Any advice on how to keep a 17-month-old baby entertained during a 7-hour car trip? I am dreading traveling next week. She may nap for an hour or two at most. Traveling at bedtime is not possible. Thanks!
We are traveling about 7 hours to go back to Michigan for Thanksgiving, we also have a 16 month old. The last time we went back we left at 4:00 am. They slept a good 3 hours or so, then by that time we stoped to go the bathroom, get something to eat, then it was back on the road. We got there about noon. Make sure you have snacks, toys, etc. It should be fine.
Actually, I have a lot of experience with this! (family in Detroit.) It definitely will take longer than you want. Don't plan on one long stop, like a long meal - instead, plan on several shorter stops. Bring toys she hasn't seen before - just small stuff, and hand it out when the kids get antsy. I used to have a child tray that I got at a baby store that was nice at that age - they could color and put their crayons on the tray, which sat over the car seat arms. Magnadoodle is also good for the car.
Bring lots of kid music and read books (bring a book light if you're traveling after dark.) Sing and tell stories. If she watches TV, think about a portable DVD player. Loony Tunes shorts are perfect for the car, and they come in a boxed set. Anything short seems to be good - we have a lot of old cartoons that we watch in the car. Wallace and Grommit shorts, too. If you're traveling during the day you can play simple games like I spy or "who can find a car that's red" to distract them for a few minutes.
Avoid junk food and sugar - it just makes everyone feel bloated and cranky. Bring some healthy snacks for the car, like fresh fruit, cheese, crackers. Bring bottled water, because in cold weather the inside of a car after a long trip gets really dry.
In my experience, going at bedtime has mixed results - sometimes we just arrive at midnight with very tired kids who just fell asleep at 11, and then you don't enjoy the whole next day (because everyone is so tired and cranky.) So I wouldn't worry too much about not being able to travel at bedtime. Good luck!
We made a 15 hour trip to the beach this summer and a DVD player saved our lives. We got the one with the dual screens so both kids had one!
Books and toys, lots of snacks, sing songs, stop often and let her run around to blow off some steam. Consider sitting in the back for a while so you can read to her and show her pictures. Plan on the trip taking at least a hour longer, due to stops.
We just did a road trip to Branson, MO over the summer and I was dreading it because I figured she would be screaming the whole way! I was wrong!!! Plus we had 3 vehicles going and 12 people. So you can imagine the chaos just getting on the road! lol
We made sure we stopped every 90 mins or so... I have a weak bladder so no choice! lol It gave her a chance to run around and check out new things. We also sang songs in the car and I was lucky enough to have my neice riding in our car so she helped for awhile as well. I think the biggest life saver though was the DVD player. It will not help your sanity though to listen to Barney or the Wiggles for hours but it beats a screaming toddler! lol
We also left at 5am to beat the traffic and then our first stop was for breakfast and to get out of her jammies! It was about a 12 hour trip since we stopped so often but an added 2 hours was not bad!
Make sure you bring her favorite blanket and a few small toys and I am sure you will have a great trip! This is awful but I even brought along Benedryl for just in case. I got the dosage from the Dr before hand but never had to use it- thankfully!
Good luck and I hope you have a fun and safe trip! Blessings to you and yours!
