. 

May I ask why??

I rarely watch TV myself and I haven't put Sophia in front of it yet (though my mom and SO have rarely). I think that a toddler is to young to entrance with a DVD on a car trip. If she's fussing in the back seat on a long drive someone will sit with her to entertain her or we will make a stop so she can get out of the car for a bit.

Also, the mounting does seem a bit sketch.

We love our DVD player in the car.  It is really the only "tv" DD watches.  It is wonderful for long trips because I can sit back with her and we'll watch an educational DVD that teaches counting, ABC's, colors, shapes, etc. and I'll discuss with her what we're watching and interact with her.  It is a lifesaver!

this is a different (and much better) approach than the way most people use tv.

jarbatz

Brit710:

Those things become dangerous projectiles in car accidents. Please re-think this unless the DVD player is properly installed IN the headrest/head liner.

Normally I'm not one to comment on what people do with their own kids, but I have worked for a place where I've seen way too many accidents that could have easily been prevented. 

You can buy a mounting kit to safely mount the DVD player on the headrest....whether child is RF or FF.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/Digital+Innovations+-+Universal+Car+Mount+for+Portable+DVD+Players/7439275.p?id=1124431815079&skuId=7439275

yankeebaby2

I don't care who watches TV and who doesn't but I just want to point out that there is no such thing as educational TV at their age.  I think that is what got Baby Einstein in trouble with their lawsuits.

Whether they are watching Sesame Street or Real Housewives of NYC, none of it is educational for them at this age

ashnoelle

yankeebaby2:

I don't care who watches TV and who doesn't but I just want to point out that there is no such thing as educational TV at their age.  I think that is what got Baby Einstein in trouble with their lawsuits.

Whether they are watching Sesame Street or Real Housewives of NYC, none of it is educational for them at this age

yep. Words of reason that no one seems to get. We talked about this a lot in my mass communication class. We also talked about why children's programming can be so bad...kids have a hard time discerning the commercials from the programs, for one.

Brit710

mooshagirl:

ashnoelle:

yankeebaby2:

I don't care who watches TV and who doesn't but I just want to point out that there is no such thing as educational TV at their age.  I think that is what got Baby Einstein in trouble with their lawsuits.

Whether they are watching Sesame Street or Real Housewives of NYC, none of it is educational for them at this age

yep. Words of reason that no one seems to get. We talked about this a lot in my mass communication class. We also talked about why children's programming can be so bad...kids have a hard time discerning the commercials from the programs, for one.

This is why we only watch DVD's.  They don't have commercials.  And while the actual programming may not be educational, it helps me to teach her because it gives me ideas on what to talk about with her.

So why don't you just watch them without her? 

jenn&Dave2005

JKB1986:

jenn&Dave2005:

JKB1986:

jenn&Dave2005:

Hanging on the mirror seems VERY dangerous in an accident.  I would think you're safer FF and properly mounting the DVD player.  

 It wrapped around the mirror the same as it would the headrest.  It wasn't loose..sorry hanging was the wrong word.

I guess that's better  Still doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but that's just me.  

You're right!!  We use it extremely rarely but I will make a point to do something different with it next time!  I appreciate you pointing it out though, I honestly didn't really think much of it at the time but now that you mention it, I'm thankful that we didn't get in an accident and have to find out!  I promise I'm not a terrible mom when it comes to safety!!  Got my fire place, light plugs, corners and cabinets all child proofed!

 :P look at that thing from bestbuy!

ashnoelle

mooshagirl:

ashnoelle:

yankeebaby2:

I don't care who watches TV and who doesn't but I just want to point out that there is no such thing as educational TV at their age.  I think that is what got Baby Einstein in trouble with their lawsuits.

Whether they are watching Sesame Street or Real Housewives of NYC, none of it is educational for them at this age

yep. Words of reason that no one seems to get. We talked about this a lot in my mass communication class. We also talked about why children's programming can be so bad...kids have a hard time discerning the commercials from the programs, for one.

This is why we only watch DVD's.  They don't have commercials.  And while the actual programming may not be educational, it helps me to teach her because it gives me ideas on what to talk about with her.

i knew that would be the response to my commercial comment. It was just a fun fact.

Interacting with your kid while you watch it (you said you did this) is the only way to make it worth anything at all.

While it isn't what I would choose, I don't really care if people put their kid in front of a tv as long as it isn't becoming the "babysitter."

yankeebaby2

No one is judging the DVD on long car trips.  Well, I'm not for sure.  I haven't had to go on a long car trip with a toddler and I'm lucky that my two older kids entertain the baby when they are back there.

But those DVDs actually do more harm than good.  kids who watch them scored 10% lower than those that didn't watch the videos.  Here is a link, even though it's old, from Time.

https://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html

Last spring, Christakis and his colleagues found that by three months, 40% of babies are regular viewers of DVDs, videos or television; by the time they are two years old, almost 90% are spending two to three hours each day in front of a screen. Three studies have shown that watching television, even if it includes educational programming such as Sesame Street, delays language development. "Babies require face-to-face interaction to learn," says Dr. Vic Strasburger, professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. "They don't get that interaction from watching TV or videos. In fact, the watching probably interferes with the crucial wiring being laid down in their brains during early development." Previous studies have shown, for example, that babies learn faster and better from a native speaker of a language when they are interacting with that speaker instead of watching the same speaker talk on a video screen. "Even watching a live person speak to you via television is not the same thing as having that person in front of you," says Christakis

Read more: https://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html#ixzz1MdMJSy5Q

ASmallWonder

I know the TV debate gets people going and I don't use TV to teach my son things. But when people say there's no educational value in it I have to wonder what the difference is between me holding up a ball and saying "ball!" then for Elmo to do the same thing.  I'm truly curious.  Is there something about it being "live" in front of them that would make them learn "ball" versus seeing the same thing but on TV?

yankeebaby2

elmoali:

I know the TV debate gets people going and I don't use TV to teach my son things. But when people say there's no educational value in it I have to wonder what the difference is between me holding up a ball and saying "ball!" then for Elmo to do the same thing.  I'm truly curious.  Is there something about it being "live" in front of them that would make them learn "ball" versus seeing the same thing but on TV?

According to the link I have above it's due to over stimulation and

But, says Christakis, "the majority of the videos don't try to promote language; they have rapid scene changes and quick edits, and no appearance of the 'parent-ese' type of speaking that parents use when talking to their babies."

yankeebaby2

mooshagirl:

yankeebaby2:

 

Wow, I am pretty surprised that 90% of two year olds are watching 2-3 hours of television a day.  That seems quite excessive to me.  I don't think my DD would even sit still for 2-3 hours a day (not that I would let her do that anyway).

good point.  I don't know any two year olds who could sit still that long but maybe it's mixed in their day.  an hour when they wake up, an hour at naptime and an hour at bedtime. 

ladymeg

Brit710:

Those things become dangerous projectiles in car accidents. Please re-think this unless the DVD player is properly installed IN the headrest/head liner.

Normally I'm not one to comment on what people do with their own kids, but I have worked for a place where I've seen way too many accidents that could have easily been prevented. 

I get this, I do.. But what about all of the luggage and 10,000 other things you have to pack on a trip and your child is rear facing? It's pretty hard to make all that projectile proof in an SUV.. FWIW, ds has a dvd player and is RF. We wouldn't be able to travel 30 minutes, let alone hours and hours without it. He has hated the cs from the time he was 2 weeks old. We velcroed ours into the back of the seat next to him, like on another actual seat, so it's not in front of him. We usually give him a bunch of toys (that are again projectile possible) and then resort to the dvd on a last resort. He gets super excited when we walk to the car, knowing Dora is in there. He sings along with them and calls out backpack when she asks. And sometimes if I need to get him to be still for 10 minutes while I prep dinner, that way I know where he's at and he's not getting into anything, I'll turn on dora or elmo. Flame me people, but I'd rather know that he's safe and watching tv that's "not recommended" than unlocking doors and getting into something he's not supposed to while I get our dinner ready.

yankeebaby2

For the luggage, I have a net that goes over everything in the trunk of my SUV so nothing there should be a missile.  And if you have a car, you probably out the luggage in your trunk

PrincessShay80

DD is rear facing- we have a built in DVD player in both ours cars- so DD just doesnt watch it yet- TV in the car can wait until she's 2 and forward facing. There is no way I am mounting any sort of screen to the back of a head rest-  in the event of a crash that DVD player now becomes a flying hazard, it's just not safe. Honeslty if it's that big of a deal to you just flip them to forward facing, that's safer then to have a flying TV screen in an accident.

As for luggage, it's either in the trunk in our car or in the back of the SUV- and it's not mounted 5 feet from DD's face. I'm pretty sure if you took your car seat to get inspected no certified car seat inspector would pass it if you had a DVD player mounted in front of a child.

 

kreeper611

ladymeg:

Brit710:

Those things become dangerous projectiles in car accidents. Please re-think this unless the DVD player is properly installed IN the headrest/head liner.

Normally I'm not one to comment on what people do with their own kids, but I have worked for a place where I've seen way too many accidents that could have easily been prevented. 

I get this, I do.. But what about all of the luggage and 10,000 other things you have to pack on a trip and your child is rear facing? It's pretty hard to make all that projectile proof in an SUV..

Haha!  So true.  When we're on a long car trip, odds are crap is piled to the ceiling.  The velcro-strapped DVD player is the least of my worries. 

We have only tried the DVD player once with DS in the car but he was less than thrilled.  He just doesn't watch much TV.  The only thing he will watch is the first 5 min of Mickey Mouse - he dances around and then goes on and does his own thing. 

Oh, and if a baseball game is on he goes into total zombie mode.  We don't watch them often, but the few times we've watched the Astros he stops everything to watch the game.  Needless to say, we don't leave it on long.

sucrets4

DD doesn't watch tv, but I've read that watching a little bit with an adult there to talk about things can be beneficial.  Clearly, leaving your baby in front of a tv as a babysitter is not going to make them smarter.  I think the research has mainly been done on extreme situations.

https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Start-Science-Backed-Developing-Mindfrom/dp/159240362X

Singingmama

Holy stupid TV argument, Batman!!

Ok, to answer your original question. We have a portable DVD player for our daughter that we use on any car trip that's going to be longer than an hour. DD watches Disney movies, Curious George, Sesame Street, etc. on the DVD player.

I strap it (as securely as possible) to the headrest of the backseat and I tuck the cord under her seat (the main plastic part that sits on the seat of the car) so that she can't reach the cord. Up until recently, the car was one of the only places that DD was interested in watching a movie/TV show. Now, she's more into the TV and I'll turn on Nick Jr for her 30-45 minutes in the evening and a bit longer sometimes on weekend mornings.

For those of you concerned about the DVD being secured to the back seat headrest... do you have a mirror secured to the headrest?? Isn't that just as likely to be a projectile in the event of a car accident?

PrincessShay80

Singingmama:

For those of you concerned about the DVD being secured to the back seat headrest... do you have a mirror secured to the headrest?? Isn't that just as likely to be a projectile in the event of a car accident?

No we don't.