7 hr drive & 2 young kids?

[Jager_mom]

We are leaving in 23 day's I am almost completly ready to go the only thing left to do is plan how to keep the kids happy durring the long drive.

We are renting a Chevy Uplander and it has the dvd player in it, so I am going to buy Brother Bear 2 and oldest DD wants to see Open Season, but I know they won't sit still for more than 1 movie so what do I do for the rest of the time?

 

[hlbtimes2]

Bring snacks for them. Dont tell them what you have, let it be a surprise! Crayons and color books help pass the time. Magnadoodles are great in the car. If possible try to do some of the driving at night or at nap time so they will sleep.

 

[Jager_mom]

I am going to buy a small cooler and keep drinks and snacks in the car, My husband suggested me keeping the kids up as late as possible the night before we head out so they will sleep in the morning while he's driving.

 

[dizzyami]

We have taken this drive four times in the last four years from Gilbert. My little one usually sleeps most of the way there, and then we bring movies for the 5 year old. I definitely agree that magna doodles are a big win for us - and they are self contained - nothing to make a mess. It always works for us to let them sleep most of the way up, and then plan on hitting the park when we get there - the sights overwhelm them so much that they still crash at nighttime, even with the added sleep. Don't forget to pack spill proof cups - you will especially want these in a rental car!!

 

[SilverCeladon]

Great answers! We are also doing the 7 hour drive and I already have the DVD player in the car also.

 

[katiesmom2]

We are driving clear across the country - 3,000 miles - which we've done several times with our kids (almost 4 and almost 2). This is what we bring:

DVD player - you will LOVE it! It really helps to keep them entertained

Music - if they like music, buy a couple of CDs of kids music to play (our kids love this, us - not so much!)

Dollar store toys - I just went to the dollar store and bought some new little toys for them, along with some new books. New stuff is great - it will keep them entertained. Then, wrap them up in wrapping paper. Put them in a bag and let them choose and unwrap as needed - they love this!

Trays - if they are old enough to color, buy those trays that are usually for eating in bed. Ours fits right over the car seat and DD3 can draw and color while we drive. If they are older, a clipboard will also work.

Glowsticks - our $ store sells packs of glow bracelets and sticks. We give these to our kids at night - really amuses them!

Mini magnadoodles - we have 5 of them! Both our kids love to draw on them in the car

Snacks - we bring sippy cups and easy-to-eat snacks. Your grocery store should have those little snack packs of goldfish crackers, teddy grahams, etc. If you are near a Babies R Us, they have those little snack cups with the flip lids to keep things from spilling

If your kids are old enough, try some of these printable games:
http://travelwithkids.about.com/od/printgames/

Plan to stop every 3 hours. We always travel with a cooler filled with stuff for lunches and stop at rest areas for lunch, allowing the kids to run arouind. I know a lot of people like the McDonalds playlands for those, but we try to keep our kids away from those - too many germs, and we don't want them sick on our vacation!

Good luck - I envy your 7 hour drive! Mine will be 34 hours

 

[mystic_path]

How old are your kids by the way?

- Coloring books and paper with crayons so they can color or draw their favorite disney characters

- Get a Disney music CD and have a sing along

- Hopefully one will have a nap at some point

- Bring snacks to keep them happy *disney gummies from the grocery store are always good*

- Where's waldo book

- etch a sketch

- Activity books

- Electronic hand held games or those classic magnetic games such as "Sorry, battleship, connect 4"

- Print out some online games to play in the car

- Teddy Bears/Barbies/Action figures

 

[katiesmom2]

I am going to buy a small cooler and keep drinks and snacks in the car, My husband suggested me keeping the kids up as late as possible the night before we head out so they will sleep in the morning while he's driving.

Be careful with keeping them up late the night before. We tried this once and it totally backfired. Both kids were overtired and wouldn't settle down in the car, whining for hours. You know your kids best, but this so didn't work for ours!

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

We used lots of Disney Sing Along DVD's. They're 30 min long so they don't lose interest & it preps them for Disney fun!

Also snacks take up some time & my DD (8yo) brought books & crafts. My DS wasn't quite 2 so he had his picture books & cars to play with but movies kept him most entertained.

A lifesaver: Crayola Color Wonder (edited b/c I goofed) markers & coloringbooks/drawing pad. Kept both kids busy, didn't mark up the car AND no crayons to melt!

 

[abby]

We use the color wonder markers for car trips, they only write on the speical paper, so no mess.

Stop every few hours and let them run around, although it takes time, it makes them much happier kids.

My dd 6 loves to play 20 questions, we use the Disney catagory a lot and guess at characters.

DVD player is a life saver. take more then two movies, you may be surprised how well it goes, Also, find the double earphones, so you don't have to listen to the moves.


have a great time.

 

[LindaM]

When my kids were younger we used to travel from Calgary to Vancouver (12 hour trip) each summer. About 1 month before the trip, I would go buy "surprises" for them, the night before I would fill two backpacks (1 for each) and would give it to them an hour into our trip....this usually kept them busy for a good portion of the trip. Also when they became cranky and wanted out of their car seat we would stop at a playground (only did this in a small towns as the playgrounds were easy to find) and let them run around and play, it will add to your travel time, but it will tire them out so they will have a nap, and this will also give the driver time to stretch.

Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[fidoprincess]

We drive A LOT! My kids have these: http://www.logoproductsforless.com/scdoobatr.html
My son has the scooby doo one and my dd has a hello kitty one but we got them at Target by the automotive section for less than $15 each! These trays are perfect and have lasted a long time but since they are not hard plastic, just some plastic coated cardboard, they will not be injured in a crash. Watch out what you put in the car, don't put anything loose in the car that you wouldn't want hitting your child in the head!

You will want more than 2 movies! My kids watch movies the whole trip even while they color and eat. They will sit still because they have no choice in the car and it will help the time go faster.

You will really want the headphones! There is a simple adaptor from Radio Shack type stores for around $5 to turn the jack into a double jack and head phones are really cheap. If the headphones have soft coverings over the ear pieces, they will slip off easy so glue a little before you go. Don't bother with the ear bud types, too hard for the kids to wear. Before we had the headphones, my DH would really get distracted driving listening to the movie! He was laughing so hard a Shrek that I was afraid!

Two other hints:

1) bring a flashlight for yourself! It will probably get dark and you will need it to dig in the snack bag and the movies without having to turn on the car's interior light while driving.

2) Get yourself a portable DVD player and some movies for yourself-lol!! I used to be so nervous and "back seat drive" (esp.in LA) but now I watch movies myself and we are they in no time! Even if you take turns driving, you watch a movie, switch and he gets to watch a movie.

 

[Leofoenget]

We are leaving in 23 day's I am almost completly ready to go the only thing left to do is plan how to keep the kids happy durring the long drive.

We are renting a Chevy Uplander and it has the dvd player in it, so I am going to buy Brother Bear 2 and oldest DD wants to see Open Season, but I know they won't sit still for more than 1 movie so what do I do for the rest of the time?

I would say just keep the movies going. You can go to walmart and get $1 dvd cartoons. Go to blockbuster and rent cartoons. I did this wtih a 2 and 7 year old, and it worked fine. Normally the 2 year old wouldnt' sit and watch that many movies/cartoons at home but when he is sitting in a carseat with nothing else to do, he was quiet. Hoping I have similar luck in Nov when I drive myself.

 

[kuusimo]

I let my boys pick the movies they want to bring on the trip with them. You could also get some from the library that are new.

Another thing I do is let them pack their own backpack with toys and things that they want. This way they cannot blame me for forgetting something.

Target's dollar spot goes 75% off tomorrow, if you can stop by there and pick up some things for a quarter, that might be worth it. Anything new is better than what they have.

If all else fails, you can drug them. Dramamine works on one of our children, Benadryl... I know this is what my parents did to us. We got so carsick though that they had to! Also plan on stopping for bathroom trips and snacks and running around. They need to get their energy out as much as you want them to get their energy out.

You will be surprised how quick the 7 hours will go though. I was amazed at how well they could keep themselves entertained without me having to do it all the time!

 

[abby]

When we were kids we took long road trips. My parents always had "surprise packages" for us. They were cheap toys or arts and crafts wrapped in newspaper. during a long drive or when were being good we got a "surprise Package." It would keep us entertained. I note both my sister and I have now carried this tradition on with our kids. I find my kid better behaved, hoping for a surprise package.
have a great time.

 

[Captjackson]

I had a bunch of ideas for this thread. Of course, all of them have been posted already. The key for us is spreading out the treats for as long as possible. Drawing/coloring is probably the best choice for our kids. I also assume we'll be making twice as many stops (at least) as I would if I were driving alone. I'd also be wary about keeping the kids up late the night before. They may sleep more in the car, or you may have a pair of cranky kids (and parents too). Good luck and have fun!

 

[BlueBayou]

Most everything has been mentioned that we use. It looks like you have a 5-year-old.One additional item I might suggest is their old potty.

It might sound crazy... but last summer we were coming down the hill from San Diego through Yuma. We had the potty for my then 2 1/2 year old. Surprise - my almost 5 year old needed to go potty. She had been completely potty trained for 2 years at that point. We were able to pull over at the border check point in Yuma where trucks pull over. She then had a 10 minute BM is the back of the van on the potty (it was 107 outside - after being in 80s for days in San Diego). I think it was at least 20 miles down the road before we were able to pull over at a gas station to flush the poo. That potty was a life saver at that moment.

 

[fidoprincess]

Yes!^^ When mine were that young, we used a small cushiony seat that fit over the toilet. We took that seat everywhere-lol! Mine would not go without their seat. I noticed when we check in to DLH, there were lots of different potties being loaded and unloaded-lol. I guess the bell staff is used to seeing those but I could not have traveled without it when they were young.

 

[DesertBell]

We're planning to drive up in March, and we also have two small kids (1 and 3). We're doing the DVD/ toy route, but we're also leaving after dinner, so the kids SHOULD fall asleep an hour or so into the drive. We're hoping that they sleep most of the way up, except for potty breaks.
This works out well for us, since I am a night person. We'll get to the hotel around the time I usually go to bed anyway. Waking me up the next morning might not be fun, though.