1St Long Car Ride - How Will We Survive?

I have taken several LONG car rides with my kids. In September we drove to California, and we took 2 days to get there. I packed the car full of snacks that they like, and I had a cooler that plugged into the ciggarette lighter outlet and I put their drinks in there. It made things go smoothly. Now I know you said you dont have a portable DVD player, but we did use one. It kept them both occupied, so if you have the money to get one I would recommend it. I also have the color wonder paper and paint so they could paint during the drive and with that paint there is no mess it only shows up on the paper :) Good Luck !!!

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We have had several car trips to Dallas and Austin....We always did the opposite timing of what you mentioned. We left in the evening so the kids would sleep most of the time we drove. My husband and I would take turns dozing and driving. Granted, we were a little tired when we arrived, but usually there were plenty of people willing to take over child care so we could nap when we arrived.

Your idea to take finger food is perfect. A CD or cassette of kids music is also helpful - if you can stand to listen to it yourself.

I suggest ignoring anyone who tells you to dose her up with Benedryl. As tempting as it may be...why push drugs. (Also, somehow it always had the OPPOSITE effect on my kids and kept them up. Bummer!)

Good luck and drive safely!

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We used to travel all over with our daughter without any problems. She is now 32 years old so our travels were before CD players and DVD players. We did a lot of singing (or I did a lot when she was the age of yours) and believe me I can't carry a tune in a bucket but she didn't know that. She had books to look at (I can't read in the car) and we did a lot of pointing out things along the way....cows, horses, colors of cars, etc. As far as food, we always took a variety of finger foods such as you mentioned plus fruit, cheese and juice and water. Juice boxes sure would have been nice. I'm not sure what 16 1/2 month old kids can eat these days but my daughter was eating everything at that age. I would highly recommend that you give her bottled water or water from home the whole trip. The one problem that we had on one trip was a bad case of diarhea and we were told it was probably due to the change in the water even though the water was from a city water source in the U.S. Differences in the mineral content. Have a good trip and happy holidays. Traveling with a child that age can be lots of fun.

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I usually get them something new, not very big to occupy their time, depending on what she likes, aquadoodles look cool, some baby doll excessories, a new book etc. But for us, the key is SNACKS, they eat and eat and eat on the road, so I try to make them fairly healthy, freeze dried fruit, edamame, almonds, whole wheat crackers, cheese sticks, apples, etc. We just took my 23 mo old on her first really long car ride (it was 12 hours), and it went fine, actually she did better than my 4 year old! Another thing you might want to get from the library or something are some sing-along type cds. You might make more stops than usual, but it will go well. No need for a DVD player!

K.

We drive to Cleveland at least once a year and I will tell you that no matter what you are going to have a long day. Plan on stopping every two hours. Most of the rest stops along the way are great, I think Illinois's are the best. When you stop you should also budget around a half an hour. We tried leaving early in the morning one time and he was just awake. I have heard people say that they think it is easier going overnight and I haven't tried it yet. It would eliminate all of the stopping though. Each time we would stop we'd change him, feed him and walk around/play out of the car for a bit. I had plenty of toys in the front seat that I would give one at a time to him to keep him occupied. Either way if you go in the day time you should expect that by the end you may be stopping for breaks more frequently than the two hours. Skyline chili (in Ohio) was a great stop for lunch and kid friendly. Next time we are either doing it over two days, flying or driving overnight. After you take this trip I'm sure you'll be thinking about just flying next time too! It really isn't that bad :)! I try not to remember the days when it only took 10 hours to get there! If you leave at 4 or 5 in the morning you can expect to actually get there around 7 p.m.

Good luck and let me know if you'd like anymore tips. Like I said we make that trip a lot.

Oh, and the crazy glowing candle outlet store also make a great stop. The bathrooms are great and there is a lot to look at.

We are going to go to Canada and it takes us 23 hours to make the 1 way trip!!

I take books, basket of toys between the girls so they can share. We sing songs, play road games, nap. Every 3-4 hours we get them out to stretch and change diapers. As for food, take healthy snacks in a cooler. We take bologna, diced up, apples, peeled and diced, cheese, diced, crackers etc. If you have a laptop, take that and watch dvds on it.

My girls are 6 and 2 and they have been great on the trips we've had going to Canada. In Aug. we went to Canada and drove straight thru for an emergency in the family and we took turns sleeping/driving. Girls did great for having to be in a carseat for such a long trip. This time we are getting a motel half way. Coming home we have to go thru Washington DC so it will be 225 miles longer so will get a room coming home as well.

Maga doodles are great for kids to draw on. They make small ones for little kids.
Have a safe trip
J.

As someone who has had to make a 4 hour journey with 2 little ones by myself I can tell you that whatever money you put into a portable DVD player is worth your sanity 10X over. Really and truly. I would simply break down and buy one. We went from whiny crabby kids to completely placid and happy campers (even on a 14 hour trip to TX this past summer). Each kid gets to pick their own DVD's and they take turns playing them. Another aspect of the DVD player that many don't realize is that it keeps the kids AWAKE! Let me tell you...showing up at the end of your destination and having kids wound to the nith degree while you are ready to drop is NOT fun! If you keep them up, then you are all tired at the same time and you are less likely to disrupt your normal sleep patterns. Trust me...this is an investment in your sanity! We bought ours 2 years ago and all I did was sit there and wonder why on earth I waited so long...it's worth scraping together all your pennies to get or borrow one...trust me...and every other blogger here will tell you that too!

As for the snacks, I recommend prepackaging them into individual snack bags so you can portion control. I did goldfish crackers, animal crackers, mini cookies, gummies, and trail mix (although I probably would have been further ahead just doing m & ms). Also keep the baby wipes handy for wiping hands and make sure you pack some plastic Walmart bags and keep them handy incase of car sickness - you'll need the bags for the barf as well as for the clothing. I also bought individual squeeze bottles (or sippie cups depending on ages) so that liquids could be used and not spilled as easily...make sure whatever container you get fits into their little cup holder. That way they feel like a big kid having their own drink with them.

As for other toys/games. I liked lap desks. Crayola makes an awesome Turtle that stores crayons and markers in it. I'm a HUGE fan of the Color Wonder stuff as it only colors on their paper. I also invested in the color rub paper...where you just rub it with something and it colors (advertised on TV but I found at Walmart). The aquadoodle type stuff is also cool and doodlepros were HUGE hits for the kids in the car. I also got a milk crate and put it between their seats with books and stuff. I had subscribed to Highlights and had several issues of the search and find books and that alone took up nearly 4 hours of their time! It's hard to find them these days but remember those travel books we had as kids where it was like a magic pen...you used the pen to reveal stuff...those rock on these trips. Leapster/leapfrog products are awesome if your eldest has the patience to follow the directions...but keep in mind this type of activity will likely intensify the motion sickness. There are also handheld (cheap price wise) games by Fisher Price and others like Candyland that your eldest might like. If you are death on NOT getting the DVD player I would suggest going to the library and at least finding some books on tape/CD. Yes, they do have children's books on tape and disc. This will save your voice from always having to read to them. I would also recommend taking come children's music (you know the good old standby's..She'll be coming round the mountain, Old MacDonald, etc.) That will also save your voice although if you sing Old MacDonald yourself you can get your 4 1/2 yr old to pick the animals. We found we had to limit the kids CD music when it was piped through the whole care because eventually it just got on our nerves.

I would also consider stopping more frequently. We found a stop about every 2 hours was good unless they were sleeping...at least let them get out and run around for a few minutes...even pack a ball they could kick. Granted if there is snow that may not be possible. I would also google restaurants along the way that may have play places...our kids weren't really into eating there (they did that back in the car) but man 30 minutes in there was GOLD for running off that pent up energy! Well worth the potty breaks there! McDonald's, Chic-Fil-A and Burger King were godsends!

Oh, and if your 16 mo is using a binkie make sure you have it on a leash or you will drive yourself crazy when she drops or throws it. And if you don't have a leash and can't make one...keep at least 4 spares in the console...that way you are only picking them up when you make stops and not having to crawl over seats to find them.

It sounds to me like you have all the basics covered!!!! Have a wonderful and SAFE trip. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :)

T. W.

I have some relatives that have a 4 year old and an 18 month old. They often drive from Colorado to mid-MO (I think about 12 hours?). They always leave in the evening and take turns driving during the night. The kids sleep the whole way usually. Then, they take a nap when they get there in the morning. Don't know if that's a option for you, just an idea.

You have a bunch of great suggestions already. I would only add one more idea if you are traveling with another adult. When I went on a 10-hour trip with my little niece, my sister and I took turns sitting in back with her to entertain her with picture-taking, funny faces, tickles, pointing out the sights, playing games, etc. It made the time pass more quickly for everyone I think!

Probably the first thing I would suggest is not to plan on making this trip in 10 hours - you might even think of leaving the night before and travelling through the night so she will sleep through the night in the car. That is ONLY if you and your husband can stay awake for the driving yourselves. But if that doesn't work, just plan on making lots of stops and letting her walk around and stretch. Make sure she has lots of toys or activities to play with - only give her a few at a time otherwise you are going to have so much to pick up - maybe every two or three hours, pull out a new toy or activity for her to do....something like that will help. One last thing - if she likes to listen to songs or stories on CD - be sure to let her listen to those too. Good luck - you will survive!!!!Merry Christmas!!

Kid's music and books. You can go to the local public library to get something new and exciting for her too.

Also with leaving early, let her stay up until she crashes the night before, that way she might want to sleep more....

Good luck.

I am very fortunate as my daughter has always travelled pretty well. We talk about it before we leave, so she is expecting to be in the car for a very long time and we will get to Grandma and Grandpa's house in the dark time. We drive during the day as it is just me, but I definately recommend driving at night, as there are 2 of you that can take turns driving. A definate plus is that you won't have to deal with much bad traffic during that time. However, you will have to contend with weather, and I personally would rather drive and be able to see where the snow and ice are on the roads during the day, instead of just feel it at night.

Keep snacks, and liquids in the car in a small cooler for the little one to help keep down on the stops, but definately be prepared that travelling with a child is going to be different than the two of you travelling without her. Expect to make a lot of stops, especially if you travel during the day. Sing songs, talk about plans for your visit in PA, point out Christmas decorations, animals and vehicles/machinery that you see, bring books for her to look at, her favorite toys and hopefully you have a couple of surprise toys too, to bring out that are new or she hasn't seen in a long time.

Have fun, safe travels and Happy Holidays!

I always prepare to stop a little more often with kids. No more driving straight through for us. We stop and let the kids run on a playground at a rest stop for five or ten minutes. That's just for a 3 hour drive, so I'd imagine a longer one would warrant a few stops to stretch the little muscles. You'll know when it's time to stop.

Check out this website...
http://www.momsminivan.com/index.html

It has ideas for babies, toddlers, and older kids. Our first trip was an 8 hour drive with a 6 month old...bad weather and longer stops and it was about 10 hours.

Good luck!
R.

I was going to suggest the "leaving early" option which you mentioned. My husband and I took our daughter on a trip when she was just at 1 year and it was a slighlty shorter trip, only 8 hours compared to your (hopeful) 10. Anyway, she did great, she wasn't a great sleeper, but she slept almost half way there, then we stopped, did a diaper change, got some breakfast, and back on the road. There was really only a few occassions that she started getting fussy but that was the trip back home. We would just pull off to a gas station, do a diaper change, and let her walk around the station for a few minutes, and then back on the road. We only stopped for actual food once on the way there and once on the way back, and it really only added about 30 minutes each way to the trip. If she is mature enough, you could try to play a game with her, like see who can be first to spot more Christmas lights, try to be the first to spot a blue car, or red, etc. You could make it a fun learning game with her. I also would sing to my daughter some of her favorite nursery rhymes, until my husband couldn't take it anymore and would ask me to stop :-) Anyway, good luck and I hope you have a safe trip there and back and a very Merry Christmas!

Keep everything as close to her routine as you can. If she sleeps ok in the car, then try leaving around bedtime instead of in the morning. Get her good and worn out so she will go to sleep fast and she will be more likely to sleep most of the way. If you drive at night, you will also not have to make as many stops for food. Make sure you take plenty of things for her to drink, her favorite blanket/lovey, and snacks are ALWAYS a good idea. Also make sure you have a bucket or something for her to be sick in and stuff to clean up with just in case. Trust me from experience on this one. A car sick toddler is bad enough without having to scramble for cleaning supplies.

We have taken trips with our girls leaving early in the morning hoping they would stay asleep but they were too excited getting up and starting out and they always end up staying awake for several hours. What we found worked really well when we drove a 22 hour trip one time with our youngest 17 months old was to leave in the evening the night before, my husband and I taking turns driving and sleeping. Then the kids were awake a few hours, got out and messed around for a bit, got them ready to sleep, then hit the road again and drove all night. Then when they woke up in the morning most of the trip was over. We actually did this on a 12 hour trip to Denver once too and worked really well.

If you have a nice library, you can rent some books on tape/cd to play in the car. You might be able to find something she would like to listen to for awhile.

Or if your car has the legspace, check out some brand new books and towards the end when she is getting bored with it all, sit back there with her and read the new books.

Good luck,
S.

I know that you said you don't have a portable DVD player but I would strongly suggest borrowing one or buying one (there are probably some good deals right now) - because a normal 10 hour drive w/ 2 little ones will take at least 1 hour longer for potty breaks, etc. You can't expect them to sit for 10 hours without getting out of the car. As far as food goes - I would take a lunch box and pack items that you would normally feed both of them w/ fruit, etc... that way you can feed them that if you and your husband aren't hungry yet. Do you have any children CD's? That might help - or a Leapster for your 4 year old? I feel for you for such a long trip. Good luck.

When our kids were small we traveled during the night. We'd leave late so the kids could sleep in the car. It worked really well. We still do that sometimes even though they are older. You might want to ask a friend if they have a portable DVD you can borrow. Ask around. It will be very helpful for those times that your daughter is awake. Do plan to stop every now and then to let her stretch and walk around and for a diaper change. That can be uncomfortable after a while. Good luck and God Bless and Merry Christmas.

Not sure if this will work for you or not, but we took my 16 mo old to Manitoba a few weeks ago - 14 hour drive - and we left about 6pm and drove through the night so she slept most of the way. I brought Cheerios and bottled water for snacks for her. We drove to Estes Park when she was 13 months old and did that during the day which she did great with - only a couple of meltdowns - but we did have to stop more often than we normally would, probably every 2-3 hours to change her diaper, have a snack and run around. It helps if one of you can sit in the back with her to keep her company and entertained. I was surprised - it went much more smoothly than I expected. Good luck!

ugh..we're travelling with our 17 month...our drive is only 6 hours though. we just made the trip not too long ago though. my girl is really into putting lids on and taking them off of things. I got those little playdough's and those have been a wonderful distraction. just give a light colored one...luckily my daughter doesn't make a huge mess with it..she's more into stacking them up and playing with the lid. i don't care if she gets messy though..whatever will keep her happy. The other idea is STICKERS. i stick them all over her and she spends forever trying to take them off and put them back on. a little lesson in there too to teach body parts as you put them on. I've also gotten pressed fruit bars from whole foods. kind of like fruit roll ups but a way different and better consistency for kids their age. my daughter can hold it herself and she LOVES them. i think they may have something like it by gerber too...by all the baby food in stores. any NEW kind of food item for something different is always a good distraction.

GOOD LUCK and if you find a great trick please share!

Growing up my Mom always made trip bags for my brother and I. It was a bag of new toys, coloring book, crayons (don't do crayons in hot weather, they'll melt in the car), etc. so we had new things to play with on the drive.

Also, the more you can travel at night when the kid is sleepy, the better to just make it a long nap time.

Merry Christmas!
C.

no time to read all of the responses! But here's what's worked for my family: do the new toys,snacks, etc. BUT, individually wrap the items....even the snack packs. Dole out the "surprises" one every hour or so....to help spread out the excitement & fun!!

It works....I promise!! Even a small snack box of raisins becomes a special treat when treated as a surprise.

Happy Holidays & have a safe trip.

First Good luck. We have been in the military for 15 years and have gone home to Pennsylvania the day after Christmas every year so far. We are in Belleville, IL now but the furthest we have been is San Antonio, TX (32 hour drive). We have three boys and we have found that leaving at bedtime is the best if you can do it. My husband and I take turns driving and can usually drive stopping only for gas at night. Once the kids wake up we stop everytime the baby (now 2 years old) gets cranky. If we stop for a few minutes to let him out of his seat he is good for a while. Also I buys some new toys or books at the Dollar store or a toys he has seen in a while. Then I bring them out one at a time when him gets restless. This also buys sometime between stops. We find that it takes us about two hours longer to get to PA with kids then is does with out.