Why You Can Trust CNET If Your Kid Hates Car Rides Like Mine, Try This Tablet on Sale for $75 During Prime Day
Amazon's second Prime Day sale this year sees its kids' tablets discounted by 50%.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Before I had kids, I thought I would never be the parent who got their child a tablet. Then reality hit: I had a baby who, at the ripe old age of just 10 days, decided he hated the car with a passion. He would cry nonstop for entire car rides, whether they were five hours or just five minutes, which is extremely distressing and distracting while you're driving.
I tried everything -- sitting next to him, playing with him, reading to him (hello, motion sickness), playing music, singing songs. The only thing that worked, once I eventually gave in, was loading up an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Ms. Rachel or Bluey on my phone, and holding it aloft for him to watch.
A tablet stuck to the back of the headrest is a lot easier than holding a phone up for the length of a road trip, and Amazon offers a great option: the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids tablet, which is currently on sale during Amazon's Big Deal Days on Oct. 10 and 11 for $75. This is a whopping 50% off from its usual pricing of $150.
It has 32GB of storage, comes in a hefty, colorful case, has parental controls and ad-free content, 13 hours of battery life and an 8-inch display.
The tablet is available in blue and purple for the $75 price tag, or slightly more expensive for the Mickey Mouse ($85) and Disney Princess ($85) versions.
If you want a little more storage for your tablet, you can also get the 64GB version for 42% off during Prime Day, down from $180 to $105.
The tablets include a year's subscription to Amazon Kids Plus, and have a two-year warranty if your kid gets a little too rough with the tablet and breaks it.
They're a great option for if you want to go online and download a bunch of videos ahead of a long (or short) car trip, disconnect them from the internet, stick them to the back of the headrest your child faces, and then voila -- they've got their very own airplane-style entertainment system to watch. Just be sure to get a seat-back holder that's as safe and secure as possible.