as anyone took a toddler on a long trip? like 10 hrs of driving?

Jessy - posted on 01/07/2010

thanks everyone for their help.... one more question my son is in the middle of potty training... how do i tell with that on long trips? will it sat him back any if he wears a diaper in the car then gets out to pee at rest stops?

Jennifer - posted on 01/07/2010

Yes, several times. We try to drive at night or at least during nap time when we know he will sleep. I keep lots of books, games, and snacks and sit with him in the backseat to help keep him entertained. We also have a DVD player and watching his favorite videos helps. Now he is older and he doesn't nap so driving all night is really appealing to us. We are driving all night to Florida next month.

Jennifer - posted on 01/07/2010

I took my 2 year old and my then 11 month old on a nine hour trip to Pigeon Forge Tennesee from NE Ohio We left at 4 in the morning and got there about 1 pm and they slept most of the way there and were only awake for about 1 hour of travel and I didnt hear a single peep out of them for the most part besides when my 2 year old wanted breakfast

Michelle - posted on 01/07/2010

My son went on an 8 hour drive with my parents. They took took a ton of stuff, and had an RV so there was a little more room. Plus they were prepared to stop whenever he got upset... It made it more like a 10 hour drive instead of the 8 that it was supposed to be, but that's to be expected.

Cindy - posted on 01/07/2010

I agree with these ladies bring lots of stuff for them.... When my son was 1yr old we would go to Fla and see family that was a 10hr trip and I would bring a DVD, books and lots of toys, but I would not give him all the toys at one time because he would get bored with them. So he got one or two at a time and when he was bored with that one I'd pull out another toy and it kept him busy for a while. We also had to do a lot of stopping too, to let him stretch his legs and get out of a car seat. Every time we would have just a few hours to go he would get fussy he was so over the whole traveling thing. Good luck with your trip!

Dorothy - posted on 01/07/2010

We have taken our children across the US (from NM to NY) took us 3 days. My son was 3 years and our daughter had just turned 1. I agree with the other posters, the portable DVD players are THE BEST for long trips!! Plus my kids slept alot of the trip and still slept at night. We also made sure to make long pit stops along the way to let them run out their energy (McD's and BK's are life savers for that).

Sara - posted on 01/07/2010

We have made several 9-11 hour trips with our girls (4 yrs. and 21 mos.), starting when they each were just a few weeks old. We don't have a DVD player or anything, so we look for other ways to keep them entertained. We always bring along books and toys in a large bag. I only pull out one or two of those at a time. That way, there's always more surprises to come. We try to stop at least two or three times (more if necessary) and let them get out and run around for a few minutes. We also try to time our departure where they can either take a nap in the car or leave at night so they can sleep in the car. As messy as it is, we also keep snacks and eat our meals in the car. Eating meals in the car takes up at least 20-30 minutes of the travel time.

Carolyn - posted on 01/07/2010

My son is now 2 1/2 and we've done a lot of 14 car trips with him. The last time we did it, he was 15 months old. Portable DVD players are the BEST INVENTIONS EVER!!! when it comes to toddler travel. We brought lots of books and quiet toys. Cherrioes are also the best thing ever for travel.

Nicole - posted on 01/07/2010

I have taken two kids on a long trip before. We have a two year old and a one year old and live in Idaho and drove to Seattle (12-13 hours). I suggest getting a portable DVD player. It really helps keep them entertained. Whenever you stop for gas you can let them get out and run around. We have also driven at night so then they sleep the whole time. I am not sure if that helps but Good Luck!