Seeking Suggestions for Keeping Kids Busy!!

We drove to florida and had drinks and snacks. I brought books and coloring books. My daughter was content watching movies. My son was busy playing his video games. They also slept some of the time.

Try buying some fun in the car type things. I love the new "Aqua Doodle" on the go. They are really fun and ultra portable. We also love the car desks you can buy at the baby stores so they can color or doodle. And try buying some really fun sing along song cd's... the ones sung by kids for kids are the best. Good luck and have a safe trip.

We went on several long trips last year and our saving grace for the oldest was a Leap Pad. She had several books with it and we gave her head phones so we didn't have to listen to it, but she was occupied most of the time. Someone elso suggested books on CD and this has been a life saver for us also. My oldest is 6 now so we get longer books that last 3 or 4 hours. It sure makes the time go fast. The constant sound of a voice puts the 3 year old right to sleep also.
One of the trips last year included a 6 month old, and we had to plan on stopping at least every 2 hours so be prepared for a lot of stopping.
Good luck!

Dont' start the trip with the movie and snacks, hold that off as long as possible. Then movie, then car games, find everything that's red, count the trees, lol. etc. They should sleep some, altho mine didnt on a 10 hr trip, just the teenager did, lol. Then they might be ready for another movie.

Good luck !!

Before moving near family we used to travel once a month to visit them. It was a 5 hour drive. Besides DVD's, toys that held their interest were their magnetic drawing boards, lift-the-flap books, books that have buttons that make sounds, toy telephones, flashcards on rings. I tried not to give them anything that had unattached pieces which they would inevitably drop causing them to get upset. Enjoy your trip.

First of all, let me offer my deepest sympathy at the prospect of an 18 hour car trip with 3 little ones. LOL!
And you think they won't "want to watch tv or eat anymore snacks"? What planet are they from?? Just kidding--that just struck me as funny.
I just wanted to mention the fact that while toys, games, MagnaDoodles, DS's, iPods, etc are GREAT entertainers and time eaters, it is NOT VERY SAFE to have objects that can become flying missiles if, God forbid, you are in a crash.
At a safety seat inspection, the officer told us that a cell phone can crack the skull of a child once it is airborne from impact, so please, be very careful of what you have un-tethered and loose sitting around in your vehicle with your children. Try to keep most of the stuff in a trunk or other compartment when not in use.
God Bless and have a very safe trip!

Last summer when my triplets were 3 1/2 we drove up to MI to visit my mother and 1/2 sister. It was just me, the triplets and my 13 year old son. We drove 8 hours, stayed in a hotel and drove another 8. The trips did well. They each took their back pack and we counted out 10 toys each, mainly small ones, to take with them. I gave the a certain number so after they'd dump them we'd count them at clean up time to be sure nothing was lost. One thing that worked well was a travel magnadoodle. That kept them busy. I put in a kids music CD as well but they didn't listen to that as their favorite at the time was Pearl Jam, lol. For the younger one, use the link a doos to attach toys to cuz they're more apt to drop things and if they're attached they can pull them back up. Depending on the area we drove through we'd point out things outside of the car too to keep their attention. One of them loves construction and since we drove through allot of that he was thrilled to see each different machine when we drove by. He wanted to know the names of them and I didn't know so I'd make up a name and he still calls them by those names today, lol. We drove through a couple tunnels under the mountains and we showed them what we used to do with the older kids... turned on the radio and as we went in the tunnel the radio would go out like magic and then come back on as we came out and we'd all applaud, lol. Music kept the kids going. Just realize and accept that they will be off their normal schedule, but they'll go back to normal after you get back home. Just go with things and try not to stress cuz things don't go as planned with kids.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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I have driven 11 hrs 2x a year for the past 6 years. I have a 7 years old, and a 6 month old. I have a dvd player that we set up in the car, and my daughter got a v-smile game system when she was 3. We bring several dvd's for her to watch, and she switches them out as she wants to. We also bring paper and crayons, and at 3, don't discount I-spy. The 19 month old, however may be more difficult to entertain, and you will probably need to stop more often then you were planning. For the 2 month old, be sure to prepare bottles (pump before hand if you are breastfeeding). If the 3 year old is sat close enough, he can be a great help in feeding the LO, so you don't have to stop AS often.

I suggest doing a good portion of driving during the night, when they would normally be sleeping, and/or during nap times. Like maybe leave a few hours before bedtime, put on a movie... then they will fall asleep for the night.
Drive as long as you can... if you haven't made reservations anywhere, you can always just stop and get a place to stay however far you get, or take turns sleeping in the car.
In the morning take them somewhere to eat and run around, then hit the road again at naptime.

I would get lots of coloring books and a lap tray for in the car, bring any electronic games they may have (toy laptop or whatever)... I think that would keep them pretty busy!

you got a lot of good ideas, here is one more. we get a cookie sheet and put magnets on it. we have the letter ones, but i am sure you can find other shapes. it can be slid under the seat and the magnet stay in place. good luck, we have never gone that far!

My 3 year old and 18 month old and I do a frequent 12 hour haul to Tennessee. Sometimes with dad, sometimes not,

It's amazing how un-bored they get! We don't do movies or electronics. My daughter gets to have her bedtime friend and blanket in her seat, which she doesn't on normal errands. This really sooths her. Between chatting, talking about stuff out the window, eating snacks, taking rest stops, their naps, it's never been an issue. They actually help me get less bored since we do have to stop more often etc. My daughter has learned a lot of songs by heart on those drives! John Denver Country Road is her best show stopper-she knows every verse. I also bring along a French dictionary and point out things we drive by and teach the french words. They hate it and ask me to stop, so I get some down time and quiet that way too! :) They actually love staring out the window and thinking. They say some really amazing things with enough time to just sit...well not the 18 month old so much, but he loves staring out the window! When they get too fed up and antsy we stop and run around for 10 minutes at a rest stop, they're always fine to get back in their seats after a break.

Maybe save the movie for when they're beside themselves instead of using it right away before they're bored. They may not even need it!

A few other suggestions I've used: go to Nick Jr. or search for printable car games and print out some of the activities, particularly if there's a favorite character you can tie in with. Some will just be coloring pages, but even pretty young kids like simple scavenger hunts - just make sure the one(s) you use will work with where you're traveling. But looking for things like train tracks, a red car, a tree, etc. is a good time filler.

Another thing I've done (though it did take some prep time) was to cut out all different shapes out of felt - things like grass, waves, fish, tree trunks and tops, people heads and hair, clothes, house pieces, etc. Put a bunch in a bag for each child and then give them a large piece of felt to make pictures on (you can put it on a cookie sheet or other tray for stability or you can buy or make actual boards where the felt is covering a sturdy piece of cardboard). We've lost several pieces, but we still pull this out for long trips and the initial time investment really has paid off since we use in infrequently enough that it stays fun.

Definitely scour the dollar stores and party stores, etc. as people have suggested - things like toy binoculars, magnifying glasses, compasses, maps, etc. can be particularly good in the car. Also (though these are hard to find inexpensively) are the magic ink books where the marker will reveal hidden pictures, etc.

Also, if you plan on doing long driving days, I've found it can really pay off to build in an hour or so to stop at a park for a picnic lunch and to run around. Most areas you'll be able to just stop when you're ready and find someplace, but you can also search ahead of time if you have an idea of where your route will take you.

Good luck and have fun. I'm always so anxious before trips, and the kids usually do much better than I expect.

Hi B., My best suggestion for traveling with small, medium and large kids for long distances in a car is to drive at night whenever possiable! Put your kids to bed at their normal time in comfy clothes (like shorts & t-shirts) pack up the car or van and hit the road at 11pm! If your kids sleep great in their car seats they will go right back to sleep once you get on the hi-way. Sure, you'll be tired the next day, but your family won't be car-cranky! We have had great success taking car trips this way, there is less traffic, kids don't get bored or fussy when they are sleeping, and depending on the length of your trip you can get the bulk of the driving done before they wake-up! Best wishes!

Stickers are a fun one that i didnt' see mentioned. Get lots of them, my kids would cover themselves with them, and sometimes the seat so just make sure you eventually take them off.

Oh, we also pack Children's music, a mix of up tempo stuff, and then also quiet nap-ish music, just make sure the driver isn't lulled to sleep lol. I have found books on CD at the library or you might try to down load some from the internet Robert Munsch has some on his site, i have only listend to them not down loaded them but you could try. It is amazing how quiet my kids will stay so they can listen to the story. We especially like the thomas the train ones.

Good Luck, It will probably be so much better than you are imagining now.

Bring snacks and juice. We take long trips with our kids since they were babies. WE take a movie player that helps keep then entertained. Coloring books, markers they can't write on your car with, learned that the hard way. Someone mentioned leapfrog, bring books.

Have fun on your trip!!

We drove to MN last summer (from PA) with a 2 year old. In addition to the DVD player, I wrapped a little "gift" to be opened every hour (I went to the dollar store and Target). I also bought a couple "big" gifts" (like a Magna Doodle) that was given first thing in the morning. Our son did surprisingly well. We drove mostly during the day (started about 9 and drove through til dinner rime). We stopped once at lunch for an hour (running, potty, etc) and then again after nap. He wasn't potty training at that time, so diapers were easier.

We plan to do the same trip this year, but now that we're potty training I'm not sure how that will go...

Good luck!

What we always did for car trips with my boys was the 'grab bag'. I would visit the Dollar store before the trip, and stock up on little goodies that they could play with safely in the car (coloring books, maze puzzles, matchbox cars, paddle-balls, etc). We would allow them to 'reach into the grab bag' once every two hours, as long as they were 'behaving' in the car (no screaming, fighting, etc). They always looked forward to the next item, and because they were from the Dollar Store, I didn't go broke and it didn't matter if the little toys got lost or broken. The time passed quickly and they were entertained between movies and potty breaks.

Have fun!

Wow! Don't tell my husband! He wants to drive to Florida this year when my kids will be about the same age as yours. I told him no! I would put together a bag of "tricks". Target has that section in the beginning of the store with $1 items. You could go in and fill up a bag for each child and then give it to them gradually. Also the party stores are good because they have that section of favors that are cheap. Good Luck, it will be a long ride!!

We just did 8 hours with a 4 year old, 2 year old and 8 month old and they were FANTASTIC. There was so much to see in the car that my 4 year old was very entertained that way. So was my 2 year old. I packed a bag of toys they could hold and play with and stashed some bigger toys on the floor in the middle so I or my husband could hand them out if needed. I took the leappad, magnadoodle and something else that made noise. I just handed out new toys if they got bored and it worked really well. We did not use DVD or anything like that. They didn't really even snack much. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised about how it goes for them. Just keep your cool, go with the flow, when they need a break, find a place to give them one. We actually only stopped one time going and coming home, I am still amazed at how well my guys did. Have a safe and fun trip!

The secret weapon for us on our long annual road trips to Vermont was bubbles. I don't necessarily mean for the kids to blow, but for the grown up in the passenger seat to blow bubbles to the back. This was particularly helpful when our daughter was 18 months old.

Also consider a little desk thing, playdough, and pipe cleaners.

Good luck!
N.

We just got back a few months ago from a trip to Florida and I have 3 young kids. Since we were doing Disney I made each a gift bag with things in it (Alot were themed Disney). They also took a few special things with them like Nintendo DS, leapster and things they thought would entertain them. We drove down mostly at night and came back late day and night. There really wasnt much difference except more potty breaks during the day. If you know your route you can always look up if there are playgrounds close to the route you are taking. I also sat next to my youngest because he would wake up and whine a little but i would just rub his arm or something and he went back to sleep. Also if you break to eat dont go to a place you expect them to just sit there since that is all they have been doing. Go to a place with a play area or take the food outside were they can stretch legs and get some energy out.

When we traveled either in the car or on a plane, it was suggested that we put little things to do in brown lunch bags and had the kids pick a bag every 100 miles or so....I labeled them with their names and made however many bags(broken down to each 100 miles or so). I put a dvd in a bag for each, crayons and little coloring books, their gameboys,a different game they already had in another bag etc. I also did that with snacks. Then on the way home, did the same thing just repacked what I already had. Lots of fun and they got excited with each bag.Good luck

have bag for each kid set up, snacks, cooler with drinks. I guess minivan? 2nd adult in car? Have the adult sit in back seat so can take care of baby and the other kids.

I went to florida when I had 4 year old 13 month old and 6 week old. I actually had 13 month old I know was bad sitting up front by me as she was clingy to mommy. The middle row had the 4 year old and 6 week old. Dad sat in back and he could then take the baby out to feed, and hold when cranky. Actually worked out great.