Parenting Toddlers (1-3) Support Group

I don't envy you. When I drove with my son I just brought my own sponge and dish soap to wash bottles in the hotel room. At 15 mos he will be active. Can he handle sticker or hold onto anything when he is in his car seat? I have a portable DVD player I can strap to the back of the front seat. Maybe something like that?

That's a pretty big challenge. The farthest we've ever gone with my daughter (she was 20 months at the time) was about 3 hours and I had to sit back there with her and read her books, sing songs, play eye spy, etc. You mentioned you're the only adult/driver but is there anyone else coming (older sibling) who can sit with him to keep him entertained.

In my opinion I'd say drive as much as you can (i.e. 2-3 hours at a time) and make the pit stops long enough (i.e. 1 hour) for you to get something to eat.. let him play, etc. because 15 min increments will just not cut it.

Make sure you have many kid song cd's packed up, very finely chopped up snacks (the softer the better) that he can munch on without you having to worry about chocking hazards (i.e. boiled elbow macaroni in a cup, finely chopped strawberries, mango, bananas, yogurt, cheese), lots of board books and lap toys like those leapfrog laptops. Sing many songs and play them quite loudly to keep him happy and excited, and to keep you awake and entertained yourself.

As for the bottles situation, I agree with klimawife a lot of soap and bottled water will help in case the pit stops are nowhere near microwaves or clean sinks, maybe a bottle rack as well to keep in the car so you can wash a round and let them air dry on the car seat. To heat up the bottles I'd also just run into a coffee shop and ask for boiling water to stick the bottle in. Keeping boiled water in a thermos will not last longer than a few hrs. Maybe having a cooler on had with already prepared bottles full of mixed formula (and re preparing it every time you stop at the hotel, wash and refill and place back in cooler so all you have to do is grab one from the cooler on the road and heat.

Just think if you're the only adult you want to make your life as easy as possible (no need to juggle a crying little one while you're trying to mix formula).

Wishing you the best of luck!!!

I had to drive 1500 miles with my son when he was 17 months old. It was tough, but the best thing we could do was have plenty of kids music, books AND we uploaded Disney movies on our Ipods for him to watch, which was the best distraction for him. He doesn't watch much tv at home, but on long road trips it is a must! lol Good luck!

Bless your heart! Just moved 18 hrs away with my two yr old. Bring your own soap and bottle brush and maybe some papertowels just in case. DVD player was wonderful for my little guy. We did have Grandma and Dad with us though.

It'll just be us, no older siblings or anything. So, that's a bummer.

My son isn't a tv watcher at all and that's why I'm worried. I've googled this and tried to find ideas from moms all over, and they all say to get a portable dvd player and let them watch their favorite movies. My son has never watched a movie for more than 30 seconds in his life.

I do like the idea for soft foods and pre-made bottles. That would definitely be much easier. Fortunately, my son likes cold bottles. I also went and bought the drop-in bottles, so I only have to deal with washing the nipples at the hotel. But I have something like 15 bottle nipples, so maybe it won't even be an issue, since he only drinks 3-4 bottles per day.

Thanks for all the tips on ways to entertain and I'll look into stickers and see how that goes over. Maybe I'll see if walmart has really cheap toys I can save for the trip. Or the dollar store.

We have done several 5-8 hour trips and one 12 hour one. My DS was not a TV/movie watcher either but when we gave him a DVD player in the car he enjoyed it. We always pushed as long as we could in the car before we stopped and when we stopped it was non-stop play time. Our typical trip would be 4-5 hours of driving then 1-2 hours of playing. The next stop would be usually after another 3 hours but then only a 30 min to 1 hour stop. After the first stop he'd always want back out much quicker but I always have a large supply of new dvd's and a large bag of brand new inexpensive toys he's never seen. Dollar store, Walmart type of stuff. Good luck and hang in there!

A magna doodle might work also, just a thought. I also made sure DD had her lovey and her "baby" for comfort. Books that he can push the buttons and they talk/sing etc... also worked for us. Find a nice park when you can and let hime burn some energy off. Also, please becareful driving at night becuase it is sooo easy to get tired and want to close your eyes for just one minute. Take care of you as well.

i go with my son (who is now 16 months) to my sisters house every so often. She lives about 9 hours away... with a baby. (about 8 without) I always leave the house at about morning nap time, and he falls asleep right away. Also, I don't know what you usually listen to in the car, but for me, I listen to a lot of talk radio. That or a book on cd almost always makes him fall asleep.

I stop at cracker barrels to have a leg stretch and bathroom break... they have good changing tables. Also I don't feel that rest stops are super safe when you by yourself (especially with a baby) but a cracker barrel there are always nice old people lol. also it gives them something to look at when you go through the store. Then we have a food break. I have had a lot of success with the squeeze pouch baby food. He doesn't fight me when he eats them, and i can do it while he's in a stroller or his car seat.

I keep a bag full of toys, and books that i can reach and when he starts to fuss, I hand him a different thing. He likes that, and he can tell me when he's ready for something new.

We only stop for about 20 min at a time every couple of hours or so, and he does just fine. We've been doing that since he was 6 months old though, so that might play a part in it. If he gets really "done" before the trip is through though, I stop somewhere that I think he'll like (like Bass Pro Shop)... usually just something I can see from the road.

Good luck to you... you can do it!!!

Thanks for all the great tips.

Well, we've done many two-hour drives to the children's hospital and he does just fine with those, so maybe that'll give us a leg up in the road trip. He's always been a very good sport in the car, but I do think a three day trip is going to test his limits. Fortunately, I feel like I've prepared as much as possible. I went out and bought some fun, new toys that I'm saving for the road, as well as some yummy snacks that he can munch on while we're driving, snacks that he might not normally get.

So, wish me luck!