Recommendation for portable DVD player for airplanes

Does anyone have a recommendation for a portable DVD player that one
can take on an airplane? We don't care about the quality of the
picture; rather we're more concerned with how "rugged" it is. We
bought a GoVideo player several years ago, because it was advertised as
being "rugged". However, our son has banged it aropund enough that it
now only plays 4 DVDs. We're looking for a player that will be more
resistant to the occasional bumps and bruises that a 4 year old can
dish out.

Cathy Weeks...

DVD players just aren't very rugged at this point, but are getting
better. We bought one for our toddler too (well, it's wasn't a gift TO
her, but for her benefit). At the time, we lived an 18 hour drive from
our home to our parents' homes, and had a planned flight from NJ to CA
- about 5-6 hours on the plane, and she wasn't yet 2 years old.
Letting her watch DVD was WONDERFUL to keep her entertained in a quiet
environment, where she could EASILY have bothered others.

Anyway, we just never let her hold it or use it in an environment where
she could hurt it. In the car, we had a holder that hung between the
two front seats, so she could see it, but couldn't get to it. And on
the plane, we were right there with her. It was on her tray, but we
could keep an eye on her and it. Even given these protections, we
still went through 3 different ones (warranty replaced them, even 2
that were "sporty ones" supposedly more rugged) before getting our
current one (made by Kodak), which has lasted us for 3 years now.

Cathy Weeks

deja.blues...

Wait until your child can treat things with care before buying him more
electronics. A four-year-old doesn't need his own portable dvd player.
Maybe a regular one would do if you sat there and supervised his use of it.

Nikki...

I would just make sure you had one of those soft cases to keep it in.