Driving Cross Country with a Toddler!

My 2 year old never watches TV except for the car. Not because we don't let him as much as he's just not interested. However, when stuck in the car for long periods of time, the DVD player has been an absolute lifesaver. We usually let him watch 1 movie, then either stop and get out for a little bit and let him run around (esp. any fast food places that have a playground area) or turn the TV off and tell him it's time to take a nap. We always make sure to bring his favorite stuffed animal and he still loves having the pacifier. We don't let him have a pacifier at home or day care anymore and use it as little as possible while on long trips but it does usually buy us another hour or so of peace. Other then that, I'd say your on the right track. Just little bits at a time and get as much driving in as possible while they sleep.

The magnet mazes and the car size draw pads (with the magnet stuff) or etcha sketch items are great! I would keep the finger foods at the ready too and play dough in a bag could be fun too!

I'd probably forgo the finger painting idea. A toddler alone in the back seat can find ways of opening things, even when they are taped shut. ;)

We have done a few long distance trips with toddlers (Texas to Florida and Texas to North Carolina). I would suggest a lap tray. I got one at Target that was soft (to keep safe in case we were in an accident) and had raised sides. That way my kids could play with figures and such without dropping them as often. Hot wheels cars were big fun for both of my kids.

Instead of the paint, consider an aqua doodle or a magnadoodle.

Finger puppets I bought at the dollar store have been a big hit on a few trips. Sometimes I would make them say and do funny things , but when the little ones played with them they were the perfect size to hold, even if they didn't have the dexterity to "do it right".

A small cookie sheet will make magnets portable. The magnets do get dropped and you have to search for them after the trip, but they are entertaining.

I have also brought little mini containers of play dough. With those trays, there was very little mess. And the surprise of play dough in the car entertained them for a few HOURS!

I also packed a surprise bag. A mom on here gave me that suggestion. When kids got bored or cranky, I would pull out a suprise to distract them...this worked especially well when I made the trip solo. Most of these things came from the dollar store, and may have only been played with momentarily, but they did their job of entertaining and staving off meltdowns.

Snacks, snacks and more snacks will help. We try to keep it healthy.

The library has books in a bag along with a CD or tape so the child can follow along with pictures while listening.

Lap tray is great for letting him play with play dough, toy cars, etc.

Any toys you bring should be wrapped in wrapping paper so there is the fun factor of opening.

Music CDs with good singalong type songs.

For rest area breaks we carried along a ride on scoot type toy so our son could burn a lot of energy very quickly.

And, of course, time the drive so a big chunk is during the night.

i know you're worried about this, but i just wanted to say i think you are overthinking it a bit. we traveled to florida from kansas (granted, not AS long a trip, but still 18 hours) with our son when he was 2 and then when he was 4. it was fine! they look out the windows, it's all a big grand adventure. it sounds like you have plenty to occupy him. try not to stress about it - THAT is what will make this trip a nightmare, when it could have been awesome. have fun!

Get some good music and have some family singalongs. Looking out the window was a lot more entertaining than we anticipated. And our rule for driving was that if the child was asleep, the car was moving as fast as we could manage down the road. The adults just got to hold it until the child woke up.

And reconsider the DVD player. It was a real lifesaver when we drove after dark.

We love our carseat Taby tray - it has edges so things don't fall off, a groove/tray for crayons or markers, and a cup holder.

http://www.taby.com/

We ordered a couple Caillou DVDs. They're nice because each segment is under 10 minutes long, so it's easier to control how much screen time the child is getting.