Car Ride to Wisc Dells with 2 Yr Old

Hi I have a 4 yr old and a 18 mos old and we travel quite a bit. We have a DVD player, lots of books, Crayola Color Wonder sets, and little toys. We too try to start out a little before lunch or bed time when we travel, but I would consider eating lunch early. My kids fall asleep quickly in the car and expecially after they eat or maybe you could see if they fall asleep and then stop just before you get there. We have learned to be very flexible when we travel. Have fun!

A trip to the Dells is nothing... seriously nothing.

Don't plan on your daughter staying awake before lunch though. My daughter will usually zonk out in the car regardless of what time it is if we've been in the car longer than a hour. I'm sure your daughter will have a nice long nap it just might not be the time you desire her to.

We drive Mpls-Chicago several times a year. The Dells is roughly our half way mark where we stop for lunch. My daughter is 6 years old and always and still does nap almost the entire trip or most of it. Something about driving through boring Wisconsin just knocks her out.

I would bring a dvd player if possible, crayola markers that only write on certain paper, kid cd's to listen to window clings you decorate your window at home with for holidays just stuff like that.

We do a lot of the Crayola magic markers in the car, I also bought one of the Fisher price hand held games (has crayons on it) that our son loves!!
I buy or get from the library a new kid CD each car ride (we have to go 2 hours to my in-laws).
I also take along books that I read from the front seat. I hold it up over my head and read the story.
When ALL else fails, we have a travel DVD player that I put in Baby Einstein or Sesame Street for the ride.
Good luck and be creative!!

Hi A.-
I have taken my daughter who was 2 at the time to Detroit, which is 7.5 hours. We used the in car dvd player, which was a god send. I didn't let her watch it the entire time, but it helped when we hit Chicago traffic. If you aren't a fan of tv/dvds, try a lap tray with crayons, a coloring book, or a travel size magna doodle or get a car cd of kids songs. (But that may be tedious for you) The dells trip isn't too far, so good luck and have fun!

L.

I also have a 2 year old and travel once in awhile. If you don't have a DVD player...I highly suggest one. Our son also has a notpad and crayons to draw with as well. Map out the trip ahead of time. When we took him on an 8 hour drive...I mapped out different places to stop on the way..
Examples: some rest areas had play equipment, McDonalds with playlands, we even stopped at a mall that I knew had a childrens play area. The trip took a little longer making extra stops, but he was able to release some energy and play. It made the drive a lot more relaxing.

I have looked into travel necessities for traveling with children since my husband and I drove to Atlanta from Milwaukee last summer. We managed without any meltdowns, but picked up some handy things along the way. One thing my 2 year old LOVED were the Mudpuppy Sticker Play Scenes:

http://uggamugga.blogspot.com/2008/05/mudpuppy-sticker-pl...

I'd suggest purchasing a set prior to the trip and pulling that out when your daughter wants an activity. And then I'd purchase a Snack Trap for her to snack as she pleases which helps adults and children pass the time:

http://uggamugga.blogspot.com/2008/03/snack-trap.html

I fill my daughter's with Os, Kix and raisins and she is as happy as can be with those and some water to drink.

You can also purchase a few new little toys like the Parents Magazine MP3 player or cell phone from Target which my kids have in the car to play with on longer rides to see their grandparents. And then singing and music is a big hit.

Best of luck!

We just recently took a road trip to Oklahoma from North Dakota with our 3 kids who will be 5 & 3 in July and just turned 1 in April. We've done long road trips before and what we've done is movies, singing songs, snacks, special toys they picked out themselves before we left, stickers & sticker books, and pointing out things we see as we go. We also usually stopped every couple hours or so and just got out of the car for a little bit. Hope this helps and enjoy your vacation!

We have a four year old, but I'm trying to think of the things we did two years ago--books in the car, if someone can sit in back and read to her. MagnaDoodle. Brand new stickers and a page to put them on (for our son, we draw a farm and give him animal stickers). My aunt suggested band-aids. CDs. A portable DVD player. We have stopped at fast food places with play areas, let him play through our supper, and let him eat in the car--it's only 20 minutes, but sometimes 20 minutes means the world. Coloring books--esp. Crayola's Color Wonder books (I wouldn't do the finger paints in the car, though.). Those books where you color over the picture to make it appear--with the orange marker? We picked up new books from the library and had our four year old "read" them to us using the pictures--not sure if she's ready for that, but new books can be fun just to look at. Items from the dollar store. We have actually stolen the toys from kids' meals for a month beforehand and given them to our kid when he's at meltdown point. And, probably most importantly--we try to stop frequently (for us, that's every 2-3 hours) so our boys can get out, stretch, move around.

Take a small ice chest with treats, juices and snacks.
Also designate a bag of toys and activies that are only used for car trips. This makes them more special and the kids don't get bored, and finally buy a new movie for that extra long car ride so it keeps their attention. Don't forget to stop and let them run around and strech before continuing with the trip. Good luck

We travel from Nebraska to Wisconsin about 5-6 times a year are youngest is now 3 and to keep them entertained I have a bag of surprises. Everything from coloring books to little toys and fruit snacks. We are not big on having the dvd in the van as both my husband and I think there is a lot to be looked at out the windows. We play travel games like I spy and help me find someing "blue". Not knowing your distance you are traveling you can also try traveling at night if that works...that is a big help for us also.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation!!

Sue

We go to South Dakota. DVD is a lifesaver but before I gave into buying one I had a backback full of toys and games just for the car. Highly suggest Color Wonder products. I think it is Avon carried a lap tray so they can do coloring or games. Even pack a baggie of big blocks. Hope it helps. P.

Why not go and she can fall asleep on the trip. Then take her favorte stuffed animal or blanket. Take some snacks, toys. and a game or make up some games. (Like, who can spot the cow, horse, a pond, get some books to read, play some songs and sing along, work books. Hope that helps and have a wonderful trip.

I take long car rides with my kdis all the time. We are leaving Friday for Iowa (with kids about 10-12 hours). Be sure to pack snacks and enough toys to keep her occupied. Good luck:-) I also bought a portable DVD player that works great fot my 3 year old. Hope this helps. Have a great vacation.

We don't encourage a lot of TV time at home so when we are in the car the DVD player is a lifesaver! Especially when there are some great movies for kids - little einstein has some great educational ones. We also take several books to read and Music CDs are awesome. Get some with all kids songs and the whole famiy can sing along with them - Although you will probably grow tired of them long before she does! We also like to travel at night, helps the sleeping issues! Have a great trip and enjoy your famiy time in the car!

We have travel to Milwaukee every 2 mos or so with our kids: a 2.5 yr old boy and now a 3 mo old girl. Maybe because we go so often, our trips are usually a breeze! The key is to be prepared and pack your car so everything is easy to find and reach.

Have snacks and a drink (in a sippy cup with valve!)

Good toys are: Magnadoodle, electronic toys like a play phone (though these can get annoying depending on the volume!) and your daughters favorite books. Also bring along a CD of fave music - if you don't have one - try a Laurie Birkner CD.

Make the trip fun by pointing out what you see along the way - my son now likes watching for big trucks and tells me what color they are. He likes watching out the window so much now that he hardly played with any of the toys I brought on our last 2 trips.

If she needs a break, take a break - to me your planned stop will be perfect timing.

Have fun - travelling with kids can and should be!!

First, have a great vacation!! We have one of the Little People CD's in our player and our girls LOVE to listen and sing along to the songs on that, we dance and sing as we go along....another thing we have is the leap frog for little learners and they like to look at those books and they are interactive, books are great as are trinkty type stuff that they can tinker with for a while...the DVD player is always great too. Have fun and good luck!!

Hi-
We just did a drive to Chicago with our 4 yr old and 19 month old and it went fine. We made sure to feed them a big breakfast and they really enjoyed looking out the window at all the cars and trucks and cows, etc. We stopped for lunch (after 2 hours driving) and let them run around for a good hour after we ate.
We did purchase a portable DVD player which I was glad for as it was plugged in after lunch and the 19 month fell asleep and it pleased the 4 year old. We unfortunately hit rush hour and were in traffic for another 2 hours. They were really great and once we got to our hotel we just let them run loose and burn off that energy. The key was the long lunch stop. Going home, we did the same. The total drive time with all the stops was 8 hours! Bring books, toys, and take them out sparingly. Have fun!

We've done alot of car traveling all over the country with my 4 kids and the best things that have worked for us are:
1. Have lots of little snacks. Expect that your vehicle will need a good cleaning after the trip :)
2. We went to the dollar store prior to the trip and bought up a bunch of little trinkets. For 2 yr olds, it does not necessarily have to be a "toy", just something of interest. My kids were absolutely fascinated with scotch tape. We then wrapped them up in wrapping paper (very loosely and with little tape for a 2 yr old). During the trip we "surprised" the kids with presents every so often. The wrapping paper kept the younger ones entertained for quite awhile and then they could play with their new "toy".
3. Make frequent stops and let them get out and run. Depending how far we are going, we usually plan on stopping at every rest stop along the way, most are about 50-60 miles apart.
4. Talk, talk, talk to them about everything you see. When they get older you can play games like I Spy, find the color and the license plate game.
Good luck.

The in car DVD player saved our sanity on a 10 hour drive with our 2 year old. If I ever hear the Elmo's world song again I may go into a fit, but none the less, she loved it. She was quiet and was great the whole way! We made stops every so often to let her out and run around. We brought snacks, activities such as books, and magnadoodles and I sat in the back seat with her. Have a great time!

The best thing we found is Dental Floss. Our daughter found it in my purse on a plane ride. It kept her busy for almost an hour. It was quiet, cheep and only took a minute to gather all the string once she was bored with it. You would need to watch her with it obviously since it really is not a safe toy. Good Luck. Prepare for the worst, expect the worse than the trip feels like a success regardless!

Hi, I'm live in the Dells but my parents live 2 1/2 hours north and my oldest son lives with his Dad 2 1/2 hours south in IL. I have a 2 1/2 year old boy and my daughter just turned one. We make the drive to Il everyother weekend. When I make the drive with just me and the babies I make sure they have lot of new books and toys that they only get to play with in the car. We also have CD's with stories and nursery rhyms. Veggie tails is my sone's favorite. Last March we all made a trip to TN it was a 15 hour drive. We left at bed time and got there by lunch the next day. They last couple hours when they just wanted out I pulled out a portable dvd player and a favorite disney movie. Good luck.

A., we make this trip every January.
Although I generally believe in "less is more" when it comes to tv viewing, this is a good time to break the rule. If you have a DVD player in your car/van - use it! If you don't, borrow a portable one from someone who does.
Also, lots of healthy snacks can keep a little one occupied and happy. We also make a point of keeping our Magna Doodle in the car. It is great for lots of drawing, and of course is a hard surface, too, which is what you need to do that! If your daughter doesn't dig the Magna Doodle, get some of the Crayola markers that only work on the special paper.. they won't mark up your vehical when they are dropped.
Last, stop at a playgound at somepoint to let her run off some energy. Even if it is only 20 minutes. This helps tremendously! Have fun.

There are a lot of rest stops between the Twin Cities and the Dells. How about stopping somewhere safe where she can run around for awhile and maybe bring along some outdoor toys. Have fun!

I understand your fear but if she is happy for a 40 min ride she will probably be fine for a longer trip. I think you are doing the right thing trying to stick to her normal schedule. It might not work as some kids fall asleep on long rides no matter what but if she only sleeps at regular nap time you will have an easier time once you are there and for putting her to sleep in a new place. If you see her getting fussy at a time you really don't want a long stop try switching seats. Having Mommy or Daddy sitting next to her playing can be all that is needed and changing seats only takes a minute stop. My kids loved reading books in the car and we were lucky enough at one time to find a play set of window clings with Little Einstein characters. One of the biggest hits for my daughter at 2 was a small dry erase board. We put all the markers in a pencil case with a zipper and she took it everywhere. You could even use some velcro to put it somewhere she could reach in the car. Another hit was a lap board - it has a hard board on one side and beanbag on the other so they can put it on their lap and play with cars, color pictures, or whatever. Have a great trip.

We travel quite a bit with our 12 year old & 2 year old girl and went to the Dells last year (6 hours for us). DVD player is wonderful with some new movies (either rented, borrowed or from the library). Snacks, books and her babies that she talks to and plays with. Have you tried magnets on a cookie sheet? Bigger ones that can't be swallowed. They keep them occupied for a long time. Good Luck!

When my daughter was about 2 we took her to the Mall of America (we live near Milwaukee, WI) and she slept most of the way. However, we did have music she likes and some games. I used an idea I got from my mom from back in the 80's (she moved 3 kids - ages 8, 5 and 2 to California and back). She took a cake pan with a lid (metal preferably as she took magnetic letters too) and put a coloring book, crayons, small toys and magnetic letters inside. We would use them on our laps to have a "desk" for coloring and playing and the metal was for the magnets to stick to. Then we could store it all inside without losing anything. When we did this we also put some snacks inside for our daughter. She was always good as long as she had snacks. Also a book she liked to look at.

Also, there are some games you cna play with her. If she is learning her colors, you can have fun finding things/cars of certain colors. Or look for different things on the road - cows, trucks, fences, etc.
We also love playing the "duck game" If you come up to a bridge you will drive under, yell duck and everyone has to bend over so they don't hit their heads. Most kids love this game.

We just got back from the Dells on Monday, have a blast!

Wrap up little presents, for my boys I have wrapped up fast food toys or race cars - anything she likes. Then when she is getting crabby give her a little gift for being so good in the car.

What works great with our son for long car trips is to buy him a few new toys. Nothing fancy, just inexpensive things he has never played with or seen before. On our last trip I got him a couple new books that make noises when you hit the buttons. This occupied him for a long time. We also have children's music that he likes to listen to. Little things like this have really helped us since I have taken him to visit family in Tennessee and we drive straight through. Good luck!

We went to the Dells last fall with our 2 yr old son. We have had great luck in the car with him by bringing some new toys he hasn't seen yet(think dollar store litle stuff), and pulling them out as needed. Traveling around nap/bed time is helpful. If you haven't already, invest in a dvd player for the car- we save ours for long tips only! You'll have a great time in the Dells. We LOVED it- can't believe I waited my whole life to go. We're planning another trip this fall.

How far are you from the Dells? We are about 45 mins. from there. When we went, our kids would fall asleep just down the interstate. Our grandson was that way also, but, when he did get out of the nap stage, he was talking and we would talk on the way up.

How about a music CD and try singing to it for awhile. Then you could make a game out of looking for animals or objects that she would know? I really don't know what else you could do, being she is in a car seat and she might be a little young to be looking at books the whole way. Are you going to be sitting in the back with her? If so, you might be able to get creative and do some activities there.

HI Amy, You picked a fun place to go with a 2 year old! We just took our son back in March, he loved it. We live only about 2 hours away but he got very bored very fast. My suggestion is to sit in back with her and have books and a few toys to keep her occupied. I am not sure how far of a drive you have. When we take longer trips (about 5 hours), he did very well and I thought he would of napped most of the way...no he didnt but he was happy in the car, so maybe she will too! Good luck and have a lot of fun in the Dells, we love it there. We love the Polynesian resort, lots of good times!

I know she is only 2 but my great nephew is 2 1/2 and likes to draw & color. I would suggest crayola wonders so she can draw or color. Otherwise good old fashioned paper or color books & crayons. They make these mini twister crayola crayons & fat ones for pre-school age that don't break or need sharpened. I hope this helps.