My youngest son will turn 3 on August 29th, and we're taking him on his first "real" road trip in September. We will be going to Niagara Falls, and the trip should take approximately 8 hours. Any suggestions on how to keep him occupied along the way? He's not one to sit still for very long, so I expect this to be a real challenge.
When we went to Niagara we drove at night. We left around 8pm and then it was his bed time. He slept all the way there.
Yes, a DVD player- I believe you can even rent them at places like Blockbuster. It is a lifesaver if you don't already have one! Above and beyond that, take snacks, books and music to sing-a-long with.
Good luck!
N.
Ps. My son is also 3. It's a tough age...
Hi...
I would suggest food, food, food! We do not eat very much junk food at all (in fact, my 2 and 4 year old kids turned up their noses at doughnuts last weekend while we were visiting family) but we have found with road trips and air travel, the little individual fruit snack packets work wonders, as do animal crackers, cereal bars, goldfish and cheerios. Also a special travel toy bag with little odds and ends things in it (pop-up books, sand egg timer, mini-magnadoodle board, whatever) but make them toys he hasn't played with yet and bring out a new one every couple hours or as he get's bored. Another thought is to make sure he get's his regular sleep in the days leading up to the trip. He's more likely to nap if he HASN'T lost a lot of sleep prior to the trip. Unlike adults, with children sleep begets sleep. We have built in car seats, but we use the regular kind when we do road trips because they support the head for sleeping better than the other ones. We also make use of rest stops and stop every 2-3 hours and let them run around some. It makes the trip a little longer but it's worth it for the peace in the car. Children's sing-a-long cd's/tapes are great too. If you can borrow a DVD player, that is, accorging to my SIL, a NECESSITY!!! We have never needed one, and we prefer the family bonding of "are we there yet?" and "how much longer?" asked 1,000,000,000,000 times. Hope this helps some! Have a great time!
Last year I took my daughter on a 12 hr car ride, and the portable DVD player on the back of the seat worked wonderfully. I ran to Blockbuster and got some new movies for the trip, and packed snacks. I also had a small version of the magnadoodle, but that wasnt used much by her. The DVD player was the life saver!
Real Simple magazine had a great article about packing a "kit" for a Road Trip with kids a few months back. I'm sure you might be able to find something on their website still about it. Good luck!!!
We have 2 boys 3 & 5, have taken many trips. DVD Player, music (headphones for them), books with many flaps, lap board with paper & crayons, dry erase boards, snacks, small pillow to support the head for naps, play "I Spy" with them, are some ideas that have worked for us.
I agree that the DVD Player is helpful. We borrow movies from the library so they feel new. Just remember to check the due date so you can renew by phone if they're due before you get back home!
I've also found stickers to be fun. Color Wonder markers and books are great (if you're not familiar with these, they're the kind that only color on the special Color Wonder paper). We also bring lots of books and whatever seems to be the toy-of-the-moment (always trains for my son!). Another thing that has worked for my daughter are the little magnetic boards.
I think the other most helpful thing is to not get yourself too tied up in worrying about the journey. I found that when I approach the trip as an adventure in and of itself rather than a means to an end (and a tough one at that!!), the kids notice the difference.
Have a great trip!
When my husband and I took our first road trip with our then 1 1/2 year old son we bought a portable DVD player and it was one of the best ways we spend $200. I highly recommend one.
Good luck
M.
My two suggestions would be to get some new toys that he has not seen and put them in a special travel backpack for him to open on the trip. Also make sure you have some good snacks with you. My next suggestion would be if you have or can get is a portable DVD player and play whatever his favorite show is or a cool kids video that he might like. Also i would try and travel at night so that he will sleep more than be awake. Okay i think that is enoght. i hope that you have fum on your trip.
a portable dvd player with a lot of his favorite shows or movies - it is an absolute LIFESAVER!!!!!
My daughter is 20 months old, so a little younger (though VERY active) and I'll agree with the post below that food is key for long drives! She also loves music (both her CDs and she's a big U2 fan which is nice for me!) and books. We read, talk about stuff, look out the window, and make frequent stops to get out and run off some energy. The farthest we've gone with her is `~5 hrs, but it's usually not a problem! We also time it with naptimes or bedtime so she's only awake for 1-2 hrs of the time we're in the car. There have been times she's resisted, though, and been awake the whole time and it's been fine as long as we have plenty of snacks and books!
Good luck!!!!!
Morning,
When my girls were young and we drove for our trips we left in the evening hours. About 8 pm or so they were awake for the first couple of hours and then they slept for a good 7 hours after that.
It was normally a nice quite ride unless we had to make a potty stop.
have a great day !!
J.
