Toys for Long Trips and...Toddler at a Wedding ?s
I just saw the post below about car trips + toddlers. We are leaving on Friday for a 12 hour trip. We plan on leaving during the night to maximize the time he is asleep. We have a DVD player, lots of snacks (and we'll probably stop to let out some steam but not to eat b/c eating keeps him preoccupied). He has a Leaptop, lots of books, stickers, an aquadoodle, DVD player + Elmo. However, all of the above failed to keep him happy during a four hour car trip recently so I am scared! Any other ideas for new toys that will keep him occupied?
We will be attending a wedding while on our trip. DS was invited and it will be a pretty casual wedding for his aunt (who is in her mid 60s). I am planning on sitting in the back should we need to exit quickly. Any other ideas for keeping him quiet? He is VERY chatty and has a habit of "narrating" everything he sees around him and asking about what people are doing. I will bring about 10 lollipops and shove them in his mouth, but am open to healthier suggestions 
Re: Toys for Long Trips and...Toddler at a Wedding ?s
12 hour car trip? I feel for you. We have a 14 hour ride coming up in July (it's really 12 hours, but I'm taking stops into account). Just wanted to wish us both luck.
We just got back from a wedding that was 15 hours away. Gwen actually did better driving through the day than at night, though I hear most kids do better when they sleep the whole trip.
She used a DVD player and played with stickers a lot. Also, those magnet type books/boards are great because the pieces stay put.
At the wedding, my husband stayed in back with her because she doesn't realize how loud she talks and so she could move around without bugging people. I think the suckers are a GREAT idea.
She had a blast at the reception and danced the night away! The whole trip went really well for us, so I'm trying to give you confidence that all will go smoothly!!
It's 12-14 hours (with a toddler) to get home now. I've done it twice by myself, so a lot of tips don't involve having extra sets of hands (thus may not applicable):
-I bought this https://www.amazon.com/Star-Kids-Snack-Play-Travel/dp/B000KJBFC8 for our trip last week. DD liked it, but I was too nervous to add the cutting board suggestion per some of the reviews for safety reasons. I liked that it was soft in case of an accident.
-I use (this may sound terrible) but $ store cat/dog collars with the buckles to attach things to DD's seat. I keep her snack cup and sippy cup on the collars and then clip a second collar to itself through one of the straps on her seat which means she can't throw her cup or snack cup far. It helps with the mess and makes it easy for her to reach again. Same thing with her snuggle item for naptime. I clipped in this trip too. By myself, it's a PITA to pull over and get the lion. Same with toys with handles, I can clip them in like a mini-magna doodle, a play purse filled with wrapped up "surprises" (which we things like a single sticker, ring, little box of crayons, a hershey kiss, etc.) and and a sorter toy.
-I agree with dvds, they help A LOT! DD really likes Laurie Berkner and we broke that out on the last trip and she LOVED it! Any of the dancing kids songs really help, cause she wiggles and kinda moves around a little.
-Since your going overnight (DH was with me for our only overnight trip, so different vibe), it's not really helpful, but finding pit stops that have good running around areas is good. I try to google mommy blogs and such for areas I think will line up to see if the McDonalds play area will be super dirty or if there is a good park nearby (this last trip, DD spent 30 mins running around a soccer field and playing on an empty skate park ramp). Malls sometimes have good areas to run around and we've done Children's museums too.
-Overnight was tough because we found we had to be super quite to not wake up DD and it was hard for the driver to concentrate with no stim. So, headphones for the passenger and DH uses his blue tooth to listen to the radio when he drives.
HTH!