Road Trip with Young Children

3 hours is not bad at all, although you might want ot make it a 2 leg trip with a stop at a park or rest area in the middle, especially if it is their very first longer car trip. We have been taking our kids to West Virginia and Tennessee a couple times a year for each place, from Central IL, since they were each about 5-6 months old. West Virginia is about a 12 hour drive for us and we have done it successfully with a 1 and 3 year old in one day - just have to make sure to stop every 2-3 hours for a short play/potty/eating break.

Make sure to pack snacks, and drinks in a cooler. Bring some toys they either haven't seen in a while, or buy some new ones for the occassion ( I save up happy meal toys ina secret bag in the car for this). Bring the 3 year old a lap desk and crayons and a coloring book or paper. Constantly talk with them from the front seat, asking them to look outside for certain things, barns, animals, cars of particular colors, motorcycles. Bring books to read to them. Bring some fun CDS of kiddy songs to sing along to.

Like others said, start driving right at the beginning of naptime, or right before bedtime, and they could sleep for most of the trip - make sure you wear them out playing outside or something before you leave. Make sure to bring any security items, for the car and for sleeping away from home - blankie, nightlight, any sounds they are used to - fans or music.

We do have a portable DVD player form little tykes for our 3 year old, but we only use it incase of emergency, like in the 12 hour of the trip to WV when she is just to tired for anything else to be entertaining - we wil be giving one to our little guy when he turns two, as well, but same thing - only when we are to our wits end, we don't want them expecting to veg to a movie the whole time ( that is why we didn't get the integral DVD system when we got our new van - didn't want it to be a fight/expectation every time we were in the car).

I heard of a family who put a clothesline across the backs of the front seat and marked with different colors where each 100 miles or 1 hour or whatever milestone passed, and would move a clothes pin with a little car glued to it, along the line to show the kids how far they had gone, and at each milestone, the kids got to unwrap a little dollar store prize.

3 hrs really is not that long , I would try and schedule the drive around nap time so they sleep for the majority of it , you will be surprised at how looking out the window can entertain them. We recently drove from VA to Nova Scotia and back again with a 7 , 4 1/2 and 2 yr old and they were fine , they have DVD player , books , snacks and they were quite entertained. Just break the drive down , drive for 1 1/2 hrs then stop for 30 mins for a run around and then do the last part.

We have two very energetic boys that are 1 and 3 years old. We have taken them everywhere, and we normally drive. Here are some things that work for us:

1. Pack a backpack for each of them with similar toys. That way they can reach in and get what they want, when they want.

2. If your kids are not good travelers generally, go to the Dollar Store or something similar. Get them surprise gifts that they can unwrap every 30 minutes or so. Between the wrapping and the new toy, that will occupy them for quite a while.

3. Never underestimate the power of a good snack! Some of our favorites (for the boys and for the clean-up value) are raisins/other dried fruit, cheese cubes (cheaper than string cheese), tortilla roll-ups, and granola bars. Also, make sure you have enough for them to drink.

4. We try to go straight through, but be sure to build in enough time for potty breaks and/or run-around-like-a-crazy-person breaks.

5. I like to go just before lunchtime so that the boys will be occupied with eating in their carseats (they eat better when they can't get up and move around), and then they will often drop off for a nap. If they don't, see above, or just look out the window and help them identify what they see.

6. In extreme cases only, I use DVDs. But there are so many great songs, CDs, and things to talk about that we have only ever used a DVD player one time. We were just occupied with other things all the rest of the times! (And I mean 5-12 hour trips once a month or so. We travel a lot!)

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Oh, I forgot one thing... if the Dollar Store idea does not work for you, or you just don't want to accumulate one more thing in your house, try this: wrap up wooden spoons, a garlic press, oven mitts, plastic nesting measuring cups, etc for the kids to play with. They'll feel so grown up, and you won't have had to spend a thing!

I agree 3 hours is nothing (if you schedule the drive around normal naptime). We have driven twice now on a 5 hour trip to my grandma's. Once when my son was 1yo and once when 2yo.

We planned it so that he'd hang out in the carseat for about an hour- read books, play with toys, then we'd get out of the car, wiggle, put on a new diaper, eat some lunch. Then get back in the car and he'd nap for 2 hours. Then wake up and watch a DVD or play some more. The key for us was to have someone in the backseat to help entertain him so that the driver didn't have to drive and entertain at the same time.

Pack: Snacks, extra diapers, drinks, lovey, blanket/pillow that the kiddos are used to. Also, here's a website with games. I have looked thru the 'big kid' games, but here's a link for Toddler car games http://www.momsminivan.com/toddlers.html

Board books and toys have seen me through and I took a 16 month old on a 24 trip one time!! I just took both my boys on a six hour trip a couple wks ago and they are 6mo and 3yrs and they did great. Just had fun books, toys, and tunes:) I think you will do just great!

I try to travel at bedtime for long trips. We've done drives a lot longer then 3 hrs for my kids thats just a regular drive. If you have to travel during the day I suggest a dvd player, small toys, and one long stop half way through your drive time so the kids can stretch their legs and get some energy out. You could also head out earl early in the morning if your kids are good about staying asleep when moved. My oldest is my youngest is not which is why we now choose to do traveling at bedtime. You could also schedule the drive close to nap time so they sleep most of the drive.

Here are some tips for the road trip.
http://www.bigbluetrunk.com/ourcorner/689

C.,
you can bring in movies, a portable dvd player or a laptop. Bring them coloring books, let them bring their favorite toys, have some music sing along. If you can leave at around their spleeing time it would be good, because you can feed them, bathe them dress them in their pj's and go on the road, so even if they don't fall asleep on your way there, they'll be ready when they get there. If you go in the day, just have some snacks and the movies, toys, coloring books, etc.
My husband and I learn that it was best for us to leave at night time, but we were doing a 15/20hrs road trip to Florida. And leaving at night time has always worked out for us. But you are not going that far away, so just enjoy them as much as possible, and take notes on what to and not to do for your next road trip. :)
Enjoy your trip.
Blessings