Travel at night when they are all sleeping. I know this might be crappy for you but I am a night person and that always works the best for me with a 2 year old!
We went down to MO over the 4th of July... my kids are 6 months, 2 and almost 4. It actually went much better than I thought it would. We just left early in the morning, so they were still sleepy. My 2 year actually enjoyed watching Dora on the DVD player. So we ended up taking 2 dvd player (each with headphones). My 6 month old was a little harder to entertain. But we just kept lots to toys and snacks. I was very stressed over the trip, but once I calmed down the kids did just fine.
I agree with leaving early in the morning, that always has worked for my kids. Also taking a little break every now and then to just let them stretch and get out of their carseats. We usually stop at rest areas to do diaper changes and they usually have a nice place to walk around. Good luck and hope you have a great time!
Movies would probably work great for the 6 year old, and you should be able to find some that work well for the 2 year old. They might drive you NUTS...but not as much as a screaming kid would!
For the baby I would recommend a few brand new toys she's never seen before. You might get one really interesting bigger one with lights and music and such. But also get several small ones with different textures, sounds, etc. You just have to keep them interested. Be prepared to sing songs, play peek a boo, and be sure to take plenty of rest breaks. Get out of the car to walk around, change diapers, let the kids RUN RUN RUN. Bring a blanket and pillow for everyone, my kids love to snuggle down in their car/booster seats and watch movies or nap.
Good luck!! We've taken many 1500 mile and 3000 mile road trips from northern WI to visit family in Kansas City and west Texas with our four children. It was rough when Noah was 2 and Amaya was a newborn, but now they are 3 and 5 and seasoned travelers!
i would recommend games and brand new toys!!! There is another post about this somewhere. I would even buy toys from the dollar store and they will think that it is cool to have "travel toys". For the baby i would recommend traveling either late at night or early in the morning so maybe the baby will sleep part of the trip.
We travel frequently on 3hr trips to Nebraska and I have a 2 1/2yr old and 1yr old .... my advice is to have a bag of toys, books, etc in the front with you and dole them out SLOWLY! Haha! The last trip to Lincoln I was scrambling for things that my 1yr old could play with .... he actually was entertained for almost a half hour with our garage door opener and a tic-tac container that had 2 tic-tac's in there ... sometimes I get desperate, what can I say! Good Luck! I hope things go smoothly for you!
I believe these were off of travelingwithkids.com or something like that. Google some ideas. Here are a few I kept on the computer (some more for air travel, but they can all be adapted, I think) We drove to MI when our son was 9 mths. I know what you're talking about. 1. Peek-a-boo
2. Which Hand is it in?
o Hold an item in your hand - it really can be anything! A tube of chapstick was always our favorite!
o Close it up in your hand, put your hands behind your back and move it from hand to hand, then bring your hands out in front of you and have your child guess which hand it's in.
3. This Little Piggy
4. Hats Off
o It's very simple, put a hat on your head and let your child take it off.
o Kids will play this for a long time especially if you get into it and make funny faces or feign surprise when they take it off.
5. Where is Thumbkin?
o A simple verse that most parents probably know:
o Put your hands behind your back and sing
"Where is thumbkin? Where is thumbkin?"
(Bring hands out, with thumbs up, one at a time and sing)
"Here I am, Here I am"
(Thumbs address each other as you sing)
"How are you today sir? Very well I thank you"
(Thumbs go back behind your back, one at a time, as you sing)
"Run away, Run away"
6. If You're Happy and You Know It
7. Shell Game with Treats
8. Finger, Nose, Hair and Toes
o Put Your Finger in the Air
Put your finger in the air, in the air,
Put your finger in the air, in the air,
Put your finger in the air, then put it in your hair,
Put your finger in your hair, in your hair.
Put your finger on your nose, on your nose,
Put your finger on your nose, on your nose,
Put your finger on your nose, then put it on your toes,
Put your finger on your toes, on your toes.
(repeat with arm/leg, cheeks/chin, lip/hips, neck/back, then)
Put your finger on your finger, on your finger,
Put your finger on your finger, on your finger,
Put your finger on your finger, and then in your lap,
At the end of the song, give a clap!
9. Babies on the Bus
o This is baby exercise time - lay your baby on the airplane seat on a blanket and sing this song while moving the specified body part.
o Wheels on the Bus
(Bicycle your baby's legs as you sing the first four lines.)
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round,
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All through the town.
The people on the bus go up and down.
(lift your baby's arms up and down)
The wipers on the bus go back and forth.
(roll baby from side to side)
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep.
(touch your baby's nose)
10. Pony Rides
o When your child has developed good neck control this is a great game to play on the airplane
o Lay a soft blanket on your knee
o Sit your baby on knee facing you
o Gently bounce baby on your knee and sing the following verses
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men,
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
To Market, to Market
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.
One, Two, Bounce My Shoe
One, two, bounce my shoe;
Three, four, tap the floor;
Five, six, give a kick;
Seven, eight, legs stand straight;
Nine, ten, start again.
11. Fresh Fruit - bananas, melon, pears, peaches, apples
12. Canned fruit packed in water or light syrup
13. Applesauce or other pureed fruit - mix with plain yogurt for a change
14. Yogurt Dip with bananas
15. Gelatin with canned fruit
16. Soft cooked veggie sticks (carrots, asparagus, green beans, broccoli etc.) with a cottage cheese or yogurt ranch dip
17. Dried fruit
18. Muffins made with carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, bananas, dates, squash or any other fruit or veggie.
19. Pita pockets with sliced lean meats, cheese, tomato, lettuce etc.
20. Tacquitos - made with a corn or flour tortilla. Place a small amount of refried beans, grated cheese and perhaps some salsa or sour cream, roll up into a small child size taco.
21. Bagels with cream cheese cut into small chunks.
22. Cheerios - have fun and make necklaces with them first then eat the necklace!
23. Veggie Puffs (try Veggie Booty made by Robert's Gourmet)
Travel List
Extra ziplocs for diapers/soiled clothes
Crumb Chum bib(s) (have a pocket and can be wiped clean – vinyl)
Insulated cooler bag
Baby teething feeder for snacks
Nightlight
Sunglasses
Each day’s clothes in separate Ziploc baggie
Outlet covers
Toys and books (small, interactive, fun – some new things for novelty)
Vinyl changing pads
Extra shirts/clothes for parents (just-in-case gets sick or get dirty)
Food/spoons/bowls/sippy
Water bottles
fotomama
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Hello all, I have 3 kids ages 6, 2 and 10 months and we are planning a trip to MI in 2 weeks. I need ideas for traveling w/ babies especially. My 6 year old is pretty easy to entertain w/ the dvd player or his music player. But my 2 year old and especially 10 month old I have no idea. I have little snacks for them to keep them occupied for awhile, but i can't feed them the WHOLE way there. :) Anyway ideas would be awesome!