Driving w/kids long car trip tips

[BWVDenise]

We leave at 4 a.m. and my youngest (7 now) NEVER goes back to sleep once we are on the road. He just can't sleep sitting in the van. He'd thrash all night if we tried to drive through, so that would never work. Fortunately, all three of my kids are really good on vacation drives (can't say the same for at home though). I do enforce the "quiet" rule until 7 a.m. when we stop for breakfast sandwiches and coffee. I'll play one movie before lunch and one movie after. Some afternoon quiet time helps for anyone who needs a nap. They all have their Gameboys, books, and now ds(11) has his IPod. We usually stop every 3 hours for a few minutes (gas, bathrooms, coffee), but as they have gotten older, we can sometimes stretch out the stops. We like to make our stops at Cracker Barrels for clean restrooms and coffee to go for my dh(driver).

 

[mom2kazkids]

We will be driving from WI starting out at 3am on April 25. We plan to go from home to Dalton, GA the first day, then onto WDW the second day. This will be the 2nd time that we drive to WDW, and the fourth to the Atlanta area or beyond. When we have gone to Atlanta, we have drove straight home both times without stopping for the night and the kids now 4 and 5 have done great.

Now we have a DVD player in the van, both got Leapsters from Santa, DS has a hand held Simon game, DS is also in kindergarten and is starting to read--so he can read to us (Dick and Jane, and all the other fun beginning to read books) and I have discovered the Crayola site that has a large amount of coloring and activity sheets that I plan to print out. I like the idea of the clipboard that can hold the paper and the crayons/markers I think that I will have to invest in 2 of them. We also have done stickers, color wonder markers and books, and pipe cleaners.

I always find that the trip home is easier as the kids are so tired from the week of vacation, they sleep in the car more on the trip home.

OK I just have to add, 99 more days til we hit the road!!

Barb

 

[Chipperdini]

Driving w/kids long car trip tips

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I was hoping to get some good tips for a long car ride

It's been a few years, but I think it went something like this:


Dad: I don't want to have to pull the car over during this trip.
Kids:

 

[LindsayDunn228]

A tablespoon of Dimetapp every few hours LOL

 

[grlpwrd]

We do the usual as mentioned, but I also like to buy a bunch of dollar store store toys and distribute them during the trip to break the monotony.

Snacks and drinks are vital. We mix it up with healthy snacks like fruit and frozen go-gurts and goodies like cookies and homemade stuff like granola bars. Be sure to bring something to wipe up spills and messy hands and lots of trash bags or just use empty grocery bags for the trash that seems to overaccumulate.

We also bring reading lights for the kids to do their stuff if it's dark out and light sticks or shapes from the dollar store. They have light sticks that form into a sphere and that worked wonderfully.

GL!

 

[lordhavemercy]

We drove across country alot when my DD was younger. I would make her a special bag for trips. In it I would wrap up "surprises". Before the trip she would begin to get very excited...knowing that she would have her surprise bag.
In it I would wrap up...
treats....gum, crackers,
small toys...(i would find them in the clearance aisle...some at Dollar Store...doesn't have to be expensive....part of the fun is that they're wrapped...and a surprise!!!
coloring books
paper dolls,
new books...
new purse or wallet
autograph book....

things like that. i would wrap them in tissue paper...enough so that she couldn't see them....and each gift was opened at different time intervals during the trip. (not all at once)....

she says now...that those long trips never bothered her...and that they were always fun.
(before the days of DVD players.....)

 

[Disneyrsh]

Holy cow, if I had to sit in a car and listen to bubble wrap popping for hours on end, I'd flip my wig!

 

[Disneyrsh]

Alot ofd people suggest driving at night but my husband and I both think that if we do that then we will be soooo tired and won't be able to sleep which is why we decided to go in the morning. I find it strange that so many people travel at night, aren't you tired?

I just find it so strange..lol

No, not at all. We can stay up to 1 or 2 in the morning on our drive down with no trouble at all. The excitement of 'getting there' definitely keeps us awake. And we normally go to bed around 10:30 pm!

Believe me, a quiet ride with much less traffic and your hubby to talk to is a good way to get there not tired out, sunburned from the minivan window, and mad at all the bad drivers out there...

 

[CathrynRose]

Believe me, a quiet ride with much less traffic and your hubby to talk to is a good way to get there not tired out, sunburned from the minivan window, and mad at all the bad drivers out there...

Second this - We did the 'leave early' one year. And it was WRETCHED - so much traffic, sun blasting in our retina's all day long. Kids bickering, whining, crying, etc.

I honestly look forward to the hours alone, with my guy, on those drives. Nice long talks - he cant get up and leave. And then slap-happy will occasionally kick-in.... thats alwasy fun, too!

 

[lordhavemercy]

...fatigue wasn't an issue in our "earlier" years...

In my "younger" years...we would leave for Orlando @ 3am or so...to get a jump on the traffic. Our drive is about 21 hours. We'd have our CAFFEINE along...to give us those jump-starts, when necessary. DD ...slept a good deal of the time, too. (as others have stated...)
....NOW, however, ....being in my "slightly-over-mid-forties" ....I will leave around 6-7am-ish...and have my red-bull or rockstar...vitamin-caffeine-upper drinks, at my side.
....when we were younger...leaving early allowed us a shorter day of driving the 2nd day....and we got into our hotel earlier...and got a nice-relaxed night's sleep.
....NOW....i just take the extra 3rd day....just cuz...