Using Portable DVD Player on Airplane Ride

Bring headphones. Ones made for kids so they fit well and the volume is restricted to protect their hearing. I think it is rude to have games, music or videos on that others around you can hear.

I always bring a portable DVD player or my laptop to play movies on a plane ride. I would recommend headphones. They make them for two people and some DVD players can plug in two separate head sets.

Try to get kid earphones. They are smaller and cover the whole ear. I don't think I'd be able to get mine to use ear buds.

That said, I've used a dvd and ipad on the plane a couple of times without earphones (for my kids) and there was no issue. We tend to sit in the back of the plane where it's LOUD.

We took our DVD player got a splitter so they both could use earphone.. we also got the earphone that cover the ear not earbuds as they have the ability to do damage to their hearing.

Take the player, but also take headphones. Flight attendants will ask you to turn it off if another passenger complains if you are using it without headphones and you don't want that!

You need to bring headphones. Most airlines will not allow you to play a DVD, even if it's for kids, without headphones. You might get away with it, but I've seen families asked to turn their DVD player off, and then the kids really had fits!

You can buy childrens size headphones and some DVD players allow for two sets of headphones to be plugged in. Or get a headphone splitter. My girls loved wearing headphones on the airplane starting at two years old.

Good time to teach them to use earphones. :) Other than that you shouldn't have any problems.

Get the kids headphones and a splitter for several sets of headphones. I, personally, would be very annoyed if I had to hear anyone elses music or movie or powerpoint or whatever while on an already noisy and close quarters airplane for several hours.

Just because your toddler is bored (or a business person NEEDS to listen to the powerpoint..or whatever??) does not mean the other passengers need to be subjected to it. There are technologic alteratives you can untilize inexpensively.

Happy flying!

i've done is several times and it's FINE!! That's what earphones are for! Don't you have earphones for your player? We have two or three portables that were "freebies" and we also purchased a jack that allows both of them to plug their earbuds/phones into...they can both watch the same movie and hear it!

My boys LOVE it when we bring it on our trips to California...we make sure the player is fully charged and don't let them play it until we are in the air.

When we had huge delays in SFO - we had the wall charger and plugged it in there...they were able to watch a complete movie - that's how long the delay was...

Headphones - they even have dual headphone jacks now so if you only have a hole for 1 set, you can get this to make it work for 2.

I would recommend the portable DVD player 100%. After the initial novelty of the plane taking off, kids will become bored FAST. Try using headphones with buds, so each child can have one in each ear, or you might be able to get an adapter that allows to to plug in 2 sets of headphones. Dont worry about the other passengers, they will most likely have headphones in either thier own tv set (some airlines offer free tv to all passengers) or in thier laptops. Even adults get bored on long plane rides and need some kind of entertainment. Also, the sound of the engine and pressure will create a contast low noise that will drown out Dora or Diego, but not the sound of a bored child screaming. Make sure you bring lots of snacks, drinks, interesting toys that get brought out every hour or so, and comfort objects, Trust me the DVD player will work wonders, but not for ever. So be prepared and no one will complain, they will thank you.

Brought 2 year old on 5 hour plane ride. The DVD Player worked wonders on the way there. Wasnt so prepared on the way back : ( which made a HUGE difference.

Oh my gosh do it. We take one every time we fly and have since my son was three. It has saved us many a time,not just in flight but when we had extended wait times on the plane before take off. It also means that mom and dad can relax as well. Just bring ear phones. The first time we used it we did not have ear phones and a man behind us complained, even with the volume set at minimum. You may want to try a few different kinds of ear phones -- some are harder for little ones to keep on. Have a great trip!

It will be hard for anyone to hear Dora with the roar of the plane. Get headphones with a splitter, so they both have a set of headphones.

I've brought our DVD player many times. With the sound of the airplane it's really not a problem. Put it at a volume that is loud enough for the kids to hear but not too loud for others to be annoyed. It will be fine and a huuuuge lifesaver. Have a safe flight.

We took one and used headphones. There are outlets under the seats to plug them into also.

yes bring it but bring ear buds along also if you set the kids next to each other each child can have an ear bud in and it will be fine. As far as having it playing without the ear buds. my daughter brought one with when they flew to Florida with the grand kids. they kept it just loud enough for the kids to hear it over the other noise going on around them. the man in the isle behind them complained as he wanted to sleep and it was too loud. my daughter said it wasn't loud enough for her to hear and she was next to them but the man behind complained enough that the stewardess came and asked them them to turn it off or put in earphones. second suggestion is have some movies they have either not seen or have not seen in a long time so that it will keep their attention.

Test how long your battery will last before you leave. We bought a portable DVD player for a flight to Japan. It lasted approximately one hour! UGH! We have since purchased an extra battery that lasts much longer.

If you sit near the rear of the plane, the engine noise will muffle the sound of the video enough so other passengers don't even hear it. We just flew 2 weeks ago and my son watched my iPad the whole time, without headphones. I could barely even hear it, and I was sitting right next to him, but if I put my head down by him I could hear it just fine.

Bring the portable DVD! Your concerns are valid. We just discovered that the Pink Panther cartoon rocks for not needing any sound (there is no dialog at all, just music and you can turn it way down).

I didn't read all of the answers but I saw someone mentioned a splitter for the headphones...we got them for our kids, online...I think it was Radio Shack or Amazon. It just cost a few bucks.

I work as a flight attendant and I can tell you that headphones are a must. If you are seated anywhere over the engines (i.e. mid-cabin) you will have to really crank that thing up for your kids to hear it if you don't have headphones, and even then it will be tough. It also really inconveniences the passengers in the surrounding seats if you don't have headphones. Some of them may address you directly and that is not fun.

That being said, I am always happy to have families on board and if kids get a little fussy, so be it...so don't worry about that. If people around you have a problem with kids, they should fly business class next time ; ) Have a great trip!

No, we brought ours and it's really hard to hear over the airplane noises! I wouldn't worry about annoying other passengers, I would worry about the kids not hearing it at all. :)

I think you should plug in a pair of ear buds and have your son use one bud and your daughter use the other. If you're lucky, your portable player may have two headphone plugs and each one can have their own pair. (I think our Sony portable has two headphone plugs.)

Headphones. Even if there is a video in the seat back (there was for most of our flights), headphones will keep the noise to a minimum and not annoy anyone else. Many DVD players have more than one jack or you can get a splitter.

I found that while DD (just shy of 3 at the time) did watch some movies in the seat back, she was also interested in the food (if they serve meals, request kid meals - they are kid-friendly and usually served first), and the books and other quiet, stuffed toys I brought along. She had her own backpack with a few diapers, a sippy cup (just make sure it's empty going through security), her toys and a blanket.

Well, can you use ear phones with it? I would probably find it annoying to hear Dora for the whole flight, although I would certainly understand why you'd do it, so I wouldn't be mad. Just don't blast it!! We just took a plane trip, and had to turn off even ipods for a little bit, so be aware of that. I sat next to Mrs. Friendly also, and she was annoyed at any little one sitting near her. Hope she's not on your flight!!!

Do it! The kids won't necessarily have to hear every word Dora says in order to enjoy it and the background 'white noise' of the plane drowns out a lot. See if maybe the kids would wear headphones. If not- just go for it and if people have a problem you can always give them a dose of what they were missing when they were just listening to Dora!

Have Fun!

We don't use headphones because my 2 1/2 year old won't wear them. I sit next to my daughter, and I can't hear the DVD player. I don't think she can either, but for some reason she loves having it on and watching her movies. If you are interested in headphones, Best Buy sells Kids headphones where the volume can't be too loud.