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Long car trip advice

KaylaO1024KaylaO1024 member
in Toddlers: 24 Months+

We are taking a 12 1/2 hour drive in a few weeks with our DS who will be 3 in October.  My initial plan was to leave around 7pm and drive all night with hopes that he will sleep most of the night.  Now I'm wondering if we should leave in the morning and drive all day or break the trip up a little bit and stay at a hotel (which my husband really doesn't want to do).  Has anyone ever taken this long of a car trip with a toddler?  What do you think the best option is?

 Also, any other car trip advice will be greatly appreciated.  This is our first vacation with him so I'm pretty anxious.

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Re: Long car trip advice

  • Cherryblossoms07Cherryblossoms07 member

    I did 2 16 hour car rides with my kids a couple of months ago.  It went super smooth, especially since I did it alone.  On our first day, I was going to leave early in the morning in hopes that they would sleep a few hours, but I ended up not being able to sleep so I left at 1AM.  The kids slept for about 7 hours.  I ended up making it to our hotel stop shortly after they woke up.  If I hadn't been so exhausted I probably would have kept driving and found another hotel.  So, driving at night worked well for my kids.  When they were awake we had to stop every couple of hours or they would start getting restless.  Since, it will be you and your DH that can drive I would probably drive through the night that way you can make good time.

     Other advice - bring small toys to play with on the trip.  DD (3) loves our Nook color loaded with cartoons and toddler apps.  That kept her busy nearly the entire trip both ways.  DS (1) was entertained by their leap frog computer (he loves pushing buttons and making noise).  If your child gets restless - McDonalds playlands are great.  I hate McDonalds food but I have to admit that their playlands are great for traveling families.  Also, rest stops are another great opportunity to run around for a few minutes before getting back in the car, some have playgrounds which is nice.  Bring snacks.  Those are the only tips I can think of right now. 

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  • KaylaO1024KaylaO1024 member
    imageCherryblossoms07:

    I did 2 16 hour car rides with my kids a couple of months ago.  It went super smooth, especially since I did it alone.  On our first day, I was going to leave early in the morning in hopes that they would sleep a few hours, but I ended up not being able to sleep so I left at 1AM.  The kids slept for about 7 hours.  I ended up making it to our hotel stop shortly after they woke up.  If I hadn't been so exhausted I probably would have kept driving and found another hotel.  So, driving at night worked well for my kids.  When they were awake we had to stop every couple of hours or they would start getting restless.  Since, it will be you and your DH that can drive I would probably drive through the night that way you can make good time.

     Other advice - bring small toys to play with on the trip.  DD (3) loves our Nook color loaded with cartoons and toddler apps.  That kept her busy nearly the entire trip both ways.  DS (1) was entertained by their leap frog computer (he loves pushing buttons and making noise).  If your child gets restless - McDonalds playlands are great.  I hate McDonalds food but I have to admit that their playlands are great for traveling families.  Also, rest stops are another great opportunity to run around for a few minutes before getting back in the car, some have playgrounds which is nice.  Bring snacks.  Those are the only tips I can think of right now. 

    Thank you so much! It's nice to hear that someone else did a long trip and the kids did well. Everyone keeps telling me DS won't sleep all night and it's going to be a nightmare! lol Your advice is much appreciated!

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  • ncbellencbelle member
    We've done 12 hours several times (and I've done it solo with both kids).  The best trips have been when we've left at like 5am (they'll sleep again in the morning) and had a 2 hour stop for lunch at the halfway point (which brought on a long afternoon nap).  I HATE driving at night and if I drive overnight that means I spend the 1st day there sleeping or tired.  Plus the kids don't do well at bedtime in the carseat (although they are fine napping in it - go figure!).


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  • A37liciaA37licia member

    If the adults can handle losing sleep, an overnight trip would work well. Your DS would probably sleep a good bit. My 15mo slept literally all but 40 minutes of a 12 hour overnight drive a couple years ago.

    The other alternative to all daytime driving which can be hard is to leave super, super early, anywhere from 3-5a and get a great headstart. He might not go back to sleep if it's nearing daylight, but you'd at least get lots of hours in and get there before dinner. We just took a 4,000 rountrip road trip with our family, our kids are 2 & 4, and leaving early was my preference by far. Most days we were in the car by 6 or 6:30, allowed an hour for lunch at a playground and made one, maybe two other stops. We had 7-9 driving hours each day. 

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