Long Car Trip with My 18 Month Old

I would not subject myself or my child to go on so long of a trip without any type of entertainment. Get a portable DVD with apropiate movies or games, he would get tired anyway. Good luck

I'd make sure to add in extra time so that you can stop every couple of hours to give him a half hour to run around - find out where there are parks and such along your route. I'd also purchase some brand new toys and books, and not let him see them til the trip, make a new one appear every few hours.
Good luck!

I second that about breaking down and getting a dvd. You can choose what your son watches, but it was the thing that saved me when travelling long hours in the car with my daughter and on the plane

I took a long car trip this summer when my twins were 15 months old and their big sister had just turned 4. We have one portable DVD player and I only used it for the four year old - one movie per traveling day - usually before or after we stopped for dinner. The key to success definitely is taking lots of breaks. For lunch it works great to find a fast food restaurant with a playground to get your child good and tired and guaranteed to take a nice afternoon nap. Also, whoever isn't driving should sit next to your child to play and read stories and just talk (except during those times that it is likely that your child will sleep, of course!) Good luck and have a great trip.

We recently drove down to Georgia from New York and the trip took two days. We had our two kids (3 and 1) and had no DVD player. Playing their music CDs in the car was a huge help as well as having little books and plenty of snacks. The biggest thing was to make sure to stop every few hours just to stretch their legs. Good luck!

You could get a travel desk. One Step Ahead has a soft lap desk that is safe for car seats. That way your little one can play and eat during the ride. As far as the DVD player, I think it will be very helpful. You can get DVD's like Elmo's World that are educational. Curious George is good too. My 21-month-old loves them and she has actually learned things from them. If you don't want to buy a lot of DVD's, your local library probably has them. Good luck!

If u do go with the DVD, u could get something educational to watch. My son always loved to watch the planet earth series. Or you could get March of the Penguins or something like that. That would probably be cheaper than planet earth.

I don't think you have to get a DVD player, but you may need to adjust your expectations about how long the trip will take. Can you change your schedule so that the driving stretches over three days? It takes us a day and half to go from NYC to North Carolina with our little kids, and depending on where you're leaving from and heading to, you're talking about almost twice that distance. There may be times when your son just has to get out of the car, and you will all be happier if you listen to him! Other than that, I would plan to do a lot of the driving in the early morning hours or late at night, when he'll be asleep.

Good luck!
A.

good ideas- also, go to the library and get books on cd and new picture books to look at

I had a long drive with my daughter around that same age and borrowed a dvd player for just in case but I really didn't want to use it. We did fine without it for most of the trip. Our days were about 6-8hrs instead of 11 and we stopped for running around often. I ended up using the DVD one time (Praisebaby - a very gentle DVD with picture of kids and animals w/ music I didn't mind listening to). I pulled it out when it was about 10p and she wouldn't sleep. It did entertain her and I got another 30 min down the road before she was upset again but that was about it. The next day I was traveling with other relatives and we used it a bit more often because they didn't have the patience to stop as often as I would to let her run around and play. I would say it is nice to have as a back up but it is a matter of convenience you have to judge if it is worth the sacrifice. Oh - also - I really wished I had watched the DVD before the trip on my own or with her so I knew what she was seeing. I second the notion that animal videos are a nice way to go - March of the Penguins, etc. Good luck and enjoy your trip! :)

We've had very long drives with our toddlers and never had a DVD player in the car. We usually leave very early in the morning (5am) and the kids would fall back asleep for a few hours, then we'd stop for breakfast. We'd drive for several more hours, then stop for lunch and a good stretch. We'd hit the road again till dinner, etc. Have a safe trip.

I think you may have to break the rule and get a DVD player , imagine being strapped in the seat with nothing to do but look out the window!....he is going to have so much energy that he needs to burn off and being sat in the car it isn't going to happen. Is there any way you can make the drive time shorter and take a day or so longer to get to the destination....I have done long drives with 3 kids and find that 8 hrs is the limit , they then just become miserable and driving with them screaming is not pleasant.

OMG Good Luck!!
We flew from NY to Florida when my daughter was 18 months old and just the 2 hour plane ride was an "adventure"
Without the DVD player I think I would have gone nuts.
I did take a lot of new books I had bought and some snacks but that only lasts a short period of time. 11 hours times 2 days....THAT IS TOUGH.

I would just say do what you do to entertain him now, but just buy new items so they are new to him when he gets them and will want to look at them for a while.
Perhaps things that make sounds like electronic alphabet toys.
Things with shapes and colors etc.
Does he like music?
how about CD's of kid music to keep him happy.
I am sure you are going to have a lot of stops along the way.
Even when my daughter was 2 months and then 6 months we took her in the car to Florida and we had a lot more stops than we ever did before having her.
I would seriously think about the DVD's and just get DVD's that aren't so crazy for him.
My daughter loves the Fisher Price "Little People" series and it is not too active so he will not get over stimulated with it.
I do have a lot of the Elmo's world DVD's also and she loves them and sings the songs and all.
It is your call what you do and don't want to expose your son to, it is going to be difficult if you do or don't have the DVD player.
I just found that there was a lot more time between the crying events when I used the DVD player.

I hope you have a good trip and good luck to you.
Maybe all the frequent stops will tire him out a bit and he will sleep for you too?

Have a safe and wonderful trip.
Enjoy the sun and the warm weather!

P.

Looks like you have some good suggestions already, but what we've done on our several 16 hour trips between CT and GA is drive through the night. If you have two drivers available, you can make it work. What we've done is left around the kids' bedtime, and then we drive, taking turns each hour if necessary. One sleeps and the other drives. If the family that you'll visit in NC is accommodating, they'll even watch the kids a bit to let you get some rest (also, this way, you'd be there for a day visit, which has worked well for us when we stop with friends along the way). It's tiring for you, but it's worth it to get in all that uninterrupted driving time without worrying so much about entertaining the kids.

The DVD player worked for us in between the awake and sleep time when they couldn't move around to get comfortable. He would just gaze at the TV until he fell asleep. If he didnt have it he would have been screaming during that time. I did the same drive with 3 kids by myself so it helped me a lot.

Definitely get some new toys that he has never seen before. They will keep him occupied for some time. Not for the full 2 days, but at least some of the time. Thats what I do when I fly with my daughter and it keeps her attention longer than any of her toys she already has. Good Luck!

When my girls were 2 and 3 we drove form CT to Tampa, FL without a DVD player. I bought them each a new backpack and filled it with new toys including headphones so they could listen to "their" music and audio books. We stopped often, every 2 hours so they could pee and we would make them run. My husband and I would stand about 15-20 ft apart and have them race between us, it helped to get out their energy from being cooped up in the car. I also set aside a few new toys for the ride home so there was still something novel. Overall I spent about $80 on all of the toys for 2 kids, but it was so much better than a DVD player. We talked alot, sang silly kids songs, it was fun and they were good. Last year we went on a 4 hour trip (with 3 kids ages 11, 10 and 5)and tried to use the portable DVD player, 2 of my kids got car sick from looking at it instead of looking out the window. So be prepared that that can happen as well, making for a long stop until the tummy settles. Enjoy your trip!

I've taken a lot of long trips with my daughter when she was that young and never once did I have a DVD player. Yes, she enjoyed looking out the window. She also slept a whole lot. Just try to coincide your driving with her nap and sleep time and you won't need a DVD player. I also did not let her watch TV until she turned two, not even those Einstein videos.

In the car, it is all about your sanity. I say break the rule - go for the DVD with some fun, educational DVDs. I have 4 kids and all were Sesame Street fans, etc. My two year old can count to 20, knows all of his ABCs, colors, shapes etc. And being my youngest you can be sure he learned most (if not all) of it from Elmo and friends! Have fun...

BREAK THE RULE!!!!! There are wonderful shows out there (( we love Little Einsteins for one) that are educational as well as entertaining. Shows are no longer mindless dribble! Make the trip easier on ALL of you!!! A.

Hi S.,

Skip the DVD player. My husband and I moved across the country (New Mexico to New Jersey) when my son was just 15 months old and the trip went great. It was a five day journey with an extended stay in Chicago to visit family. We weren't sure how it was going to go, but it was relatively pain-free. We made sure to stop every two hours for a quick 5-10 minute break to stretch, change his diaper, get some fresh air, and then we jumped back into the car. The only exception was when we stopped to eat (then it was easily an hour break) or when he fell asleep and then we drove as far (and fast!) as we could until he woke up. I packed a number of his favorite toys, and then I also bought a few new toys and books that he could enjoy when he was bored. We had lots of snacks, plenty to drink, and his favorite blanket and stuffed animal for him to always keep in his lap. There was only one point of the trip when he was exceptionally fussy, so we just quickly found a rest stop and let him run, run, run until he wore himself out.

Your kiddo will love looking out the window and watching the scenery. I know I traveled across the country several times when I was a kid and NEVER needed a DVD player. I always brought plenty of books, a pillow to nap on, and I was quite happy.

Good luck! Enjoy your trip!

I have 3 boys and travel a few times a year with all of them. We have a DVD player in our van but I don't even know if it works. We let the boys pick a couple of toys and books to bring and their lovies. We also stop every couple hours to get out and stretch our legs and have snacks. I survived road trips without watching movies just fine, my kids will, too.

We have done it with DVD player and without. Mine are very used to long car rides. Take lots of breaks while he is awake. When he is asleep, drive.