Give me ideas for car activities

FortMyersBride · November 2011

So I may have lost my mind, but DH convinced me we should drive the 8 hrs to FL rather than the short flight. It means we can take all the baby gear and preschooler beach toys we care to pack (my element has a big cargo area) but I'm worrying about both kids losing it during the drive. We'll have to stop every 2-4 hrs to feed DD anyway, but I'm trying to come up with activities to keep DS entertained for the trip. So far I have:

A tray that fits over his carseat so he can draw/color/play with small toys

The ipad with some games for him

A couple new books for him to "read"

Snacks

Any recommendations for activities? Any suggestions for new ipad games or new movies to put on the ipad?

brightning · November 2011

Whenever we go on long car rides, we try to do it after DD has gotten a chance to run around for a while in the morning (10 a.m.), or else leaving right before dinner, driving for an hour or two, stopping to eat, and driving the rest of the way.

My DD really likes books on "tape" (some of our books come with CDs of the author reading the book, or else the "turn the page" kinds of read-along stories, both of which we've downloaded onto an iPod for her to listen to in the car). Also on the iPod is a bunch of kids music, which she's perfectly content to listen to for hours. She particularly likes soundtracks to movies (Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, Tinkerbell).

Magnadoodle and/or travel Aquadoodle

Lots of snacks

One small new toy

A few books. I actually never do new books because she likes to read them to herself and I get totally carsick, so I make sure they're familiar favorites that I don't have to read to her.

White paper on a clipboard, stickers and a container of those twist-up crayons or else colored pencils (anything that won't get on the car seats if dropped).

GL!

Brewtowngrl · November 2011

My boys only make it about 100-125 miles and they need to stop for potty or something. My sister stops at a park, but I would never get them to leave it so we stop at target or something and let them pick out a new toy about half way there. This way they get to run around and there is something new to entertain them. I pack a bin of small toys and books and put it between them. You can also put a pillow between them so if they drop it is still within reach. I also put stuff in the foot well area so things can't fall too far. I pack a cooler full of snacks and drinks. Usually the movies keep them entertained enough

smitt2619 · November 2011

We make the 6 hour drive to my hometown about 5-6 months/year, and recently a vacation that was a 9 hour drive. We bought tv's to put on the head rest, and only set them up for the long car rides, which makes a huge difference. I also pack a bag of toys that fits between their seats that includes books, aquadoodle, a couple leapfrog noisy toys, cars and little guys, and a lap tray for color wonders, small puzzles, memory game, etc for my older one. I shop garage sales a lot, and save "new" toys for the long drives. "New" toys provide much more entertainment then ones that have played with many times. We also pack plenty of snacks and drinks, and often try to give them a snacky meal that's safe to eat in the car so that when we do stop, they can run around rather then need to sit to eat. And one of the main things we do is to time the drive to maximize nap time. Good luck!