LONG Car Drive

Well, my kids are 1,3, and 8. We just went on an 1100 mile trip (each way). The older one had his Nintendo DS which was great but when he was younger he had a Leapster that kept him busy for a long time. There are games that go from preschool on up. We have a Leap Pad too. Look at a second time around store and you can usually find them at a more reasonable price. We also had activity books and toys. All my kids love musical toys. Gets a little annoying for you after while but it's worth it to keep the kids busy! You can play the alphabet game (if he knows his letters) too. You just look for a word that begins with a,b,c....etc. Look on billboards, road signs, semi's, license plates... the kids have fun with that sometimes. We've gone on a 960 mile car ride every other year since they were all 1 year old (this will be the youngest's first time for that - but the 1100 mile ride broke her in! lol). So, mine are pretty much used to it. We try to keep the toys rotating but there are just times you have to ignore them and let them entertain themselves. And naptime is wonderful!!
Good luck. Hope you have an enjoyable trip!

Wrap little gifts for the road.
After an hour or so give her one, then after three hours give her another. Have maybe 4 or 5 for her to unwrap, candy, CD, books, Crayons and paperpad,. etc.
Stop every couple hours at rest stops, ice cream shops, lunch at a McD's play place or somewhere similar.
Pack kid friendly nummies, goldfish crackers, raisins, yogurt covered raisins or craisins.
Get Car Bingo cards and play with her.
Play the alphabet game and the number game, find all the numbers from 1-10.
My sons love to play Battleship. She may be a little young.
Find different license plates from different states.
Are you coming down 95?
If possible try to hit 95 South south of DC before 3:30 and well after 8. I was stuck at 9:15 last night, they are starting construction around the Stafford exits. 95 is a nightmare at most times anyway.
I just checked where Morrisville is, yeah, you know how fun 95 can be.

I'm just off 95 after DC. I have a playset and pool if you need to chill, or if M. needs some wine, I have that too. :o)

Margie's gift wrapping idea is GENIUS.

Do you listen to music in the car? We love this CD!!! http://www.amazon.com/Philadelphia-Chickens-Too-Illogical...

If you are familiar with children's author Sandra Boynton, this is a collection of some of her books set to music. We love it! My daughter hated the car too, but this made it enjoyable. Check out the song, "I Like to Fuss", which actually cut down on the fussing and crying on our car rides!

Yes, go low tech. If you are going to drive during the day, play games. Find flags, read signs, play guessing games, find items of a certain color "can anyone find something blue, can anyone find something red", sing songs, etc. Buy the 100 greatest toddler toons CD or download it on your iPod.

Go to the dollar store, without your kids, and buy 4-5 "presents" per kid. Wrap them and put them in a bag for each child. Don't tell them that you have the "presents" but if you have trouble getting them back in the car, tell them that as soon as they are buckled, they can pick a surprise present from the present bag.

We have driven from Florida to DC - 18 hours and two day trip with my 5 year old at least 4 times and his 10 month old brother has done the trip twice. We don't use any TV or movies or computers in the car. We have a good time with our car games and keep each other company.

Your child might also like a triptik from AAA - can be printed online or make one from mapquest or something similiar. Child learns to read a map, and gets a sense of distance, you can take a break from navigating.

Have a great trip! C.

Find things on the way. For example, depending on your route, you might hit Williamsburg, Bush Gardens, The Virginia Zoo (I forget the full name, but it was a hit with our kids), etc. It really helps to get out and stretch even if it's a LONG day for you.

I also let DD have her own backpack where I put in little toys she might not have seen for a while, some books, and a snack. That way she gets to explore the bag and discover things.

I did a fourteen hour drive last summer, solo. My kids were 1 and 4 at the time. I took a suggestion from a mama on here and it was a life saver. I went to the dollar store and stocked up on trinkets and little toys and some clearanced stuff from Target. The kids didn't know about these surprises. Whenever they got fussy or overly bored, I would hand them one of the toys. There was nothing all that spectacular about them, but the newness helped stave off any fussiness. Even if they only played with it for 10 minutes, I didn't care. It served it's purpose. My kids aren't much for DVD's, but they did enjoy a few movies. I brought new ones for them, that held their interest a bit more. Snacks...lots of snacks. I brought grapes, snack crackers, cheese sticks and for desperate moments, dum dum lollipops. My son played his leapster a lot. ANd I brought a play ball. Whenever we stopped for potty breaks I tried to stop at rest areas. We'd pull out the ball and chase it around for five, maybe ten minutes. It helped get their wiggles out. Any food stops we made at places with playscapes. Since we rarely do McDonald's, my children were thrilled with this idea! (And as an added bonus, they got a novel toy to entertain them for a bit). And the best thing I got was an mp3 player for each of them. I found a really simple one online for $5. It had a play, skip and rewind button. No words or lights. Very simple. I loaded it up with music for each kid. And I bought kid headphones. Not only did they fit the kids well, but they were designed to soften the sounds, so even if they turned the volume all the way up, it wouldn't hurt their ears. They loved this. I had some concerns with my younger child, I was worried about the headphones being a choking hazard. We did several test runs at home and running errands in the car. She was so mesmerized by the music, she didn't fuss with the headphones at all. I also bought some lap tables. They were soft, so there weren't any safety issues if we were in an accident. Since they were soft, my 4 yo was disappointed he couldn't color on them, but he quickly realized they held his small toys and they didn't fall as often.

I feel you. This year we are headed to NC, 20 hours on the road this time. At least I won't be alone on this trip. :) GL!!

We live in NC, but all of our family is in PA, so we are used to the 7-8 hour drive, in fact, it doesn't seem daunting at all anymore, but for kids that aren't used to it, I can understand the stress you might be feeling! Here are some of our favorite things for our son to do during the trip:

-make a mix of kid songs and kid friendly songs that we like to sing along to

-buy packs of Crayola Color Wonder kits...he can color/"paint" all he wants and I know there is never a mess

-let him help me pick out special snacks for the car for him to eat...it doesn't take up much time, but it's something!

-my son has a Leapster, so we usually have him play that (with ear buds in) for a portion of the trip...they grow with your kids and are educational, so it's a win-win situation

-DVDs and more DVDs...you say your daughter won't watch for any period of time, but when she is faced with either watching or sitting quietly, she may choose watching! Plus, you can always buy a new one or two at Wal-Mart or Five and Below for next to nothing!

-Bag of toys he doesn't normally play with...it is amazing how his imagination will soar when he hasn't seen a toy in awhile and is stuck in his car seat!

-Make sure that whatever meal you take is someplace exciting...McDonald's, Wendy's, etc. just the thought of good behavior and he gets the toy has him doing much better!

All of this almost always works for most of the trip, and even if your daughter only naps for 1 hour, that's still one less hour of entertaining her! Good luck!

Our best trips are when we mix it up. I usually let them entertain themselves for the first hour, then pull out a dry erase board, then put in one of their CDs so we all sing along, then a snack, then little toys* to play, then a movie (just one at a time to keep things interesting). Between potty breaks and meal times, things usually go well unless there's construction :0 When we drive to Cape Cod, we usually drive 3-4 hours the first evening and splurge for a motel before finishing the next day. You can guage how far to go based on whether your little ones get any sleep in the car. Breaking the trip into two days is much better on our guys (plus you can get there early enough for some beach time on the day you arrive). If all else fails, pack iPods for the grown ups to block out the complaining ;)

* We also do the "special toys for car rides only" thing, with a whole grab bag of little things (many are happy meal type toys) that they never see at home.

my daughter has a leapster explorer that she loves to play and it has lots of fun and educational games.

My 4-year-old son never sleeps in the car either! But, he's started getting really car sick on our long drives (we moved back to my home state of MT/ID and windy mountain passes)...so per his ped. he gets bonine to help with his motion sickness and now he sleeps in the car...I'm not recommending it (I'm really not) but boy does it make car trips easier with him asleep in the back. Tonight we're leaving at 6 for a 6 hour drive to Grandma and Grandpa's. Cross your fingers the baby sleeps (I think he will) and the 4 year-old sleeps (I still have my doubts...). Now we have the problem of him falling asleep in the car and not being tired at bedtime (which is okay)...anything to not clean up vomit off the car seat...again...

I guess you might also ask the 4 year old why he hates the car and figure out how to make the trip a bit more enjoyable...Also, my 4 year old can't play with anything in the car or he gets more motion sick...so keep that in mind too...

Take a ball and run around and kick it at the rest stops for about 15 -20 min

My suggestion.. Gameboy and a bunch of cheap games.Also stopping every few hours will help as I also hate long car rides

I totally understand... That is a long time in the car...

Maybe you can take them shopping for some 'special snacks' for the ride that they get to pick out... (even if it's mostly junk....) :) Then- that cheapy dollar section in Target may have some little hands-on activities to keep them happy...........coloring books, stickers.............a lap desk............

You can play 'car bingo' where you pick out different objects, etc.........

I know my little nephews LOVE their Nintendo DS.......... You can even buy them used at Gamestop or those video game stores........ Check Craigslist...... If your 4 yr. old can't get the hang of that, Leapfrog may have something she'll be able to use. (But these days, kids can do anything. Ha ha... they are born with technological capability)

Good luck!

Love the suggestions you have already. If you don't have a GPS, google the playplaces (McD's and Burger King) along your way and have them written on a post-it note on your dash.

If you can break up your trip, maybe do 4 hours one day, stay at nice hotel with pool/waterpark and drive the rest of the way the next day. I know, long and extra expensive.

I would also talk to your daughter's pediatrician. Maybe she gets motion sickness? Is there something she can take to help with that?

Then there are the low tech games. I spy. Singing. Talking about the trip and where you are going. Give her pamplets to "read."

Good luck! We just took our vacation which was 12 hours one way. Now, we are moving there and will do it again at the end of the month.

i've not had this problem - my kids have never been a problem in long car rides...they sleep in the car, play in the car, etc...however, I don't make them sit for 6 hours straight..

We usually stop every two hours to let them get out and run...I have portable DVD players for each of them...they each have their own DS...however, mine are also older now - 11 and 9....

When they were younger - we played games...who could find the most yellow cars - or do the alphabet from license plates and signs...we also listened to music...

I would check on craigslist or ebay for used technology...you can usually pick up a DS or something cheaper than a brand new one...and they are WORKING not broken. That's how I bought both of my boys their DS's...spent $30 each on them with games...much better than the $140 in the store!!!