Tips for driving solo with the kids?

[katie111]

I'm leaving on Monday to drive from Boston to Hilton Head. It'll be me (the Mom), my DD9, DS7, and DS4. DH will be meeting us down there. We'll be driving about 4-5 hours a day as we're stopping along the route at some tourist attractions (Dutch Wonderland & Great Wolf Lodge). I plan to do almost all of the driving during the day. I'd love any tips anyone has with driving a long distance alone with the kids. Also, any tips for staying alone in hotels with them too. Any tips on packing, bathroom breaks, entertaining them in the car, etc would be greatly appreciated.

I'm very excited but very nervous too!

 

[mominva]

I've taken many, many road trips and flights with just me and my kids (now 9 and 11) starting from when they were infants. On a road trip, we really love getting books on tape. It makes the trip fly by and we've listened to some great books together. The Harry Potter books are great on tape and should appeal to a 4 yr old as well as a 9 yr old. You should be able to get a great selection from your library.

I also always make sure to stop at least every 2 hours and I try to stop someplace that has a play area so they can run around a bit. And everyone has to use the bathroom then whether they need to or not!

I keep a Bag of Wonder and a snack bag for the trip too. The Bag of Wonder is filled with little toys from the dollar store, plus I stop by the book store to get some cheap puzzle books. I then pull them out periodically during the trip so they see something new.

I also print out a map for each child from google maps so they can keep track of our route.

There are a couple of road games we like to play - we really like to keep track of all the license plates we see. You'll also find some road trip games at the bookstore.

Finally, I keep an emergency stash of Hershey kisses. It's especially good for the younger ones. One Hershey kiss can distract a grumpy child until you can get to your next stop.

Good luck!

 

[luv2sewtjr]

We drive from PA to Hilton Head every summer. I've driven solo with 3 kids a couple times.

I pack two coolers: a lunchbox size for me in the front and a bigger one for the kids. I pack NO flavored drinks, only water. The kids drink to thirst instead of chugging juice boxes. Snacks are generally pretzels, grapes, cheese sticks, dried fruit and things that are healthier. Sometimes we have fast food, sometimes sandwiches. My emergency treat are the orange mint lifesavers. We all love them.

We burn cds and listen to a mix of music. Some that they like, some that I like. One year, they learned most of the words to American Pie. We always play the alphabet game and I am (so far) unbeatable. My kids ALL love Mad Libs. The books are kind of hard to find, but you can also find them on the internet. One of my children can read in the van with no troubles, but the others would rather read magazines or the Guinness book of world records. I don't buy many books as we usually use the library, but I always buy some for the vacation (new and used). It's one of our treats.

Because my kids are getting older, I tend to set a bathroom policy at each stop. That means I decide if children can use the facilities solo (with me at the door). When I'm driving solo I generally don't stop at rest areas, I'll go to a restaurant or gas station. The smaller bathrooms are easy for me to manage.

My kids LOVE staying in hotels, so that doesn't present any problems for us. They especially enjoy being able to watch tv in bed.

I also like to leave early and then stop for breakfast. This isn't for everyone, though...I have had almost 12 hours driving alone. Most importantly, though, is to make sure I stay rested. It's only me so I make sure I get enough sleep and stop/start when I want.

Have a great trip!

 

[njmom47]

Not that this is my situation, but we used to have "auto bingo" cards. I googled it and found a great website with printable games and other things.

http://www.momsminivan.com/printables.html

 

[ccudmore]

If they're misbehaving in the back seat and your arm is not quite long enough to reach behind to give them a "tap", a quick touch on the brakes will usually bump them enough forward to bring them within reach (not my joke, just passing it along)

 

[katie111]

Thanks so much for all of the suggestions! I already have my bag of "goodies" (new movies, books, puzzles, etc) so we should be good there. Also have a few special snack treats if the need arises. And I got headphones for all the kids for the DVD player (only 2 came with the minivan) so for once I won't have to listed to their DVD's while I drive! Love the books on tape idea too- went out today & got Diary of Wimpy Kid & Tales of 4th Grade Nothing. My DD already read all of the Harry Potter's so she vetoed getting those on tape. Printable games look great, I just have to get my printer working again!

I especially love the last piece of advice! Sometimes you just have to do what works!!

 

[DVC4US]

I have taken several trips alone with my kids, both flying and driving. All of the tips so far have been great. I like to do the books on tape and this is the way we "read" all the Harry Potter books. My daughters also had their own ipod(or CD player in the olden days) and if they don't want to listen to the book then they can listen to their own music.

One thing I always do if we are going to spend the night on the road is pack an overnight suitcase. This is usually just a small suitcase that I pack anything we might need for spending the night and clothes for the next day. This way when we get to the hotel all I have to take out is the one suitcase and not unload all the luggage.