PolkMoms.com

My husband and I haven't been on a vacation in 8 years. What can I say, when your going through fertility treatments and surgery a vacation just isn't a priority. We would like to go see my parents in North Georgia. They stay up there about 2-3 mos every summer. They stay in they're travel trailer and we would rent a cabin near by. I know we would stop and spend the night halfway. Straight through would be too much for my 2 year old Lacie.
I know we would stop and stretch our legs, I am pregnant so I'm sure my ankles will swell.
I have a dvd player in the truck for her. What else to keep her entertained? What have you moms done on such a long car ride????

this is something i have done a bunch of times. i also have a 2 1/2 yr old girl and she hates car rides. she hates sitting in her car seat also. my husband and i drive to virginia once in a while and this is what we do. sometimes we drive thru the night. and she will sleep in her car seat. the last time we went we drove thru the day and i hate to make a lot of stops i want to get there. so we stop once in every state.
i also take a dvd player with her fav shows or movies. i save the mcdonalds happy meal toys thru the year and give them to her on the ride up, then she gets diffrent toys to play with. i also went to disney and got her a mr potato head with a ton of pieces. and i only let her play with it in the car so it always stays a new toy.
one of those crayola color wonders pads and markers are great they only color on the special paper. we also have a magna doddle.
we will be taking a plane trip soon and most of these things are also life savers on planes.

We actually travel quite frequently with our 2 year old and have found a few things that work well. I will say to begin with though that we have been blessed with a GREAT traveler! We've gone to Baltimore, Savannah,Atlanta and Alabama (several times each) and we always travel straight through, with several stops to stretch.
We carry the DVD player, coloring books, books, and song CDs. We also make sure she has a blanket, pillow and her baby.
Our greatest strategy though is travel time. My husband is great at night driving, so we'll leave around 5:00 p.m. That way we entertain for a little while (1 1/2 or so) before we stop to eat and stretch our legs real quick (usually fast food with a play ground for her to run around). Then once we get back on the road we only have about an hour or so before she's out for the night. And since we're generally going to visit family, we can sleep in the next morning while they entertain her.
On the way home, if possible, we'll try to leave super early in the morning (around 3 or 4 am) so we have a few good hours of her still sleeping and then can make pit stops for breakfast and lunch (again places with room for her to run around).
So far, knock on wood, we haven't had any problems with the travel! I hope this helps a little, and good luck with the trip!

mimib, I think Courtney and littleT said it! Lots of great ideas. If we can do it, you can too!

We drive through the night a lot when we travel. Eddy's grandmother lives in Charleston and we visit once or twice a year. The night drives have been a life saver for us. We also do the color wonder markers in the car and dvds on our portable dvd players. I hope you will be able to go on a trip, it sounds like you deserve it! Have fun and stay safe.

We just returned from a trip to Gatlinburg, TN with our 15mo old. We did it in two days on the way up and then in one day on the way home. Needless to say, it was definitely easier splitting it up over two days. But, either way, the key with her was definitely the DVD player with videos of her favorite shows. Also, be prepared to stop every couple of hours at least. Rest areas are great because they typically have a nice grassy area and picnic tables. We would just let her run around 20 minutes or so to get some of that pent up energy out. Also, when we stopped to eat, it was someplace with a playground. McDonalds, Chick-Fil-A, etc. Being able to play and play with other kids for a half hour or so, definitely made her feel better. Of course, you will have to fight to get them back in the seat, but once we got back on the road, she would settle down and resign to the fact that she was gonna be in that seat for another couple of hours or so. Good luck, it is an adventure with a little one. Oh, and BTW, plan on the trip taking you at least two hours longer than the actual drive itself.

Fortunately, we, too, were blessed with a good traveller! That came in handy the two years we lived 5 hours from family. In that time we also took a 2 week vacation to Kansas/Missouri with our camper and a long weekend to Charleston, SC. We are debating whether to fly or drive to Kansas for the big family reunion this summer. Books, a bucket of toys, etch-a-sketch and music all work well for us. We also try to travel during naptime. For a longer road trip we will have to tweak the timing, I guess. I am apprehensive about flying with her, so we'll see about that! And Gatorgurl is right...add at least 2 hours to any drive time!

Definitely bringing "car friendly" toys will help! We have travel size magna doodles that we keep in the car for our girls. I think they also make travel size etch-a-sketch, too. We also keep books in the car for our girls. For trips, my 7 yr old daughter is old enough, she packs her own backpack full of toys for the car (books, coloring books, crayons, paper, dolls, her own cd player w/ earphones, etc). I usually pack one for our now 3 yr old, but she usually ends up wanting to play with her sister's stuff! We have a dvd player for the car also. We bring movies, but my girls usually love watching cartoons like the Disney classic ones (the dvds with several Mickey cartoons, or Donald, Goofy, etc.).

Mini trips for practice, explore your area, the state. Then, for the long trip, we've always done a new backpack with toys, snacks, things the children have never seen before once they start to get bored & asking the proverbiable question, "Are we there yet?!" Make it fun, interesting, turn it into an opportunity to enjoy family time. Sing songs, count trucks, cars, whatever by color etc. And now in the modern age-if you've got in car DVD player, buy new movies. I, personally, do NOT see me with an in car TV, but to each their own!
As the child grows, it's fun to turn the trip into a chance to do a bit of "school," too. We used to go to places that gave us the chance to reinforce science, history etc. It was fun for all of us. When our younger son was studying a particular country, we ate at places that served ethnic foods. We went to national battlefields etc. It became a challenge to my own imagination to keep my boys interested in our many family trips. I see my husband & I doing the same now that we are raising our grandson.
By the way, we traveled all of the eastern coast, and most of the central states with two boys over the years. We are already doing such trips with Hayden. The only thing slowing us down is the price of gas!!

Melissa,
Hello. I wanted to say that we've traveled often between FL and GA with young children.

Once I even did it alone with an exclusively nursing baby who'd only just begun eating dry cereal and pancakes at that point! I do NOT know what I was thinking in doing that, but I did it and would never recommend any mom doing what I did alone.

That said, you are going as a family, so what has worked for us (we have had AMAZING travelers - but I realize this isn't always the case) is to get up early and be on our way by 8am after a good breakfast and making sure to bring plenty of snacks.

We stop in Jacksonville for an hour to get gass, some good food the grocery store, and walk a bit, bathroom break. Oh, for those potty training families, some of our friends kept a potty (and baggies and wipes/toilet tissue) in the car so they could stop off at the side of the road since little ones just learning don't usually tell right away but when they HAVE to go.

When our boys were younger, they'd sleep most of the way and it never effected them or their usual bedtime once there either. Once they hit between 3-4y, they slept less.

We would bring magnets (larger ones, depending on your child), music, books (books on CD work very well for travel) and we'd talk and talk about what we were seeing, etc. By the time they were a little older to be awake longer (3-4y) we had a vehicle with a DVD player which helped, but we didn't use it the entire drive either. We made sure they were educational, too, so they were actually learning something on the way. Made us feel less guilty for keeping DVDs playing a good portion of an 8 hour drive!

The magnet books I am talking about are the ones with Dinosaurs, Mr. Potato Head, Finding Nemo, ect that the children can create their own creatures/figures. There are also farm ones, ocean ones, etc. I found ours at Books-A-Million.

BUT, we've also taken along a magnet board case made by Discovery Toys that houses magnets inside the case/magnet board. We used larger letters and numbers (the Leap Frog magnets are good for this if you have them - we had the other type that you could see the magnets on the back and they were small - from my teaching days - but we had to really watch as they are a choking hazard if the magnets come loose). The boys would create words or equations, etc. or we'd tell them how to spell simple words that they'd sound out. Or just put their letters in order and tell us the sounds.

We also gave them maps for along the way and we'd highlight where we were going so they could be a part of the process. Even as young as 2y. It makes them more aware of and observant of their surroundings, along with feeling a part of the whole trip.

Having a plastic child's clock is neat too. You can tell them what time to watch for on your vehicle clock by setting her clock to the time you want her to watch for. Ours LOVED this. They'd ask what time it was all along the way, but they learned to tell time very early because of it.

We keep calculators in the car, too and they love making equations. Some calculators are very large, so if your little one likes numbers, take one along with you. Show her how to use the +, -, = signs. It's all in fun, but she'll definitely learn too.

Anyway, this is what has worked for us.

The crayola color wonder markers and coloring pages are a great idea! As is traveling at night if that works for you. Also, keeping only car toys for long travels is a good idea, too. Keeps the toys newer.

Oh, one more thing. If she has her own little pull along backpack style bag, she can pack some of her own things and be in charge of her own little bag, being on wheels makes it easier for her. Ours LOVE to pack their own stuff and bag. You can do this with her, make it all part of your upcoming adventure.

Good Luck and Have FUN!!


Michelle

Thanks ladies for all the ideas. I made a list of things to go buy including a back pack. She watches "Dora" and likes the back pack song. (even though I can't stand Dora) haha
Whatever keeps her happy right?
Thanks again. I can't wait to go on vac!

quote:

Originally posted by mimib:
Thanks ladies for all the ideas. I made a list of things to go buy including a back pack. She watches "Dora" and likes the back pack song. (even though I can't stand Dora) haha
Whatever keeps her happy right?
Thanks again. I can't wait to go on vac!

Melissa,

I think you'll be happy with the backpack idea and Lacie too. Maybe a new pair of sunglasses or hat for the trip. Something new is always neat for little ones.

I thought an etch-a-scetch or magna doodle may occupy her well, too. They have been great for us for anytime car rides, esp. longer ones.


I was thinking more on it and a friend of ours, more like a grandmother to our boys, also gave ours their own disposable cameras when we went on our first vacation in December (first since our honeymoon - nearly 13 years). The boys took pictures of whatever they wanted, what they thought was interesting and exciting. I tried to keep track of at least the activity we were doing or place we were when pictures were taken in case we couldn't figure it out once developed. I kept a little notepad in my bag.

When you have the film developed, make sure to write that you want ALL the pictures since a child took them. Or else they might think you don't/won't want them. Then you can have fun with Lacie creating her own album and reminiscing about your vacation together. It'll help her remember the events and fun far longer, too.

Be sure to bring lots of water for you, too. A little child's step stool for your feet might be good. I don't know how your vehicle is arranged, but you may want to consider (if it isn't already) having Lacie's seat behind the driver's seat so you can lounge back and stretch out - may help with your legs/ankles not swelling.

I look forward to hearing how it all goes! Enjoy, be well and safe,


Michelle