Car Trip with My 19 Month Old

We road trip a lot since my little one was 14 months old. Coloring books, puzzles, sing alongs. And my daughter enjoys these magnetic tins that you can find at Barnes and Noble or other book store. We have ones that you can dress the people up, one to make up a differnt house with, and one to make funny faces with. Oh and one with farm things too. They are called Magnetic Fun. Now that she is older, 4 years old, we do letter and number books and flashcards. Have a great trip!

Make sure to pack non-messy snacks. It will give the baby something to do when bored, plus keep you from having to stop every 2 hours to feed her. Take away some of her favorite toys now. Hide them and give them back to her one at a time in the car. It will seem like new toys and will hopefully hold her attention longer. When we went on our 800 mile trip, a baby doll with a bottle was big hit. She did watch an hour or so of TV, but was great the rest of the time too. She loved taking her shoes and socks off. So I made sure to put them on every time I stopped.

Another thing, use overnight diapers... For long times, it will keep her more comfortable. Also, I bought a baby head support 1/2 way through our trip. It was well worth the investment.

Hope this helps.

We did a similar trip a couple years ago. First, it might be worth it to loosen up on the tv watching since they can't get up and play anyway - not something I'd do on a regular basis, but this is special circumstances and they are stuck in a sitting position regardless (not that I don't totally respect your position on it). Second, my oldest got reward points for helping to entertain her sister (great to redeem later on vacation - or you could do another kind of reward system). Third, we had "grab bags" that they got to pull out from time to time throughout the car trip. They contained things like cheapy little toys, maybe a new dvd, snacks, a few had candy, etc. It really broke things up and made it exciting for both my girls. Even the little cheapy toys that would normally not be entertaining for long were novelties as they opened them and entertained them for a while. Good luck and have a great time! (Oh, and check into aqua doodles, they even have travel sizes)

I totally understand not wanting to let them watch 14 hours of TV, but in this instance it's worth it! We did a 10 hour trip about two months ago with my 18 month old. We got him some Clifford and Sid the Science Kid DVD's and we made the entire trip in one stop!!! I hate to admit it, but we also let him eat Funyuns on the trip which entertained him for about an hour. He loved them and it was a treat for my husband and I also!

I personally am a fan of the portable dvd player for long trips. I don't care what other moms may say- it keeps my toddler quiet and satisfied. When we stop for food the dvd player gets put away and we talk and eat. My toddler is 27 months old, btw. I also plan my trips to go through part of the evening so she'll pass out in her seat. Just get a neck support ring for her if that's your plan. It'll keep her neck up and proper as you travel.

Other ideas for toddler entertainment: get a reading system. Leapfrog makes great ones. It's a fabulous solo activity that she can engage it and it's totally fun for them to scoot the reader across the pages and "hear" what's going on in the pictures. I might also recommend a little driver wheel for her so she can imitate you. They sell them all over the net- and I've seen them in Target before. If she's talking, you can get her picture cards too, and maybe have your older child play with her asking her to name the objects on the card.

Best of luck!

find lots of mcdonalds with play areas. let them wear themselves out and they will sleep on the road again. I have made several 9 hr trips with a baby. stop about every 3 hrs if necessary judge that by if they are still sleeping keep driving. if the oldest needs to go to the bathroom stop and let the baby play. takes longer this way but beats listening to a screaming baby for 14 hrs.oh and keep her up as long as possible she will sleep longer in the car. :) you will need to stop every 3 hrs for diaper change and bottle anyway so make it mcdonalds god bless their soul. give them a full tummy and let them run and climb thier hearts out and you should be good for 2-4 hours maybe more.

Maybe sone kid song CDs to listen to and sing along. Also there is a Mouse Cookie collection (you know the if you give a mouse a cookie series) that comes with a CD that has stories and songs on it. It is really cute and my daughter loves it. Also maybe a new baby doll or stuffed animal, just looking at it and holding it will take up a little time! We're gearing up for a loooong ride like that too with a 2 .5 and 9 month old this summer so I feel your pain! I've just been collecting cheapo stuff that I've seen in Target, etc. each time I go. You can also try the dollar store, I think anything new will hold their attention for a while. We just got back from a shorter trip and I was surprised how much my older child just sat and looked out the window or talked to us, so you might be surprised...hopefully, right! ;)

I also think childrens music/sing alongs is a good idea. Also lots of healthy snacks, not too messy of course but trust me the vacuuming of the car will be well worth the occassional few minutes of quiet. My husband and I drove from Minnesota to New York when our daughter was 2. She was amazing and actually complained less than Mommy :)

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

One thing we do is let them play at McD's while we eat, then they eat in the car when we leave. They dont want to take the time to sit and eat, when they could be playing. We let it go..enjoy our meal..as best as we can when its fast food:)..and then it gives us something for them to do in the car. The "peek a boo" books are super popular on road trips, as are the leapsters! The 4 year old might really like a dry erase board too..and who knows, maybe the baby will too:) We also buy things at the dollar store and gift wrap them. Then every set time, like 2 hours maybe, they get to open a new present. They love it!! But really, nothing makes our road trip better than the tv, and some dramamine. It really helps with the headaches my kids get..and makes them a bit more tired, a bonus side effect. We will be taking a 22 hour drive with 5 under 10, so I am in preparation myself:) Wishing us all luck!!