road trip--22 hours with 9yr old and 2 1/2 yr old

[smores]

any tips for driving to disney world with a 2 1/2 yr old boy and 9 yr old girl. . .we plan on leaving in the evening and driving at night so, at least part of the trip they will be sleeping (and our son takes a 3-4 hour nap). any ideas for car toys. we have a dvd player. and got lap tables for the kids. was thinking about colorforms (i think they will stick to the windows of the car for added fun!) anybody have tips? are we crazy. . .

 

[PandaBear & Boo]

We drive all the time and also have a DVD player best invention for long road trips. Also take colouring books & crayons. A doodle art board with the magnetic pen. Picture Books. Etch a Sketch. Paper & Pencils to draw their favourite characters. My kids like it when I have them look for certain things like...a flag or a cow or a barn or a boat. Whoever finds it first gets a point. Play up to 3 points and then whoever wins gets a treat like a gummy bear or sucker. Hope these ideas help.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We have done a few long car trips with the kids when they were little and I think the best way to do it is to get as many miles under your belt while they are sleeping. My advice would be to leave right after dinner. Settle them in the car with a movie and hit the road. When the movie is over they might be ready to go to sleep for the night and then you can drive all night.

As for things to keep them busy, I always put together a small bag with new things for them--paper and crayons, activity books etc.--whatever they like to do. Dollar stores are great places to buy these things. You can have a whole bag full of junk that they will love and it doesn't cost that much. Also, have new movies that they have never seen as well as the favorites that they watch a million times. Don't forget the earphones, LOTS of snacks and travel size baby wipes to clean up the mess.

 

[mommystieg]

We drove straight through for the first time last year (24 hours) and that worked really well for us. The kids were 12, 5 and 7 months. We left at bedtime and got at least 9 hours behind us before we had to stop for breakfast. We pack a cooler and picnic basket so that we can eat most of our meals at rest areas. Many of the rest areas between here (Texas) and Florida are very nice. That way the kids can get out and stretch their legs for a little bit. One suggestion I read was when you stop to eat try eating at a place with an indoor play area. That way the kids can play while the adults eat and then just get the kids' food to go.

As far as entertainment in the car -- the DVD player is great; especially at night. DD12 had her GBA and DD5 had her Leapster. I also made the older girls an activity box with crayons, markers, paper, stickers, etc. Some big hits were Mad Libs, colored pipe cleaners and those "foamies" stickers. DD12 and I also made a trip activity book with the printable activities found here: http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=23 We also printed out our route so oldest DD could follow our progress. This year I will do the same thing as well as bring along stuff for the baby like a Magna Doodle and Color Wonder markers.
Good luck

 

[Cindy's Mom]

We drove straight through for the first time last year (24 hours) and that worked really well for us. The kids were 12, 5 and 7 months. We left at bedtime and got at least 9 hours behind us before we had to stop for breakfast. We pack a cooler and picnic basket so that we can eat most of our meals at rest areas. Many of the rest areas between here (Texas) and Florida are very nice. That way the kids can get out and stretch their legs for a little bit. One suggestion I read was when you stop to eat try eating at a place with an indoor play area. That way the kids can play while the adults eat and then just get the kids' food to go.

As far as entertainment in the car -- the DVD player is great; especially at night. DD12 had her GBA and DD5 had her Leapster. I also made the older girls an activity box with crayons, markers, paper, stickers, etc. Some big hits were Mad Libs, colored pipe cleaners and those "foamies" stickers. DD12 and I also made a trip activity book with the printable activities found here: http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=23 We also printed out our route so oldest DD could follow our progress. This year I will do the same thing as well as bring along stuff for the baby like a Magna Doodle and Color Wonder markers.
Good luck

I'm torn between stopping one night in Atlanta or driving straight through - on one hand - we want to get there ASAP, but then once we are there - are we exhausted and end up losing that day anyway?

This will be our first driving trip DD5 DS4 and DH - I used to drive all the time when I was a kid with my family and I have the happiest road trip memories. I love just love packing a picnic and eating at the rest areas. I just wonder if the memories are what I'm cherishing and the actual trip, while living it is pure heck.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I'm torn between stopping one night in Atlanta or driving straight through - on one hand - we want to get there ASAP, but then once we are there - are we exhausted and end up losing that day anyway?

This will be our first driving trip DD5 DS4 and DH - I used to drive all the time when I was a kid with my family and I have the happiest road trip memories. I love just love packing a picnic and eating at the rest areas. I just wonder if the memories are what I'm cherishing and the actual trip, while living it is pure heck.

Personally, I hate being in the car so the faster I can get there the better. For us it's a waste of time and money to stay in a hotel for one night. By the time you stop driving for the night it will be late and then you get up early and you're on the road again. Might as well do the commando drive and get there. If you leave home in the late afternoon or early evening you are going to arrive at your hotel around the same time of day so you can unpack and get a good nights sleep. On our last trip to WDW we arrived at the hotel around 7pm and it was perfect. We unpacked, had dinner and relaxed in front of the TV. We all went to bed before 10 and woke up the next morning ready to go.

 

[pooch]

I cannot imagine being in the car that long! We went to Viriginia Beach from CT when DD was 6 & DS was an infant. DH is a truck driver so used to driving at ungodly hours. We left at about 3 AM. Put both kids in their car seats asleep & made it to Southern Jersey before they woke up for breakfast. Took the Cape May ferry so they enjoyed to boat ride and the sea air put DS back to sleep as soon as he was back in the car for another 3 hrs. The whole trip lasted about 10 - 11 hours. I don't think I could do more than that ever again, and the kids were good, just too much car!!!

Flying, the only way to go for me!!!

 

[Tanya90210]

The DVD player I must agree is the best invention EVER!! my DS 10 is a chatty one sometimes and when a movie is playing it's so peaceful... and DD 2 is getting into it now too We used that last year and it made for peaceful times during movies and we had books to read and coloring books, Plus is parents get bored and kids are up you can always play the slugbug or license plate games to keep the drive interesting. We also would take a bit at rest stops here and there just to stretch and stuff... Driving straight thru is easiest for us as it is a 28 hour drive so we can get at least 16 hours of kids sleeping if we leave around bedtime

 

[englishteacha]

We never drove all night when I was a kid, so Maine to FL was a 3 day drive. Ugh! We made the ME-FL trek every 4 years, so I spent 24 8-9 hour days in the car just on Florida trips before I graduated high school! That said, I wish we had done the commando drive! I'd suggest lots of coloring materials-I drew some lovely masterpieces on my trips. Books might be good for your 9 year old, provided she doesn't get car sick. Even so, some dramamine might be in order, just in case. My mom gave me some paint with water books to use in the car. I think she wet a sponge for me to dab the brush on so I wouldn't spill anything. A magna doodle could be fun, as well as bringing some stationery or a journal and having her write letters to friends/family or in her journal about what she's seeing and doing. I sure wish DVD players for the car were around when I was a kid...Heck, DVD players weren't around when I was a kid! I agree that a surprise of a new movie could be really nice, too. I know at our Save-a-Lot they have old TV shows for $1 for 10 episodes. Last time they had Casper the Friendly ghost and some others. Oh yeah, your daughter might also like audiobooks. You can sign them out from the library (maybe DVDs, too). I know our library has the whole Harry Potter series on CD and cassette, plus lots of other great kid/young adult books.

Bring some small outdoor toys for rest stops. My dad and I would play catch or frisbee, or I'd jumprope.

And finally, the year I was 13 we went to FL with my married sister and her family. For part of the drive my parents took their 2 year old son. I love my nephew to pieces, but drove me nuts the whole day. You can't escape when you're in the backseat! You might want to give your 9 YO a reprieve and let her sit in the front seat for a couple of hours.

 

[isla bonita]

Don't have any advice, just a good luck on the trip.

 

[shaws2003]

I'm torn between stopping one night in Atlanta or driving straight through - on one hand - we want to get there ASAP, but then once we are there - are we exhausted and end up losing that day anyway?

We drove from Maine in December 2003. DD was almost 7 and DS was just over 2. We also left at night (4:30 PM I think) so they watched a movie or 2 before falling asleep. The next afternoon, we stopped at a hotel in Southern Georgia that had an indoor pool to let the kids "burn down" after riding in thier car seats for about 24 hours. It worked better than I ever would have imagined. We all got a good nights sleep so we were ready for the last 4 or 5 hour drive. I think the Nobel Peace Prize ought to go to the person who invented portable DVD player!! Other than the obvious crayons, coloring books, games, etc, I would reccomend some healthy snacks and drinks. Hope this helps