Author Topic: Traveling with kids question  (Read 9136 times)

BrooklineBiker

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Traveling with kids question
« on: June 23, 2015, 06:06:28 PM »
Hi everyone,
I am seeking advice on how to keep my very active daughters, 3 years old and 8.5 years old, occupied and happy on a 10 hour drive from Boston to Virginia and another 10 hour drive back up north a week later. I am the dad and will be undertaking the drive on my own. This will be the first time either child has had an extended separation from mom.  I plan to break up the drive with overnights in New York on the way down and back. We will be driving in a small SUV.

One option would be to give them DVDs to watch. However, I generally try to limit the little ones’ TV and computer time to an hour per day. If I could keep to that policy while driving, it would be great. I like to be frugal in expenditures too so if I could avoid buying a portable DVD player that would be great. Does anyone have recommendations?

whdwight

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2015, 06:17:44 PM »
There's always good old "car games" like "Alphabet" to kill time without killing any money. Google "family car games" and you'll get lists like this one:
http://www.parents.com/fun/vacation/ideas/8-fun-car-game-ideas/

tonysemail

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2015, 06:23:47 PM »
what about a smartphone loaded with fun podcasts to listen to?
my kids love listening to podcasts such as brainson.org.
i'm also in the habit of checking out audio CDs from the library.
charlie and the chocolate factory is long and kept my kids busy for a long car ride.
unfortunately, your kids are far apart in age and I guess it would be near impossible to find a story that both of them would be into.

MayDay

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2015, 07:34:43 PM »
My kids love books on CD from the library.

Plan to go out and buy some new stuff for the trip- and reserve some for the drive home! Fresh crayons and coloring books, stickers, post it notes, etc.

We have a tablet so for every long car trip we've put one movie on it, and save it for those last desperate 2 hours.

Make all your stops be at a park, per while at the park, then eat while you drive. Even 15 minutes at a park will make everything better.

Buy special drinks (chocolate milk boxes for us) and give it to them 30 minutes before you stop for gas/playtime. It will make the last half hour easier and they'll have to pee right when you stop.

We l I've 11 hours from my parents, this ain't my first rodeo.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2015, 05:46:54 AM »
My kids do really well on car trips. Now that they are strong readers, it's books, some coloring, and of course napping. Before reading our primary "weapon" was letting them pack a paper grocery bag full of toys. The bag sat in the back with them. If a toy fell to floor where they couldn't reach, oh well, grab a new one and repeat.

If we happen to find a rest stop with a playground (pretty rare on our routes) we'll stop and let  them run around. Otherwise we try to power through and keep stops to absolute minimum, eating while driving.

It helps that we've always raised our kids to be self-entertained.

BrooklineBiker

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2015, 06:22:36 AM »
Thanks everyone for the great ideas. Please keep them coming!

soillife

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2015, 11:06:19 AM »
We do books on cd, a dvd, some time on a tablet, coloring books, play dough, stopping at parks to picnic lunch then play and magnetic games. You can buy some online or make some at home. Bingo with things that they might see outside the car are a big hit with our younger ones 6 & 4 and state plates for our older one was fun when he was 8-12. Now that he's almost 15 though he thinks our car games are lame. I like to go to the dollar store and pick up some little toys to hand back to the kids during the trip too if they start to get too annoyed with each other. I've found driving straight through is easiest for us. When we break the trip up into multiple days in a row in the car the kids like to annoy each other more which means more fights. If we have to stop over night we make sure to stop early and do something where ever we are that they'll enjoy. Something active so they can burn off energy. Books on CD that entertain all three of our kids 14, 6 & 4 are Junie B. Jones, Harry Potter and the Fudge Books. Oh and we usually let the kids each pick out a cd of music at the library for our trips.

Redstone5

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2015, 01:02:38 PM »
We do the 14 hour trip from Victoria to Idaho every summer with our three boys. We find it works best for us to plan a nice long stop for a relaxing lunch to break up the day and then just make fast pit stops at the gas station when needed so that you still make good driving time.

We do not use a DVD player, but the boys are allowed to bring their iPods, and we take turns with the radio. We believe that some periods of bored staring out of windows encourages the development of good imaginations. We also limit access to sugary drinks and snacks, to avoid stomach issues and hyperactivity.

Take time to adjust the car seats, if needed. On our last trip our toddler's seatbelt was too tight under his thick sweater and I didn't realize it until after we'd enjoyed 4 hours of grumbling and crying, poor little guy :(

Have a great time!

LiveLean

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2015, 03:15:16 PM »
We're in the midst of our month-long, 4,000-mile annual summer odyssey.

We view DVDs as less of an evil than video games. So on days when we're in the car most of the day, we limit video games to 1 hour (same as home), insist on two hours of reading (usually first thing) and fill in with DVDs.

I'm envious that the kids can read in the car, something I could never do raised as I was in station wagons and sedans with a chain-smoking father. Being higher up in a minvan probably helps, too.

Yesterday a four-hour drive from Nashville to Atlanta became a six-hour drive with traffic (ugh) and thankfully we had just rented a movie. We get a lot of movies from RedBox, though writing this just reminded me I haven't returned yesterday's rental.

AZDude

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #9 on: June 25, 2015, 03:31:46 PM »
Not quite the same, but when travelling with our 2, now 3 yr old, on roadtrips between AZ and CA, we usually hit up the local dollar store and let her pick out some stuff to play with. Then she is not allowed to open it until in the car. That, plus playing a movie on our laptop, plus sleep, plus stopping halfway between to let her play will make the trip bearable.

Of course, we have both parents in the car, and one of usually in the back.

klystomane

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #10 on: June 25, 2015, 03:41:36 PM »
Give them an incentive to stay up the night before the trip so that they can sleep in the car.


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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2015, 05:04:07 PM »
We do car games -
Alphabet looking at license plates
Alphabet looking at road signs
Try to collect all the state license plates (it usually takes 6 months to get all 51!)
Singing songs
I spy or "I'm thinking of something..." 20 questions
Lots of snacks

This year, we are opting to take the train instead.  My 9 year old gets carsick, so we'd have to drug him (it's an 8 hour drive from western PA to upstate NY).  The train is much nicer, except sometimes more expensive and the food sucks. So we are packing food.

Definitely take plenty of breaks.

We also let them watch movies on a pad and play video games if possible.  But that kinda makes me carsick just thinking about it.

Trifle

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #12 on: June 26, 2015, 05:08:02 AM »
We have always done a few long car trips a year with our kids, and have never done movies or video games.  When the kids were the age your kids are now we relied heavily on CD books from the library.  Try the Magic Tree House books, Harry Potter, and the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. We would grab a huge stack of book CDs each time, and there would always be at least one that really grabbed the kids and kept them listening for hours.   For the time in between audio books, we would pack a bag for each kid with a clipboard, blank paper, lots of pencils, crayons, markers, etc.   Your three year old is probably too young for this right now, but I also printed out blank map outlines (you can find online) of the U.S. and the kids could use them to quiz each other on state names, color in a state once they saw a license plate from that state, write in state capitals, etc.   Sometimes we would buy those 'invisible ink' booklets that come with a special marker that reveals the answer to a question.  We would also put loads of snacks in the kids' bags. 

We also played lots of 20 Questions.  Once our five year old set us all laughing hysterically by asking very seriously on his first question "Does it have tentacles?"  We also played lots of Fortunately/Unfortunately.  With that one, one person starts by saying something like "Unfortunately, John's car broke down."  The next person continues the story with a 'Fortunately', saying something like 'Fortunately, John was able to walk to a nearby town."  Next person:  "Unfortunately, the townspeople there were zombies."  You get the idea.  :)

Le Poisson

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #13 on: June 26, 2015, 05:27:24 AM »
Start the drive at about 3AM. Less traffic and the kids will sleep through the first half. Eat breakfast at 8:00 AM or so and then the drive will 'only' feel like 5 hours to them.


JustGettingStarted1980

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #14 on: June 26, 2015, 05:34:31 AM »
Start the drive at about 3AM. Less traffic and the kids will sleep through the first half. Eat breakfast at 8:00 AM or so and then the drive will 'only' feel like 5 hours to them.

+1

Overnight drives and really early morning drives are the way to go. I have a 2 yo and 4 yo "high energy" set of boys and this works every time.  I'm sure MMM would also appreciate the 1-2 less days of hotels needed as well due to overnight drives.

Also, as adults, my wife and I did overnight trains in Spain/France/Italy all the time, best way to travel!

BrooklineBiker

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #15 on: June 26, 2015, 06:47:22 AM »
Hi everyone,
Thanks for the recommendations. A lot of these are great. I want to emphasize that I am really seeking things along the lines of activities or distractions for the kids, as opposed to driving in the early morning or late night. I am already sleep deprived and I need to be safe for many hours in the car.

Gray Matter

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #16 on: June 26, 2015, 06:51:55 AM »
We kept a small duffle bag full of little toys and doodads that only came out when we travelled (by car or plane).  And they could only take out one toy at a time, play with it, then put it away and take out another one.  But most of the time, they hardly needed it in car rides (and we've taken some looooong ones), because there's just so much to look at.  My kids loved pointing out "ghost houses" (run-down, abandoned houses) and being on the lookout for those could occupy hours.  Also, car bingo and books on tape.  Also love the "silent game" (whoever is silent the longest gets a prize). 

But honestly, most kids travel surprisingly well in my experience.  Have fun!

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #17 on: June 26, 2015, 07:22:43 AM »
Start the drive at about 3AM. Less traffic and the kids will sleep through the first half. Eat breakfast at 8:00 AM or so and then the drive will 'only' feel like 5 hours to them.

We tried overnight drives and it was miserable (kids didn't sleep full 8 hours, both of us were exhausted, etc), but the early AM start works well, especially since our most common drive necessitates going through Chicago. Last time we left home at 3ish and were through Chicago with basically no traffic, which shaved at least an hour off of past trips where we didn't hit the city as early and were stuck.

Le Poisson

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #18 on: June 26, 2015, 07:38:04 AM »
Start the drive at about 3AM. Less traffic and the kids will sleep through the first half. Eat breakfast at 8:00 AM or so and then the drive will 'only' feel like 5 hours to them.

We tried overnight drives and it was miserable (kids didn't sleep full 8 hours, both of us were exhausted, etc), but the early AM start works well, especially since our most common drive necessitates going through Chicago. Last time we left home at 3ish and were through Chicago with basically no traffic, which shaved at least an hour off of past trips where we didn't hit the city as early and were stuck.

I agree - for us early am is th ecat's pajamas, but if OP fatigues quickly/early I wouldn't want to have them get in trouble as an only driver. Sleep patterns vary greatly between different people.

I don't like to feed the kids snacks on the road and drinks are the worst. A sippy cup of water/juice/etc. will lead to 47 rest stops and tag-team haftapee shouts from the backseat. For me its songs, stories and loads of chatter to keep everyone happy. When that wears out its nap time. If you can bring a CD/mp3/whatever of the Disney silly songs tape (1980's vintage), I have yet to find a kid who won't listen to it endlessly. You can probably peel the songs off youtube with the right software.

"It aint gonna rain no more, no more, it aint gonna rain no more,
How in the hech can I warsh my kneck if it aint gonna rain no more?"

http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Silly-Songs-Simply-Singable/dp/B000001M1F

StockBeard

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #19 on: July 01, 2015, 10:54:43 AM »
One option would be to give them DVDs to watch. However, I generally try to limit the little ones’ TV and computer time to an hour per day. If I could keep to that policy while driving, it would be great. I like to be frugal in expenditures too so if I could avoid buying a portable DVD player that would be great. Does anyone have recommendations?
Personally I'd say this is a good exception to break the rules, it's probably ok if you do it only once and explain to them that it's an exception. I'd recommend a tablet with fun activities (games. Some of them can be educational!) over a DVD player though.

Also, on a personal note, I'd make a strong distinction between TV time and computer time. A computer is a powerful tool to learn stuff. I spent easily 4 hours a day on my computer as a teenager. This has led me to a successful engineer career. The computer has taught me to program, video games taught me English, and helped me make life-lasting friendship with people who are my best friends 20 years later. Just don't let them only play video games or facebook when they use the computer, that's it :)

TrMama

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #20 on: July 02, 2015, 12:25:19 PM »
+1 for books on disk from the library.

Pack children's Gravol, just in case. If it turns out that one of them gets carsick, do some research now to figure out if you can safely put that kid in the front passenger seat. Yes, I know it's not as safe, but I find it seriously distracting when one of my kids is barfing in the back seat.

Along the same lines, pack an "Emergency Barf Repair kit" for each kid somewhere you can easily get at it. Kit contains: complete change of clothes, wet wipes and a hand towel sealed in a large ziploc bag. If you have to use the kit, use the ziploc to seal up the grossness.

Can you tell why we don't do a lot of road trips? Have fun!

Meggslynn

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #21 on: July 02, 2015, 01:50:45 PM »
I second audiobooks. We love them.

If you do get a portable cd player check out places like craiglist. That's where we got ours for $20.

Snacks

New to them books and coloring books.

Put everything in one basket that both of them can reach. Or maybe split into two baskets to avoid fighting.

Road games. I spy is our favorite.


La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #22 on: July 02, 2015, 03:12:59 PM »
Besides audiobooks, don't forget to look at kids' music CDs from the library. I know, the 19th time through "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain"  can be a little painful, but sometimes it helps :-).

My kids love when I tell them stories without a book, so maybe memorize a couple. (George Washington and the cherry tree? The time you broke your arm on the monkey bars?)

E_Monkey

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #23 on: July 05, 2015, 07:57:33 PM »
We don't do marathon drives. Instead, we break every two hours for a one-hour break. We get out (usually at a playground) and run around enough to get the ya-yas out. Depending on time of day, we may have a meal.

I researched stops along the routes we do most often. If you Google-map your route and then zoom in around the exits and look for green areas, it's surprising what you can find. I look for sites with interesting playgrounds, parking, bathrooms, and optimally, food. One of our favorite stops on your route is the Hannah's Dream Playground in East Haven. Bad weather? We go to IKEA New Haven. We signed up for IKEA Family so that we get free coffee and the kids get extra time in the ball room.

Here is a list from the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/09/AR2008120903059.html of some great stops along the NY-DC leg of your trip.

Out and About Mom has some terrific ideas for Connecticut.  http://www.outandaboutmom.com/2015/04/14/the-big-list-of-connecticut-playgrounds/

Neustache

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #24 on: July 05, 2015, 08:19:55 PM »
I have taken many, many road trips with small kiddos - traveling alone and trying to limit the DVD?  I wouldn't do that. 

Toys drop...and then since you are by yourself, you won't be able to pick them up easily without risking life and limb.  Kids will want snack/drinks/etc, and you won't be able to hand them to them easily. 

Make this easy on yourself - use the DVD player.  Get educational stuff if you need to in order to justify it...but use it.  It's an exception based on the fact that they are held captive in their seat; they'll understand and you won't rot their brain. 

Our kids are getting really great at road trips now and we don't need the DVD player as much as we used to need it - that said - we had many days on our most recent road trip were we watched 2 movies in a day.  But we also had some 10-12 hour days. 

Make it easy on yourself - embrace the DVD player.  Set arbitrary rules for it if you like - as in - must wait until we are out of the city (so you can hear sirens) or no DVD during nap time (to encourage sleeping). 

gt7152b

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #25 on: July 06, 2015, 12:26:37 PM »


We tried overnight drives and it was miserable (kids didn't sleep full 8 hours, both of us were exhausted, etc), but the early AM start works well, especially since our most common drive necessitates going through Chicago. Last time we left home at 3ish and were through Chicago with basically no traffic, which shaved at least an hour off of past trips where we didn't hit the city as early and were stuck.

I'm the opposite. Waking up early and trying to drive is awful for me. Nearly impossible to stay awake. Leaving the night before and driving all night I can handle pretty well. I always hit a wall at some point where I'm too tired to drive but a quick nap or some caffeine/food usually gets me a second wind. For the OP, audio books are the best for my kids.

Scubanewbie

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #26 on: July 07, 2015, 10:56:15 AM »
I have taken many, many road trips with small kiddos - traveling alone and trying to limit the DVD?  I wouldn't do that. 

Toys drop...and then since you are by yourself, you won't be able to pick them up easily without risking life and limb.  Kids will want snack/drinks/etc, and you won't be able to hand them to them easily. 

Make this easy on yourself - use the DVD player.  Get educational stuff if you need to in order to justify it...but use it.  It's an exception based on the fact that they are held captive in their seat; they'll understand and you won't rot their brain. 

Our kids are getting really great at road trips now and we don't need the DVD player as much as we used to need it - that said - we had many days on our most recent road trip were we watched 2 movies in a day.  But we also had some 10-12 hour days. 

Make it easy on yourself - embrace the DVD player.  Set arbitrary rules for it if you like - as in - must wait until we are out of the city (so you can hear sirens) or no DVD during nap time (to encourage sleeping).

While I certainly would agree that one trip isn't going to rot their brain, if you don't want to use the DVD player then don't.  I had different aged kids, they were 5 and 1 at last fall, but we managed a 7 hour back and forth trip (with no overnight) by planning two longer stops on the way there and back.  On the way there I scoped out a park and had packed a lunch, the kids ate fast and then played for almost an hour.  On the way back I did the McD thing with a playland (on their website where you can search specifically along a route for one with a playland which I did in advance and had the 3 places programmed into the GPS).  With those two longer stops we were able to just power through the rest.  I brought a "bag of tricks" (small toys) and the younger one took a 1.5 hour nap, which helped.  The older did some school work since I told him that way he didn't have to do any while we were there (we had taken a day off of school to do a 4 day weekend along a teacher conference 3-dayer).  At 8.5 years old, there's no reason the older one can't reach and get stuff if it drops so I don't think I'd worry too much there.  Even at 5 years old and in a 5 point harness my older managed to "help" the rear facing younger one when she needed a hand, though obviously not dropped toys.  I agree with ALL the other advice to not just have a "go at it" bag but strategically bring things out along the way, if you need to hide a second bag for the ride home then do it.  And stop when you need to, with two days and a 10 hour trip, there's no reason not to stop for a park (scope out locations ahead of time and keep a list in the GPS) and even a bit of sightseeing on the way.  If you want to do the DVD thing (or any other "best" toy) then agreed on holding it out for the last few hours when things get twitchy.  The only problem is then they know about it on the way back ;)

Neustache

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #27 on: July 07, 2015, 12:09:44 PM »
Wait - you did 14 hours of driving in one day?  Or 7 hours total?  A 10 hour day is going to be at least 11 hours, 12 easy, with gas and bathroom breaks.  I don't see how he could sight see much with an ambitious day like that.   We've driven 7 hours in a day (no big stops) and it's easy...but my kids are really well-accostumed to road trips.  And unless a kid unbelts themselves, they can't reach for toys that fall on the floor. 


Le Poisson

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #28 on: July 07, 2015, 12:32:44 PM »
Back about 10 years ago we moved our family (then there were 3 of us) from Calgary to Toronto in a minivan pulling a utility trailer. At the time, my daughter was in grade 1 - so 6 yrs old. This was pre-DVD players etc. and the van was stuffed (dangerously) such that she had no space to move.

We went straight through with a stop at each provincial border for photos, and a driver swap every 4 hours which included a chance to pee and have a snack. That first day we traveled from Calgary to the Ontario border - 14 hrs according to google. Day 2 took us to Thunder Bay, ON (6 hours) where we spent a night with family. The last day of travel brought us to Brantford Ontario (15 hours).

She had very little in the way of toys etc. and was fine for the whole trip. A lot of this depends on the kid and the parents.

mamagoose

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #29 on: July 07, 2015, 12:58:10 PM »
The oldest one should be responsible for helping pick up toys/snacks that the little one drops, she's a big kid. I would google "children's museum" in the cities along your interstate driving route. We've found good ones in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, SC, and are trying one in Columbia SC this summer along a road trip. Or shopping malls with indoor play areas. This isn't so much for the big kid, but the 3 year old will need to stop and get the wiggles out, and those places are great b/c they're educational, usually cheap, and have comfy chairs for parents to chill.

Scubanewbie

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #30 on: July 07, 2015, 01:54:54 PM »
Wait - you did 14 hours of driving in one day?  Or 7 hours total?  A 10 hour day is going to be at least 11 hours, 12 easy, with gas and bathroom breaks.  I don't see how he could sight see much with an ambitious day like that.   We've driven 7 hours in a day (no big stops) and it's easy...but my kids are really well-accostumed to road trips.  And unless a kid unbelts themselves, they can't reach for toys that fall on the floor.

Was this directed at me?  If so I apologize, I did seven hours each direction on a 4 day weekend.  No 14 hour driving days!  And my point was at at 8.5 years old (or in my case 5 years old) a kid can "help" somewhat.  Reaching into a bag on the seat next to them, getting a new book, writing in a journal.  But no, they cannot reach the floor to grab a toy unless they are a monkey like my older son and have their shoes off and use their feet and even then it only works if the toy is long enough to grab and either skinny or furry like a teddy bear (true story from several bigger toys on road trips :))  I agree with the other posters too, it depends on how used to road trips your kids are.  We don't do that many long ones but family lives 1 hour away so they do that without a toy or any entertainment, just watching the scenery and daydreaming whereas my friends who don't travel much have kids that are "bored" in 2 minutes flat.  Kids (and adults) adjust to what they do regularly.  Hence my post upthread about our 18 mile bike ride with the kids a few weeks back.  My six year old didn't flinch whereas other kids...would ask if there was a Wii version :)

Gray Matter

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #31 on: July 07, 2015, 04:04:04 PM »
Yeah, we used to have something against DVDs, too.  Then we did a trip with DVDs, and we'll never do another one w/out them.

Their brains won't melt if they watch DVDs for one trip... make it easy on yourself, and on the kids.... don't reinvent the wheels.  DVDs work.

Kids seem to understand the "different circumstances, different rules" pretty well.  Our rule was always:  no screens for trips under four hours.  If it's under four hours, they can just amuse themselves, read, etc.  Longer than four hours, then we allow screens (with some limits).  That has worked well and the kids get it.

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #32 on: July 08, 2015, 05:13:40 AM »
Maybe it's just us, but we went the opposite way with the screens.  We started off with DVDs in the car for long trips with our young kids and ended up ditching them.  We went to books on CD, drawing, talking to each other, car games, stops at parks, etc., and found that everyone arrived at the destination less tired and less stressed.   

Gray Matter

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #33 on: July 08, 2015, 05:34:17 AM »
Maybe it's just us, but we went the opposite way with the screens.  We started off with DVDs in the car for long trips with our young kids and ended up ditching them.  We went to books on CD, drawing, talking to each other, car games, stops at parks, etc., and found that everyone arrived at the destination less tired and less stressed.

I've had this experience with too much screen-time, too.  They get irritable and tired if they binge watch.  For us, limited (like 2 hours out of 10) seems to work well, though it varies by kid.  My oldest has always preferred books and looking out the window and daydreaming to screens.

Goldielocks

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #34 on: July 13, 2015, 12:41:16 AM »
Start the drive at about 3AM. Less traffic and the kids will sleep through the first half. Eat breakfast at 8:00 AM or so and then the drive will 'only' feel like 5 hours to them.
+10

I spy based on trying to find 10 red trucks, or different state plates, road signs with green letters...

Audio books.   Steven covey is a soothing voice that should put the youngest to sleep while may be of interest to the two of you...

K-ice

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #35 on: July 20, 2015, 12:38:37 AM »
Try to break it up with some talking.

My 4y old son loves talking about what he learnt on Wild Krattz.

"Did you know that... The Tazmanian tiger lived in .... Did you know .... Spawning grounds...."

Usually we already know but it's fun to pretend we don't.

So if they do get some screen time it is good to practice their comprehension after.

I'll try to think of a few more. My son's quite good on long trips.



Helvegen

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #36 on: July 20, 2015, 10:05:07 AM »
Drove 3 days cross-country with a then 5 year old. Best things were that she had a PSP and an addiction to the game LocoRoco. Also had some movies and TV shows downloaded to it. We had the luck of moving during the dead of off season and we got some really nice hotels for rockbottom prices. Hotels with elaborate pool slides and whatnot, so she was able to get a lot energy out in the pool. We stopped at few national parks along the way (Mt. Rushmore being the best at the time), but winter weather wasn't that great for being outdoors for more than an hour or so. We would try to stop every two hours if she was awake so she could go to the restroom and stretch her legs. If she was napping, we would try to drive as long as possible. At the time, she was obsessed with eating at McDonald's, so we would try to stop at ones that had indoor playplaces. Thank goodness she grew out of that. She also had books to read, activity books, we'd listen to music, she'd sleep some, and we'd talk about where we were going and what neat things to expect, have a snack, etc.

She is a pretty hardy traveler, so never really had too much of a problem despite the length of the trip.


Andrea_R

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Re: Traveling with kids question
« Reply #37 on: July 22, 2015, 11:07:25 PM »
Yup! I would go with DVDs. I am not great with kids but my doggie is!