Road Trip with a Toddler

I asked this same question and have been looking for things ever since... I came to a conclusion. You'll go through too many toys and too much money b/c at one point they'll start to want new things all the time in the car and start to toss them on the floor. I do think the different drawing toys work and other toys that don't "color" the car too, but just buckle down and let her watch an educational video. We tell her she can't watch if the next trip is her nap time or if she's eating, so we have breaks with the dvd, but it's really getting ridiculous trying to find a dvd alternative that she'll want to use over and over. Just do it and pick good dvds... I do sometimes just let her get used to entertaining herself for short periods of time, but besides that? DVD......It's okay...
Hope it helps! :)

We leave next Thursday with our 27 month old for a 9 hour car ride, we also have a 3 month old. I don't know why we are calling this a vacation. haha

We also plan on stopping about ever 3 hours to run around, hopefully find some fast food places with the little playgrounds to run around on.

Today I went to the dollar store and bought 5-6 little things. I am going to put these into one of DDs little backpacks and pull out suprise toys along the way. Hopefully the newness will keep her entertained a little longer. This week I am also doing a toy cleanout and will pack a few things she hasn't played with in a while so that they seem new to her.
Included in the bag are going to be some "dum dum" lollipops, my little one loves lollipops, but we don't let her have them much, I figure this will be a good time for them. (while I'm sitting with her of course.)

IADDED: Crayola Color Wonder!! It's awesome. The markers only work on the special paper, so nothing else gets colored on! My daughter doesn't get to use markers on a regular basis, so it's a specail treat for her to use markers, and it's a treat for mommy because there is no mess.
We have a Dora car tray (http://www.amazon.com/Nicklodeon-Travel-Tray-Dora-Explore...) that hooks onto her carseat. it is just made of foam so if (God forbid) we were in an accident it wouldn't hurt her at all. It is sturdy enough to color or eat on.

You seem to have a good plan already.
Also bring an ice chest for the car... in it put some blue-ice to keep it chilled.
Then put water/drinks/snacks in it. For you/Husband and your child.
Then you won't have to buy food/snacks.

Also bring lots of diapers.
Her lovey, if she has one.
A pillow just in case.
A blanket just in case.

Maybe she will nap in the car.
That would be nice huh?

We drove from Tacoma to LA with our then 15 month old. We were suppose to take the train. After waiting six hours for our train to get in at Tacoma, we decided to drive. I was also 5 months pregnant with my second. It was my mom, my little sister and her friend. My dad was flying down. We didnt fly, because I am a big chicken....

We had a DVD, books and music. He was still in diapers as well. We stopped every third big city, to eat and stretch. We did the trip in three days. The only thing that was bad was he got kinda constipated. I am thinking it is because his schedule got really messed up. So, try and stop around when she would normally poo(if she is a regular pooper). That way you dont have a baby with a tummy ache.

You sound like you have a good sense of what will entertain her. You may notice she sleeps through most of it, since the car is a calming thing for kiddos.

Have a safe trip:)

A DVD player is sometimes useful. We also pack the car so that someone can sit next to DD sometimes if she gets antsy and read to her or just interact with her. Finding stops with playgrounds or interesting things where you can run for even 10 minutes is good. The other day we were on a 6 hour trip and stopped somewhere for gas. We saw an elephant statue and let DD run up to it and check it out while DH gassed up the van.

If you feel comfortable, give her snacks and drinks while you drive. Pack a "road bag" with mysterious toys that she only gets on the trip. My DD loves to discover what I packed in the bag for her. It's just a little backpack, but it's HERS. It makes her feel important to bring it.

Bring spare clothes. We had a very unexpected kid leak. And I sacrificed a pair of PJ pants for her seat so we could keep driving. In retrospect I should have had a small towel.

I agree with no crayons or markers. Too messy when you're driving a long way.

Can you leave at her bedtime and just drive, maybe taking turns driving to just get there?

We drove from central Texas to Topeka, KS, April 2010 with a then 27 month old. It is usually a 10-11 hour drive, depending on how often we stop. (We've made this trip many times, and have places we always stop.... usually about 2 hours apart, so dad can load up with coffee, and unload his previous cups of coffee.)

Basically, we stopped about every 2 hours and allowed Gavin to run around. We also had some small toys wrapped as presents, so he would have something new.

We had 2 vehicles, so we were able to switch him between cars, also.

We've made this trip many times, but that was only the second time for him. He also went up the summer before, when he was about 18 months old.

Just realize, also, that at some point, they may melt down and just cry for a while..... they get tired of riding and being confined for so long.

we discovered these fabulous coloring books called water wow that are similar to the aquadoodle. You use a special "paintbrush" filled with water to color. My 2 1/2 year old loves them and my 1 year old is trying to color with them now too...they're great because if there is any mess, it evaporates because it is just plain water. They have all kinds of characters-dora, diego, sesame street, etc. We stocked up for our 10 hour trip to S.C. later in the summer. Just make sure to have plenty of water for refills...

We used pull-ups for long trips, traveled at night and stopped every 3 hrs. (it was a 9 hour trip) Also, no colors unless you want the inside of the car decorated.