Want to know our most cherished and useful purchase so far?
It’s the Coby 7″ Widescreen TFT Portable DVD Player.
Compact portable design
Swivel screen with 180-degree display
7″ Widescreen (16:9) TFT color display
DVD, DVD±R/RW, CD, CD±R/RW, JPEG, and MP3 Compatible
Anti-Skip Circuitry
Dolby Digital Decoder
Digital and Analog AV outputs allow for use with home theater systems
Audio/Video input jack for video games, VCRs, or other AV sources
Headphone jacks for private listening (x2)
Multiple language, subtitle, and camera angle support
Parental lock control
This was just a last minute purchase, a couple of days before we went on a trip. I figured I’d need all the help I could get when entertaining a toddler on a two-hour trip. We didn’t have a budget for this but we bought one anyway. And because we paid for it in cash, they gave it to us for $130 instead of the original price of $142. Not that big but it was enough to pay for our dinner in a restaurant that day. 
The graphics quality is good for the price and although the video stops once or twice on bumpy roads, I am perfectly satisfied with it.
I was hesitant to buy this at first because what I really wanted was to buy those DVD players that can be mounted inside the car. Those types were a bit more expensive so we bought the laptop-type instead. To my relief, the monitor swivels so you can fold it and put it in a bag that you can latch on your car seat’s headrest. And when were not in the car, my daughter watched her DVDs inside the hotel room while my husband and I watched on the big TV. No competition / fighting on whose turn is it to watch. We we’re nothing but happy and peaceful vacationers.
We’re going on a much-deserved getaway this Friday. We only booked one night but since it’s my birthday, we might consider staying another night. The travel, I hope won’t take that long because it’s been a year since we tried traveling with a toddler. And that was in my in-law’s car where we watched movies the whole time. She didn’t mind the three-hour drive because she spent it watching all her hi5 and Harry Potter DVDs.
Just this afternoon, it suddenly occurred to me that we should go ahead and purchase a dvd player for our car. It will definitely make the travel more tolerable for the little one. We have been looking for car DVD players for some time now but still unable to find one that’s right for us. I saw some brands for a folding DVD player at Shopwiki and instantly like the fact that they are lightweight but sturdy. The prices are so much lower too compared last year. There are also headrest monitors but you can’t take this anywhere else once you installed it.
I’m still keeping my options open. I asked my husband to scout the local malls tomorrow and see if he can find a good deal. I’m sure there are 0% interest promos at this time of the month.
When planning to travel, you make sure to pack all the necessities from bottles to toys to baby wipes to quick snacks. But how can you really keep a toddler happy and content on long drives? There are tons of creative answers that you can find on baby books and baby blogs but mine would be as simple as getting a VCD/DVD player for the car. It won’t be as simple if you don’t have a budget but this is something we’re very much willing to invest on. My daughter just can’t take 1-2 hour drives without her two favorite DVDs - Hi5 and Harry Potter. Aside from her questions every 10 minutes, it keeps her happy for more than an hour that I can simply lie back, relax and enjoy the drive. This is the reason why she loves riding her grandmother’s car. The mere thought of a trip to the grocery excites her because not only she can get out of the house, but she can also enjoy her movies while at it. So buying one for our car is just inevitable.
I found two portable DVD players within our budget:
Sony DVP-FX820 8″ Portable DVD Player Black
$179.99
8″ LCD Widescreen Monitor
High-Resolution (800 x 480 resolution)
180 Swivel and Flip monitor
Up to 6 Hour of Battery Life
Dual Sensor for Remote Control
Product Dimensions: 1.3 x 8.9 x 6.3 inches ; 2.4 pounds
OR
Philips PET702 7″ Portable DVD Player
$101.50
7″ TFT LCD 16:9 widescreen
Built in stereo speakers for quality sound
Car adapter and remote control.
Up to 2 hour playback on rechargeable built-in battery
Product Dimensions: 6 x 7.8 x 1.5 inches ; 1.5 pounds
Both can play the following formats:DVD, Picture CD, SVCD, Video CD, DVD-R/-RW, MP3-CD, CD-R/CD-RW, DVD+R/+RW, CD. Phillips is so much cheaper and lighter but the playback time is giving me second thoughts.
Now this is something I can’t decide on just by reading online. The reviews will help but a lot but I’d have to see them working firsthand and check warranties and such. At least, I know which items to ask instead of accepting the first expensive item that the salesman will offer.
