We sit in traffic in the evenings on the way home. So once I pick my daughter up we still have about 25 minutes in the car before we get home. She is so tired from school that she wants to sleep in the car which I understand. The car is soothing to her. BUT I found out the hard way that if I let her sleep even for 5 minutes she is up all night and won't go to sleep at her regular bedtime. So I need help keeping her awake. She's in a forward facing car seat so I can't attach toys anymore. I downloaded an app on my phone that she really likes but she gets tired of that fast sometimes. I found that if I don't give her her pacifier she'll stay awake but get really fussy towards the end of our ride. Anyone have any ideas? She's 17 months if that helps. Oh and I've tried snacks too. Thanks!
My son was the same way. I have a portable dvd player that I strapped up in the car and he watches it with his eyes wide open. I usually have dvds from the library for him to watch. He loves it and it keeps him awake until we get home.
We have a personalized CD that plays lots of fun kids songs using their name - my boys love it. It was a gift so I have no idea where it came from (I think my mom bought is somewhere in the FW Stockyards). Anyway, I'm sure you can find something similar online . . . Good Luck!
You might try singing with her. I was in the car a lot with my kids at that age as well. You can ask her to find a red car or a blue one etc. I also used spotting signs for identifying shapes. (can you find a triangle sign, a square one, a yellow one, a red one, etc.) One game my kids LOVE and still do we call the animal game. I describe an animal one clue at a time and they guess which one it is. Whoever guesses the animal it's their turn to pick an animal and describe for everyone. My kids love to listen to music. Wee sing puts out a lot of good CD's that are lengthy and it's children singing so it's fun for them. Story CD's are also fun and a great way to spend 30 minutes. Sometimes the library has them so you could experiment without cost. If she loves to look at books, the cd has a tone at the end of each page so she'll know when to turn the page.
Another idea might be to have a paper sack with something different in it each day (or a designated lunch box). Maybe a favorite small toy, book and snack. You could pack the sack the night before and give it to her when she's getting sleepy/bored. Doesn't have to be a lot and could be made up of things you have at your house to keep down cost. If you wait to give it to her after you've engaged her some, she will probably be able to make the trip without falling asleep. I think the main thing to remember is kids this age get tired of things quickly so having several things to do for a few minutes might be an answer.
If you decide to go with a DVD player, please think about having one that straps onto the headrest in front of her. Holding anything like that if you're in an accident could send it flying.
Blessings!
L.
i do't have any advice for you but my kids are the same my 7 y/o and my little G. 16 months when they are more than 10 min in the car they fall sleep .
Portable dvd player. Also, I used to use a mister/spray bottle- don't drench her, just perk her up and sing "wipers on the bus go swish , swish, swish"!
Our kids are EXACTLY the same when it comes to catnaps and not being able to get to bed - but, our 2 year-old daughter has been wide awake past 11 pm the past few nights, so who knows.
I'd keep her fussy without the pacifier if you need to - no matter how hard it is.
When our son was a little older, we could ask him about movies, and that kept him awake pretty well.
I'd almost ask that they let her sleep a little longer at naptime at day care, if possible. Our daughter was down to 1 nap/day at that age. But, I know they let the kids sleep 2.5-3 hours if needed which has helped us out.
Good luck
