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March 2013 Moms
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driving 18 hours with a 1 year old

Jerzee17Jerzee17 member
in March 2013 Moms
We will be driving to Florida in a month with our son who will be 13.5 months old. The drive is 18 hours long. We plan on driving through and not staying at a hotel. What are some pointers and ideas to keep our son happy? And yes we have to drive as flying is not in our budget for this vacation. We plan to leave around his bed time. I just want to keep him comfortable and content.
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Re: driving 18 hours with a 1 year old

  • gurleymommagurleymomma member
    Wow ummm.lots of toys and dvd player with cartoons.maybe you back and forth from front seat to back if you arent the one driving.when dd was three months we drove 16 hrs to a funeral but unless feeding or stopped for changing she slept whole time.i cant imagine that now.good luck.
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  • lars1226lars1226 member
    Leaving at bedtime sounds like a good idea. I agree with lots of toys and sitting in back with him at times. Maybe you could buy a couple new toys just for the car ride or hide some of his toys for the next month so they are kind of new again. Find a park along the way for a stretch break and chance to run around a bit. Have snacks and drinks ready in a cooler. The drive won't be fun but I'm sure Florida will be! Good luck!
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  • SarahRae85SarahRae85 member
    We drove from Texas to California when DS was 8 months old.

    Leaving at bedtime worked, but he did not sleep nearly as well in the car, despite being tired.

    We had a lot of luck by planning to stop every 2-3 hours to let him move around for at least 15-20 minutes. We'd plan to go 4-5 hours at first, then gradually make the stops closer and closer together as his patience began to run out.

    I also sat in the back seat with him to distract him, make faces, hand him snacks, etc. Near the end of our trip, DH and I would switch places since he got frustrated with just me. Also, he slept better if I was holding his head up in the car, so I'd plop a pillow on the edge of his carseat for my comfort and literally hold his head up while he slept.

    At 8 months old, DS's limit was 11 hours. Once we hit that point, NOTHING made him happy and he's generally pretty easy-going, so it's not like he's a picky, tough-to-please kid. So, it might be worth considering a stop about halfway through, or even 2/3 of the way through so you have one long day and then a short one. If you don't want to get a hotel, maybe find a place where your DS could get out and just roam for a few hours to let everyone get a break from the car.
    DD- 11/17/08, DD- 11/16/09, DS- 3/20/13 
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  • Jerzee17Jerzee17 member
    My fiance said he wants to drive through because staying at a hotel would take time away from our vacation and we only have a week due to his work. Also, we are on a tight budget so a hotel would also take away from our vacation money. If our son does get out of hand though I think he would change his mind about a hotel. I'm scared the hotel would be a dirty motel though since the hotel would have to be a quick decision depending on where we are along our trip.
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  • SarahRae85SarahRae85 member
    edited April 2014
    Jerzee17 said:
    My fiance said he wants to drive through because staying at a hotel would take time away from our vacation and we only have a week due to his work. Also, we are on a tight budget so a hotel would also take away from our vacation money. If our son does get out of hand though I think he would change his mind about a hotel. I'm scared the hotel would be a dirty motel though since the hotel would have to be a quick decision depending on where we are along our trip.
    Research hotels beforehand and have phone numbers and addresses (with basic directions) along the way. Keep in mind prices of hotels are more than the internet prices last minute (a $69 Econolodge online was $89 with no reservation). Pick a halfway point and find a hotel about every hour along the way from that point on, just in case.

    In my experiences, updated motel 6's are not very fancy, but with the updates (such as laminate floors instead of grungy carpet) they are a little cleaner and on the cheap side for a quick stop. Just bring your own pillows and blankets if you want.

    But, with your bedtime-leaving plans, a motel might not be an option if you do that route and just have long-stop options available. Heck, it may not be the cleanest, but a McDonalds playplace would give your LO a place to roam free for awhile and maybe give you the reset you need. Or Barnes and Noble usually has a place for kids to play and maybe a spot for you to sit down as well.
    DD- 11/17/08, DD- 11/16/09, DS- 3/20/13 
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
     Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickersLilypie Kids Birthday tickers
    Daisypath Anniversary tickers
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  • Jerzee17Jerzee17 member
    Thank you! I never even thought of a McDonald's play area or Barnes and Noble. .Great ideas!
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