Might Go to Inlaws Early for Thanksgiving, 6Hour Drive 3 Kids Just Me??

Do like we do without children in the car, travel at night!! They will sleep and you won't have a lot of traffic to contend with.

Can you drive at night while they sleep? Or at least plan it for you daughters nap time. Good luck.

I think you can do it IF you have a DVD player, music CDs, and other activities and snacks for them like a bag of (new to them small toys....you can get them at the $store or Goodwill) and that you dole out periodically.
Stop often (every hour) and have rules like NO FIGHTING ETC.
Sing and look for alphabet letters on signs and license plates from different states.
You could have them make a list of the letters and states they find on a piece of paper....spell the states' names for them to write.
Also handheld electronic games are good if you are into that.
If you can enlist the boys' help with their sister by giving her toys and looking at books with her, that will be good and also remind them that they need to help in order to be able to spend more time with their grandparents.

Just make sure that you have a plan.
Leaving at your daughter's naptime wouldn't be a bad idea either.
Good luck.

Yes! you can do it! and so can the kids. I have done that amount of time with my then 1 year old twins, 3 yr old, 5 yr old, and 7 yr old.............we made it with plenty of stops, a dvd player, snacks (unlike what we might normally have at home) and a no rush attitude.
It creates good memories (and even unfortunate happenings ie, blowout diapers, no clean change of clothes, and freezing temps...) are later funny and appreciated!
Sometimes everyone is so occupied and happy that we only make one stop and are there in no time!
Enjoy the holidays! I am envious of your good in-law relationship!

You can do it..i have left late evening and the kids usually sleep all the way.. i 'm sure your concern is stopping for gas and bathroom breaks. I have gone to fast food places, pilot truck stops and even carried a portable potty in the back. If you have a dvd player thats even better for keeping everyone entertained. Get a cd of silly songs or some of the kids fave movies they haven't seen yet..it'll be worth it. good luck

If you do not already have a portable dvd player, get one. I have a 3 and 4 year old and it really helps because I can get in the car start a movie and when it done, its time for a potty/rest break. The movie keeps the kids happy and its a great timer. I know that when I hear a familar movie get close to the end it time to stop and strech their legs. My family is six hours away and I frequently take the kids to grandma's for long weekends. The six hour drive usually ends up being eight but I can break it up into four movies and the kids get pently of opportunities to run at the rest breaks. I have also become familiar with which areas on our trip have family restrooms which make it convient for me to take my boys with me to the bathroom. Good luck. Also I thought that the little magnetic boards would be great to entertain them until one stuck me upside the back of my head half way through Indiana and I nealy wrecked the car. So think twice about giving them anything that could be used as a projectile or dropped on the floor as a water bottle has a tendency to roll forward and get lodged under a brake pedal. Keep snacks limited to rest breaks as kids that fill up on fluids will have to pee more.

You can do it! The seven year olds should be old enough to entertain themselves and help with the little one if need be. Do they help with her at home?
Talk with them ahead of time though about what to expect. That you'll all stay together at all times which means they'll have to go to the women's bathroom with you and little sister.

The posts are great on entertainment ideas so I'll throw in my two cents on travel in general.
My in-laws live 450 miles away (generally an eight hour trip with stops). My nine year old travels like a pro but the first time we traveled with our new baby it took like eleven! Don't get an arrival time in your mind. And forget about the six hours. Just drive and go with the flow. Not being on schedule stresses me out but if I throw time out the window, I'm fine.

Good luck and above all - have fun!!

You can do it. I read some of what others posted. Get portable DVD player and buy one small new toy for each of them. Keep plenty of healthy snacks available that you can pass back to them. Also, try to do only one stop if possible. I have done a 6 hour drive to my sisters and home again by myself. Once with a 2 year old and a nursing 4 month old and then later when my kids were 3 1/2 and 19 months. If I can do it you can too. Good luck.

Make the drive in the late evening/early morning hours and run the kids ragged before you leave. Have your husband take them out for dinner and somewhere where they can wear themselves out while you take a nap. Then get them ready for bed and set out at bedtime. They may stay up a little later than usual, but the movement and the fact that it's dark out will have them sleeping most of the way and you can drive straight through with only a stop or two for gas and potty breaks.

I would go for it. Just plan on taking things for them to do in the car. I have a DVD player in my vehicle and I love it. I would get a portable one so that they can watch movies/cartoons. Also take books, coloring books & crayons. As long as they have something to do, the trip should be smooth. Also, you might plan on leaving real early or real late so that they might want to sleep rather than play. We go on a trip twice a year that takes 13 hours to get there and we leave late so that everyone sleeps but the driver and it cuts down on traffic a lot. Good Luck & Safe Travels.

Wow, guess if you feel you can handle all the kids on your own go for it. Me, just one would be easy but three?? Maybe they will nap most of the way. Good Luck and enjoy your trip and visit.

S.,
You can do it! Just make sure you have ideas planned to keep them busy, unless you are driving at night then you could take a dvd/laptop for them to watch movies on.
If you're going during the day do a google search on "car games" or "games to play while traveling" last rode trip we took I found a site where you can print out a car bingo. They had to look for items that were on their card, it was fun for them.
Safe travels!
S.

I would figure out someplace I could stop and let them stretch their legs and move around about 2 hours into the drive and again about 2 hours later. I know this turns a 6 hour drive into an 8 hour drive but it would be a good idea. For example if you left at nine you could stop about 11 at a McDonald's (or whatever) with a play area. Let them have a burger and play for about 1/2 an hour. Then you would be back on the road before the major lunch hour hit. About 2 stop again and get them a snack and let them run around even if it is at a rest area type place or a park. This puts you back on the road no later than 3 and you should be able to make the in-laws by 5:30 or so. Nerves won't be so frazzled and they will be ready to have dinner soon.

I think it will work- the 7 year olds ought to be able to help and at least they are old enough to understand and follow directions, etc. My sister traveled with a 4 yo and a 12-month-old for 24 hours on a plane from Saudi Arabia- I have always wondered how she did that...

you can do it sister. Our family is always traveling. My best friend just drove 10 hours with her 3 and 2 year old to my house for just Halloween weekend. I am driving 6.5 hours over Thanksgiving to my parents with my 11 month old. Over Xmas and New Years we are going 9 hours to NC for the holiday. If you are worried, you could travel at night. However that has always backfired on me with my little one. YOurs are a little older so it might be OK. Try to find on Craigslist a Portable DVD Player and have them watch Movies. You could try to use some sort of rewards for the kids...telling them if they behave after each movie, you give them a star, if they get 3 or 4 stars, you will give them a new toy when you get to the inlaws.( and buying something small like a YoYO or a bouncing ball entertains kids for hours)
The 7 years olds should do fine. You may have to stop every couple hours for potty breaks and to let them stretch their legs...but if they are sleeping, you will be oK
Good luck. Happy Holidays

I agree with Pam. WE always planned stops about every 2 hours so the kids could stretch their legs, run off some energy. We usually stopped about 1 hr at lunch, let them eat in the car if need be so the wiggles were worked out at a McD's type playland. Then in another 2 hours a quicker stop, maybe 15-30 mins long, maybe just a gas fill-up, or rest area for a snack. If you plan on making frequent stops, makes you feel less harried. Also, having a movie playing in the car usually works best to keep kids quiet.
Good luck and have fun.
R.

You can do this. First, get a DVD player from Target or Best Buy that you can strap to the headrests.

You're already going to have a "booty bag" for your 18 month old girl (with diapers/wipes/change of clothes, etc.). I suggest getting a banker box or another sort of thing you can use as a "booty bag" that has snacks in it; portable magna-doodles (they're about 8x10 inches with a "pencil" attached on a string") "mad lib" travel books, books the 7 year olds can read, snacks for the 18 month old (snack bags of gold fish crackers). Make sure the box is accessible to the boys; let them know they're going to need to be "in charge" of the box - they'll need to get the 18 mo. old a snack or two, or you might need a snack. Bring a cooler filled with 8 oz. bottles of water (bring straws - so much easier!) or juice boxes, along with whatever you want to drink. Have travel sippy cups with you so the 18 mo. old will be able to have drinks too.

You know since it's a 6 hour drive, you're going to have to stop for gas at least once. When you stop for gas, make the stop "worth it" - everybody has a snack, everybody goes potty; everybody gets out of the car and walks around for 10-20 minutes. If you can swing it, start with a full tank of gas - and you might be able to swing only stopping once. Also, leave when the 18 month old is tired and ready for a nap. That way, if she falls asleep, and the boys are pre-occupied with any toys they may have brought, then you can try to make good time.

FOr what it's worth - and good luck!!!