S.B.
A car lap tray may help. We have one similar to this. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KJBFC8?ie=UTF8&t... It's soft, so it shouldn't cause injury in an accident. You can't color on it. But it is FANTASTIC for holding little cars and toys. It keeps them from rolling off or getting dropped. Ours does not have the storage on the side. But if it fits, it may be a solution. We got ours at Target, but I haven't seen them there in a while. A friend found one at babies r us. I have taken quite a few long car rides (15 hours or more) with the kids. A few trips I have done solo. The best trick (that a mama on here gave me) was to stock up on toys and trinkets at the dollar store. Don't let the kids see or know you have these. When they start getting bored or cranky...you have something new to hold their attention. It may only get played with for a few minutes, but it'll be a life saver, I promise. Many a fit has been staved off with junk for the Dollar tree in our car. You'll just have to make sure that everything is ok for all kiddos to play with, since it sounds like the wee ones will be within grabbing distance of big brother. Walmart has little hand held games for $1. Soccer, baseball, skate boarding. If your two year old is like my kids, he won't care that he has no clue how to play, he'll just like pushing the buttons. Magna doodles or aqua doodles are great for traveling too. Finger puppets are great. ANd as bad as it may sound to some, snacks are definitely entertainment on the road. I stocked up on things like string cheese, grapes, snack crackers, etc. Have everything portioned out ahead of time. You'll have to be careful of the food you choose with the babies being in such close proximity to your older child. PLay books on tape or kiddie music. If you don't have anything, hit up your local library. Bring a ball. Give the kids time to run, even if it's just five minutes. We take four and five hour trips regularly and often just leave with very little entertainment. It hasn't been a big deal. Eight hours is not a daunting as it seems. Have a safe trip! Good luck!