21 Hour Drive, any mom tips?

[DonoMoose]

Hello everyone! Just finished booking my 2nd trip of 2013 to the world this fall, myself, hubbs, ds 12, dd, 8 & ds2.. We do have a mini van in which I can fold the seats down for the kids to sleep. My concern is well.. 21 hours is 21 hours with 3 kids!!! Anyone who has done this before, what do you usually do to bring for entertainment. What about giving the kids something for motion sickness, I'm afraid of my little one getting car sick. Any, tips, recommendations are welcome!

 

[iamfishie]

The closest I've done is 14hrs in a van (small Mazda 5 that is technically a "sport wagon) with 6 people: DH, the in-laws, 5YO DD and 3YO DS, and me. I usually buy at least one new movie. Luckily they are at the age where they'll watch the same one over and over... (thank goodness for headphones). My 5YO actually doesn't like stopping and taking breaks. She wants to eat in the car and keep on going! We've had the "van fairy" that magically delivers new toys or books every few hours (when we do stop for a bathroom break). This last trip, I made each kid a "snack box" with 5 or 6 different things in it and told them that had to last the trip (aside from eating lunch and dinner). They loved it and made it last! I think I'm going to the dollar store and get small cookie sheets and magnets for this next trip.

 

[4under4]

When we drive straight through to WDW it's about 17 hours of driving, plus some stops... but our longest straight through was 41 hours. (Chicago to Portland).

Here are my 4 top tips:

1. Drive as many hours as you SAFELY can during the night so the kids can sleep, and you reduce the number of meal breaks. Stopping for food really does take a lot of time, especially with kids. DH & I are both good nappers when it comes to long drives, and have no issues switching off. But we are careful to cut our losses if neither of us feel up to driving. Better to spend a night in a hotel than fall asleep driving.

2. Let the kids have any electronics they want. Our kids are pretty restricted when it comes to screen time, but not on long drives. If they want to watch 4 back-to-back movies that's fine with me because it means I just drove 7 hours without anyone asking "are we there yet".

3. Stop often to stretch (at least every 2-3 hours). Short stops are fine, but you will be amazed what 5 minutes of walking can do for your circulation. We love to play "silent tag" at rest stops in the middle of the night.

4. Be VERY careful about tipping seats back. A seat belt that is floating in mid-air over someone's sleeping body is not going to do any good, and could actually cause a lot of harm, in an accident. Better to bring a few extra pillows and keep those seats upright.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[4under4]

And for motion sickness... Keep snacks handy. A few crackers & cheese can stave off sickness. With only 3 kids, everyone should be able to have a window which helps too. I found that when my kids read or tried to color they would get sick, so we stopped bringing those. But I also always travel with a cheap dollar general juice container (the kind with a handle / slide on cover). It is the BEST vomit catcher because even little ones can hold onto it (hug it if necessary), it's deep so there isn't much risk of splatter/spill, and you can slip the cover on to keep smell out of the car until you get to a rest stop and can wash it out.

 

[DonoMoose]

Great tips! Thank you!!