Movies

After a summer of car travel, you’ve realized that a portable DVD player isn’t so bad — in fact, it’s sort of a life saver. But there’s no way you’d give toddlers free reign over your expensive electronics.

Get them their own. Fisher-Price’s new Kid-Tough DVD player is designed to withstand drops. Plus the kid-friendly features, like dual grip handles and digital anti-skip buffer, make the Disney Princesses viewing that much smoother.

Your road trip will be easier, too.

Available at amazon.com.

Your toddler goes through books and DVDs like mad — and then gets tired of them. The waitlist at the library is too long, and you refuse to spend another $12.99 on a movie he’ll only watch once.

Recycle old copies of Goodnight Moon and Bob the Builder on Swaptree, a site where you can trade things like music and video games for the ones you actually want. All items are traded one-for one, and the only thing you pay for is the postage. Search groups relevant to what you covet — say, kiddie cookbooks — to narrow down the hunt, or peruse most-wanted lists (right now, Beauty and the Beast is a hot commodity). And if it all sounds too complicated it’s not: the entire process is detailed on the site.

Get swapping.

Visit swaptree.com.

Summer is usually when we let our minds wander to trashy beach reads and reality TV. But for kids, the season is a great time to learn something new.

Little Pim’s DVD series introduces little ones to vocab in Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese, and also English for those learning it as a second language. Geared toward the window between 6 months and 5 years, when children are most receptive to learning languages, the 35-minute videos teach everyday phrases with the help of an animated panda.

Get immersed.

Available at littlepim.com.

Some might call it a plasma or LCD, but in your house it’s “Super Nanny.” How else can you describe a device that never calls in sick or fails to keep kids blissfully occupied? Of course there’s the guilt associated with rubber-stamping all that SpongeBob and studies that suggest too much tube can lead to behavioral problems. So how do you curb the habit?

With the TV Time kit. It includes a piggy bank-like box, 15-minute sand timer and tickets good for 15-minutes worth of television or a DVD. When a child wants to watch something, she has to flip the timer and put a ticket in the box — the gig is up when the week’s allotted tickets are gone. Designed for 2 to 5-year-olds, the system can also work with older kids, especially when it comes to limiting video games and Internet surfing.

Who knows — it may even help with someone’s late-night Bravo addiction.

Available at mytvtime.com.

No matter what kind of drama is going on in your own life, get a babysitter, plan a girls’ night (or afternoon matinee) out, and laugh for an hour or two.

SNL alums Tina Fey and Amy Poehler take the lead in Baby Mama, in theaters today. The story goes something like this: Career gal Kate, 37 and single, has a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant. Enter Angie, her loudmouth South Philly surrogate. Kate – a classic UBer if there ever was one – tries to turn Angie into the perfect expectant mom (jumbo-sized prenatal vitamins included). Needless to say, hilarity – and an unlikely friendship – ensues.

As for the baby? We wouldn’t want to spoil the ending.

For more information, visit movies.aol.com.