2 Days Driving in the RV with 3&5 YO Tips?

[mjmoon]

We've got DVDs, coloring stuff, cards, video games and lots of snacks. Any other tips on how to make the two day drive to Disney World a fun and memorable one?

Also, do you make your kids stay buckled at all times while on the road?

 

[elizablake]

We've got DVDs, coloring stuff, cards, video games and lots of snacks. Any other tips on how to make the two day drive to Disney World a fun and memorable one?

Also, do you make your kids stay buckled at all times while on the road?

Yes, we keep my DD buckled up but mostly because I am a terrible driver. I do move her from the table to the couch while we are at rest stops to change her scenery.

I would try to drive some hours while they are asleep.

Watching Disney DVD's is always more fun on your way to Disney.

I got some Disney coloring books for our trip. That plus new crayons made coloring more fun. I also got some princess playing cards.

We brought her Leapster and I took it away a few months before so she missed it and was ready to play with it for a long time.

We also opened the blinds and looked out the window at passing cars. We would try to guess if they were going to WDW or not. That wasted at least an hour. I spy is always a hit.

Bringing new toys or one's that they haven't seen in a while will really help.

 

[Pinkee77]

When my kids were 2 and 5 we took a week long road trip so I made my own grab bags. Before we left, I took a trip to the Dollar Store and bought some small items......games, cards, coloring books, small toys, etc. I even gathered up small toys from their room. I used brown paper lunch bags, put one or two items in each bag, taped it shut, and wrote their name on the outside.

I put all the bags in a small tote bag. Then at various points on the trip (usually when they were getting bored or cranky) I'd let them reach in the tote and pick a new bag to open. It kept them guessing the whole trip which made it fun. They also thought it was funny when they'd open a bag to find a familiar toy from home hiding there.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[tloveswdw]

Hi, I am new to posting, I lurk a lot...


but, please please please keep your children buckled. In fact they should be in harnessed seats, or at least boosters at all time. In Illinois, the law is 8 or 80lbs, and that is the bare minimum.

We have four children, all in 5-pt harness. They are safest that way, especially on long trips.

We also make car bingo games, do spelling and letter guessing games, name that tune, etc....

Have a great trip.

 

[mjmoon]

Do they make safety seats for RVs? Their normal boosters won't fit in the dinette and the couch only uses a lap restraint as well. Any suggestions for what we should use?

 

[elizablake]

Do they make safety seats for RVs? Their normal boosters won't fit in the dinette and the couch only uses a lap restraint as well. Any suggestions for what we should use?

Our 5-point harness seat fit in the dinette. If you use a booster seat for the 5 year old, then it won't help. So in that case, I guess just put him/her in the lap belt.

 

[Cindy F]

Duct tape and liquid Benadryl.

I'm kidding!
It sounds like you have a good plan in place, have a safe trip and a FANTASTIC time when you get there!

 

[elizablake]

Duct tape and liquid Benadryl.

Gotta put those on my packing list for next time.

 

[69RoadRunner]

I have a booster for my 5 year old that has its own 5 point harness (good for up to 80 pounds). A lap belt holds it down fine in both my motorhome and my Road Runner.

My 2 year old's car seat also attaches just fine with just a lap belt in both vehicles.

It's true the seats aren't tested for sideways use, but I like their chances sitting in car seats sitting sideways in a 30,000 pound motorhome better than in a LATCH-equipped subcompact and facing forward.

I might allow in-motion potty breaks for them (accompanied by my DW) if traffic is light and it's a quick number 1. Number 2 requires lots of reading material for my son (toy magazines). Currently, my daughter uses the simple, "in her pants" method for number 2, but we're working on getting that corrected like we've done for number 1.

Movies, toys, snacks, duct tape and Benadryl are all good ideas. The first three don't involve Child Protective Services, but first you have to be caught, right?

 

[cjalphonso]

I've traveled with my 2 and 4 yr old for fourteen hours at a time several times, so I have a little bit of experience. It looks like you have most of the bases covered. One thing you have to remember is you will never be able to entertain them for that long. It has been my experience that if you can get past the first couple of hours, they realize they are in for the long haul and sort of become zombified. If you keep trying to entertain them, you are only putting off the inevitable....zombification

 

[mjmoon]

Thanks everyone for your great (and creative) ideas! I'm hoping for some zombification.

 

[Gillian]

At that age I did a backpack for each kid with a clipboard, stickers, markers, colored pencils, dollar store toys, coloring books, sketch pad. Whatever I could find that fit into a (new, from Dollar Tree) backpack, customized a bit for each kid. They still had stuff they hadn't opened when we got home so I considered that a success.

I also got the tubes of animal figures, one for each kid. They were fun and something they were able to carry with them to the parks.

 

[ebtready2go]

We drive at night so the kids sleep. We have done it several times all the way to the Keys (22hrs). DH and I are tired, but we have great adult conversation and peace and quiet.

I am a self proclaimed car seat nut. Please buckle your children. If you don't have a shoulder belt, don't use the booster, you will need to get a 5 pt harness seat that you can install with a lap only belt. Even my 8 year old is in a 5pt harness seat that goes to 65lbs - Radian 65. My son's seat goes to 80lbs, if your child is heavier.

Good luck! You have some great entertainment ideas.

 

[mrsscooter]

Like someone else posted earlier, we also do the grab bag thing. What I do is buy disney wrapping paper and head to the dollar store and wrap up stuff for each of the kids and then once we hit a mile mark, ours is every 100 miles, we give the kids a wrapped surprise. We also do the backpacks and fill it with new crayons, books, coloring books, small toys, etc. Now that the kids are older (7 & 9) I have started buying from amazon travel activity books, highway bingo, that sort of stuff. The Easter Bunny will also be bringing them disneys version of an ipod, the Disney Mix Stix. Our experience has been that as long as you interact with them and give them plenty of stuff to do and snacks to eat you will be fine. My son loves to count cars of a certain color too. I am probably repeating many things from previous posts, so, I appoligize. Have a wonderful trip and we cant wait to hear & see all about it when you return. Make sure to take pics of the kids while they are in the rv traveling!!!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

We've got DVDs, coloring stuff, cards, video games and lots of snacks. Any other tips on how to make the two day drive to Disney World a fun and memorable one?

Leave the kids at Grandma's.







oh give me a break, you know that I'm kidding.

 

[Shan-man]

I just have to say, all this talk about entertainment for kids is a troubling sign of the times. TVs, DVD, new toys every 90 minutes... does any of this seem excessive to any one else? When I was little and we went on long trips (frequently) I could take one of my coloring books and two, and only two, crayons... my choice of color. That's it! I can't help but wonder how these over-stimulated children will fare in school. Teachers cannot put on a constant multi-media showcase to keep the kiddies from being bored. Just an observation from an older generation. Ignore at will

 

[Born 2 Fish]

I hav'ta agree with you some what Shan.
We were too poor for coloring books crayons, so I had to take dirt clods and sticks to play with,(hours of entertainment). We didn't have TVs, DVDs and CDs,,I did things like LEARN to count by counting cars, trucks animals, birds, tractors,buildings,etc.,,,,1 2 3 11 14 9 34 21,, hey I didn't say I counted well. But these things got the job done.
My parents favorite games while traveling were "Lets see who can be quiet the longest" and "Shut up before I slap your head off", and "Don't make me turn this car around". Man,,those were the days !



But seriously,,I always thought of it as family time when DW, DS and I took traveling trips,, so much to see and talk about. and yes we'd rumage thru our son's toy box before we left the house for a few things, but not TVs, DVD, NEW toys , I-pods,etc.

just my opinion.

 

[bxtx]

Drive at night! FOOD! Nintendo DS (currently on sale at 25% off at Toys R Us down here!)

 

[BigDaddyRog]

We got the portable dvd players for trips when they first became mainstream...and the kids liked them the first 2 or 3 trips...and they are very good for small toddlers...but once the kids were old enough to join in on conversation (or in my big mouth kids case...DOMINATE the conversation) they didnt even want to turn them on anymore. I think its human nature for the kids to prefer real stimulation over simulated stimulation. Some of the questions and comments a kid's mind can come up with while on the road are priceless!! We still bring the dvds, though....just in case.

 

[mjmoon]

Leave the kids at Grandma's.

LOL- We're WITH grandma!