Travels with Toddlers: Wear those suckers out!
Categories: Places to go
This week, we're heading out of town with my two toddlers. This car trip, which normally takes eight hours for two adults, will easily take over ten with my two in tow. Argh!We've made the trip multiple times over the years and have adjusted it according to what works and what doesn't.
What doesn't work: Leaving at four in the morning. Once my kids are up, they are up. They also won't nap in the car, so I end up with two very awake and very annoyed kids.
What works: Leaving later on in the day. This time, we're hoping to hit the road at about four in the afternoon. We'll drive three to four hours (to Dallas, Texas) and stop to have a snack and let the kids run around at a fast food joint. We'll probably end up getting to town after midnight, but I'm a night owl, so this works for me.
What we're unsure of: Will they fall asleep in the car at night time? Should we eat dinner before we go (earlier than usual) and bathe the kids to put them in their pajamas? Would that be a bad idea? Can a toddler who is usually potty-trained at home (and out) hold it in a car trip that goes through a lot of barren land?
What we think will work: Wearing them out! My plan for Tuesday (the day we travel) is a Day of Fun. I'm hoping it doesn't rain so I can bring them to the pool to splish and splash to their heart's content. Want to go outside, even though the humidity is through the roof? Sure! Want to scream and jump and act a fool? Go ahead!
What has worked for you with traveling with little ones? Most of the "advice" on the 'net seems, ahem, like it wouldn't work for my kids. I doubt they'd be interested in a "puppet show" for more than two minutes and reading books aloud? Forget about it.
All help is needed; my sanity thanks you.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jamie 7-16-2007 @ 12:15PM
I think your plan sounds great. There are also travel potty chairs for kids that you could use on the road. I know people who have used them in the past that love them. I do not have a potty-trained child and therefore cannot comment. My Husband and I traveled at night with our son and he slept through the 10-hour journey to Grandmother's house. It can make the parents a bit sleepy, but it makes the trip go by fast. I like your idea of leaving in the afternoon after the kids are good and tired. I hope it works for you all.
Good Luck!
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caitlin 7-16-2007 @ 12:18PM
Well, traveling at night depends a lot on the parents. When we do road trips, it's normally just me, my son, and my dog. Stopping after my son's bedtime means that he's going to try out for the Olympic gymnastics team on -my- bed, while I'm trying to get some much needed sleep. If my husband is driving, I don't mind napping and then driving through the night.
The biggest thing that has helped is doing a picnic lunch at a playground. We geocache, so it's pretty easy to find a park with a playground. We usually do a half mile walk to get to the cache and back, eat lunch/snack, and spend the rest of the hour playing. My son is usually willing to sit quietly and talk to the dog after our break.
As for barren stretches of land, I go by the "long bridge" rule. If you have a potty trained preschooler or toddler, and you have to go over bridge where you can't pull over, that kid is always going to have to go potty. My experience with my niece and nephew was even though they went to the restroom at the airport, they somehow always managed to desperately need a pit stop as soon as we hit the long bridge on I55 between Ponchatoula and New Orleans. There are few things more miserable than listening to "but I have to go potty NOW!" and not being able to do anything about it for 15 miles.
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Ann Adams 7-16-2007 @ 12:42PM
Three hours at a stretch pinned in a car seat still sounds like a lot. Any chance of breaking it down into shorter times between stops? Even if it's just for a few minutes at a rest area, it would get them out of the car.
I can't remember (know I should go check) but if your toddler if a boy, anything will serve as an emergency potty including a large can with a lid.
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Tacey 7-16-2007 @ 2:24PM
After several 18 hour trips to see grandma, we finally figured out the following game plan for meal stops. 1. Find a fast food place with a play park. 2. Kid plays while adults eat their dinner. 3. Once adults are done, pull kid away from playing to order her own dinner. 4. Let her eat in her car seat as we get back underway. This took all the anguish out of having to stop the play and get back into the car. Good Luck with your trip!
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