[Brittanie]

We're going to be moving to Denver probably around January 8th (depends on the moving service....it might be the 10th). Driving is going to be anywhere from 10 to 12 hours (I'm so glad we don't have to pull a trailer!!).

Erin starts getting fussy after about 2 hours in her seat. Anybody got any good tips on how to keep her entertained?


A friend of ours suggested benedryl, but I really don't want to drug my kid! (I was horrified when he said that he did that to his toddler when he made the same trip. )

[kkmw674]

I definately recommend a portable dvd/tv and lots of different kinds of snacks. My family went together and bought our sons one for Christmas and they have already used it once (just for a 2 hour drive) and they just sat and watched the movie the whole time! Make sure you have DVD's of her favorite TV shows (Dora/Diego? Wonder Pets?) and Disney DVD's. I think this would be your best bet because coloring would be frustrating for a toddler to do in a vehicle and she can't very well play with toys too well in a car seat. Oh and make sure she has her favorite stuffed toy and blankie

Stop half way there for lunch at Mc Donalds or something... this should keep her occupied for a little while any ways.

Good luck!

[mommyof3ny]

Amen to the portable DVD player...that was a lifesaver when we took our trip from NY to SC. I also packed her some of her favorites toys and snacks.

[~~*Missi*~~]

1. Leave in the evening hours, that way they sleep
2. CoLOR WONDER is great don't have to worry about car seats and clothes
3. Snacks and fluids
4. Portable DVD player, even if you don't like her to watch a ton of movies/tv its a lifesaver

My daughters both own the TAG reading system which is a lifesaver. Plus Sabrina now has the leapster which will be great. We bring anything they can do from the seat

We are moving to Illinois May 1 but my father will be going Feb 1 so we will be back and forth a lot, depending on Calliegh. So 13hours on the road ...

Good luck

[BrookeN]

I've never driven that far with Carter, but when we went to visit my grandparents who live about 3 1/2 hours away on Labor Day weekend we brought plenty of snacks, books, and CD's. We also stopped once to have him get out and walk around for a bit. Good luck with the move, Brittanie!

[Alison79]

I agree, portable DVD player, snacks and toys have been our lifesavers on long trips. I usually hit the used bookstore for some books that are new for the kids and sometimes Big Lots or the dollar store for some inexpensive toys that will keep their attention. Good luck with your move!

[MyDuckySam]

We've done Orlando to Detroit twice with Sam. It's about 1200 miles. The first time we did it, he was 17 months old--just a bit younger than Erin is now, the last time was just a couple months ago, so he was 3.

Here's what we did:

Drive at night if at all possible. Sam tends to sleep in the car at night, so this was a blessing that we drove through the night, opting NOT to stop overnight.

If you have to drive during the day, make FREQUENT stops. Like every 2-3 hours, and let her walk around, stretch her legs, get fresh air. This was easy for me to "demand" of my crazy no-stop husband since this last time I was 22 weeks pg and always had to go pee myself.

Change her diaper EVERY TIME you stop because inevitably, she will pee as soon as you get back on the road. Even if she's sleeping, because the result will be a dry toddler in a dry car seat.

favorite toy, blanket and a pillow. We always take Sam's pillow, even when it's just a 3-hour ride for a weekend at Eric's cousin's.

Extra set of clothing that's easily accessible

Extra pacifiers (if you use them. I try to keep an extra hidden in my purse in case he tosses it and I can't find it easily)

DVD player

toddler music in the CD player

new games, books, toys. I hit up the dollar bin at Target this last trip. 8 books for $8!!

Snacks for her to eat easily by herself from small bowls (dried fruit, teddy grahams, mini marshmallows--big hit on our last trip and I like the small Take-n-Toss bowls by First Years)

2-3 clean sippy cups/bottles that you could fill with anything you can get in a convenience store or fast food restaurant. This saves on having to wash them out in a Rest Area bathroom


As for medicating.....we don't medicate for car trips, because that's mainly boredom. I'll admit to using Benadryl on a 5-hour flight though. The alternative was him kicking the seat in front of him the entire time.

However, I have given him Tylenol because when they sit that long, their muscles can tighten and get sore. Adults/older children can easily shift their weight in the seats, kids in car seats can't do that. Does the Tylenol make him sleep? I don't know, what I do know is that it allows the pain from the tight muscles to go away, he relaxes and falls asleep.

[Adorable]

Drive at night if at all possible. Sam tends to sleep in the car at night, so this was a blessing that we drove through the night, opting NOT to stop overnight.[/b]

A big yeah that and ITA!

We took a 4yr old and a 18mth old to Orange Beach, AL last summer. When dh got home from work about 5:30 I took a Tylenol PM and went to bed. He fishished loading out stuff and kept the boys up until 12:45am. At 1 my alarm went off and I carried the boys to the truck, buckled them up and woke dh. We were on the road by 1:30am and I felt great because I had almost 8 hrs of sleep. It was 7am befre any of them woke up and by then we were over 1/2 way there!! We had movies, snacks, games, more snacks for the rest of the drive.

[Brittanie]

These are some great ideas ladies! I don't think we'll do the driving all night thing though. Not through backwoods Wyoming in the middle of the winter. If it were summer, I'd have no problem, but with snow and ice? Ugh, driving during the day is making me nervous!

We don't have a portable DVD player, but we do have the laptop and an adapter so we can plug it in to the car while driving.

[Amy B.]

I was going to ditto the portable DVD player, but since you don't have one, the laptop should work. Get some toys that are new/different than what she has already. We bought a mini etch-a-sketch for a long trip too. Snacks are a must, and remember that you should probably stop every 2 hours or so to let her get out and walk around. It will really help!

[TattooedMama]

Jacob isn't allowed to watch tv, so I don't know about the dvd thing. We just took him to Tucson, which was a 10 hour drive for us. We got out every two hours and let him walk for about 5-10 minutes and he did stellarly. I think the biggest thing is letting them get out of a 5 point harness and stretch. Oh and lots of snacks.

Good luck!

[mommyof3ny]

Jacob isn't allowed to watch tv, so I don't know about the dvd thing. We just took him to Tucson, which was a 10 hour drive for us. We got out every two hours and let him walk for about 5-10 minutes and he did stellarly. I think the biggest thing is letting them get out of a 5 point harness and stretch. Oh and lots of snacks.

Good luck![/b]

He has never watched any t.v??? Wow....that is awesome..what do you do all day long to occupy him?

[BobbiC]

Just wanted to say good luck and ditto to what everyone else said.

[TattooedMama]

He has never watched any t.v??? Wow....that is awesome..what do you do all day long to occupy him?
[/b]

Nope. No TV, no movies. We play with toys, read books, play outside. He is really good about entertaining himself when I have stuff I need to get done.