Needing Advice on How to Keep Our 3 Yr Old Happy During a 10 Hr Car Ride

I haven't read the other advice so I apologize if this is a duplicate. Portable DVD Players are awesome, a cookie sheet or pan with magnets are a hit, bubbles can be fun as well. If you can, I would try & make it all in one day. Better than having to have them sit still 2 days in a row. Just pack a cooler with some treats & juice drinks & have a ball!.

If you have a portable DVD player & some kid-friendly movies to bring along, that will help. If not, you can buy one from Target or Walmart for about $70.

Pack lots of toys. Maybe buy a few new ones and just hold them over for the car ride, that way they are new and will hold his interest for a while. Maybe go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of cheap little trinkets.

Bring paper & crayons.

Books.

Pack snacks. Car friendly ones that won't make too much of a mess.

Kid-friendly CDs so you can sing along to some fun music.

Stop frequently. I'd say every 2 hours or so. Let him get out of the car and RUN if at all possible. Try not to be in too much of a hurry. We've gone on a few road trips, a 3 hour trip usually takes us about 4-4.5 hours.

Good luck and have fun!

We do our road trips at night so the 2.5 yr old and the few month old sleep the whole way and wake up just in time to stop for breakfast. With us driving in shifts,we are both tired, but at least the kids arn't cranky.

i don't normally condone putting your kid in front of a tv/movie to occupy them, but portable DVD players are a GODSEND! we drove to florida this year (about a 16 hour drive - and we drove straight though) and it was SO amazing. our little man (who was 2 1/2 at the time) did great. it will also help if you pick up a couple cheap new toys for him to play with. we got a travel magna-doodle (about $5) and it was a huge hit - he played with it for hours, and didn't get tired of it the entire trip. something new that he hasn't seen before would probably be best. good luck and remember to keep your sense of humor!
PS, saw that someone suggested this and i forgot to add, we also drove at night...that helped a lot! i wouldn't want to try it during the daytime!

I am familiar with the drive to Dallas, we also made a couple of trips to Michigan this year (about 12 hours) with a 2 &3 year old. Movies are what kept us sane! I also took several books, especially board books. They have good pictures and take being thrown well. I always keep Happy Meal toys around. They are small easy to hold and if they lose them take them in a bathroom and drop them, it's not a big deal. I stay away from the coloring myself, because I don't want to pick them up after they get thrown or dropped because if you miss one and it's hot, it will melt! If they have a stuffed toy or blanket, make sure it is accessible as well as a change of clothes. Drinks and snacks are a must. Prepackaged things tend to be the right amount (fruit snacks, cereal bars, etc.) A small pillow and blanket would be a good idea too. Stop and let him walk around every couple of hours and it won't be too bad! Good luck.

You've already gotten some really good ideas, so I'll just add a couple. My son (also 3) has had some long trips this summer, and we (tried) to teach him to play things like I-Spy, and Car Bingo. I-Spy worked pretty well, and the Car Bingo is pretty easy. Cracker Barrel has cards that you can buy that have a clear plastic piece that you move over the "found" item. If you're crafty I'm sure you can make your own cards cheaper, but I think my crafty gene is malfunctioning! :)

Have fun on your trip - and remember, "This too shall pass..."

truthfully I would drive the full 10 hours then get the hotel because I travel long trips all the time with my kids and they usually sleep a lot so when we actually stop for a hotel they aren't sleepy at all and stay up until 1 or 2 am so I am not going to get the needed sleep and better off to get to the destination then sleep especially if you have family members there that would help watch the kids so you could sleep a few hours.
Use a video player or laptop and let your kids watch movies, color wonder books are wonderful which we only buy for trips so it's something new and the markers won't color on anything else but that special paper.
I have been traveling with my kids on long trips since they were born and now they are teens/preteens and travel well. We have driven 36 hours straight, 24 hrs, a lot of 17 hr trips when they were younger.. took that trip about every 6 weeks for a year, and drove to Florida in 24 hours this summer. Most of our trips are pretty quiet as each kid keeps themselves entertained with whatever they brought to do. My oldest loves to read so he packs at least 5 thick books to read on vacation, daughter likes to draw and watch movies, youngest likes to play his DS and watch movies and then they sleep a lot and learned at a very young age not to ask if we were there yet??? because that drives me crazy and tell them when they see us parked in the driveway at the destination and we stop and start unpacking the car then we are there, otherwise asking me that will prolong the trip because I would stop and sit there for a while in the middle of no where so they learned not to ask that question. We usually stop when we get gas, everyone goes to the bathroom and we stop to eat around our normal eating schedule but don't usually stop more than 30 minutes at each stop. With little kids I would ask everytime we were coming near a rest area if anyone needed to go potty, if they didn't need to go we didn't stop. We also didn't eat or drink a lot while in the car, we got most of our drinks while eating then went to the bathroom before we left the restaurant.
You will be surprised at how well the kids do on long trips. Yes it's tiring but usually more on the adults doing all the driving than the kids.

We had to drive from VA to MI, 14.5 hours with our 3 yr old (just before his birthday). We broke down and bought a portable dvd player, he doesn't watch much tv/movies at home, so it really kept him interested. Then we brought a cookie sheet in the car, with it we brought a coloring book he could lay in it and color, trains/cars he could drive on it and the alphabet magnets from the fridge, he played with those and loved it. We also brought books and lots of snacks and drinks, the worst is if they want something and you don't have it. I brought a sippy cup and I refilled it with juice and water from our cooler.

I also would go with the DVD player, it keeps you sane. Small toys as well. Also my kids used to like the colorform kits, the little cardboard pictures that you would put these plastic stickers on, there's something about peeling these off and putting them back on that keeps them so occupied and it's not messy, just picking up the stickers later. Magnadoodles are also lots better than crayons, all in one.
I always kept a travel bag for my kids when they were young, the only time they got to use these were on longer trips and I could always change what was in it according to what their interests were at the time and I always kept toys in it that they couldn't play with at other times.
I would also put little bags with snacks in them for the car, my kids always were car sick so they would eat little bits of food instead of meals.

My family just drove down to Disney World last weekend - total driving time there and back was nearly 40hrs (including potty breaks, lol). We have a 6, 4, 2, and 6 month old baby, so I definitely know where you're coming from. ;) We've taken several long trips with the kids, and for us we find that a portable DVD player/laptop works wonders. I try to make that a treat that they get sporadically through the trip though (you can only watch Finding Nemo soooo many times, even if you're 3, lol) So for each kid I pack a special car trip bag filled with fun activities just for them. Their special bedtime book, coloring books, activity books and usually something extra in there that's unique for the trip. For Disney I had park maps printed so that they could go through them on the way and decide ahead of time their favorite places that they definitely wanted to see. ;) Breaking the trip into two days is a good move as well - keeps the driving to a level that isn't sooo overwhelming on the little ones.

As for fun car games I usually play a kind of I Spy with the kids. I say "find a red car" and the first one to find it gets to choose the next thing we have to look for. The kids love it. It helps with color recognition, engages the whole family, and can last off and on for hours. ;)

Most importantly realize that no matter how much you have planned to keep you kiddos happy there's bound to be some tears and cries of "are we there yet?!?!?!?!". Don't let yourself become overwhelmed because it only makes the kids more nervous... And it's a downward spiral from there. ;) Relax and don't sweat it so much. Getting there really can be half the fun!!

We have two boys. Our oldest will be 3 in November. Our youngest just turned one. We travel a lot. Here are some things that work for us:

Write down a list of favorite songs to sing. When he gets fussy, start singing. (We've done this for almost 45 minutes at a time, and we all just have a great time! Especially action songs.) Write them down because when the time comes, you will forget. Trust me.

Put completely random things in his "toy bag" that he doesn't normally play with, and he'll have a great time. Garlic press, spaghetti server, wooden spoons, a clean aspirator (I will never understand the fascination), tupperware containers, etc. He'll have a blast figuring them out.

Board books that you have memorized. He will be looking at the pictures, and you will be "reading" the book to him.

CDs of music that you all love. These don't have to be kid CDs. Our oldest loves 80s music, and our youngest loves just about anything!

Just about anything with googly eyes. Or other small parts that they can manipulate.

Of course, tons of snacks and drinks. We pre-dilute juice at home so we can just pour it into sippy cups.

Have a great trip!

Hi L., we make a trip to Texas each year (Whichta Falls), I suggest a DVD player for your car. We take aleast one really long car ride per year and the DVD player has been a life saver! I guess it helps also that my kids don't watch a lot of TV so to get to spend the whole day watching one movie after another is great!

Other than that we keep a stash of small toys and things for my girls to draw on. And get out the the car every couple of hours.

Now if you have never made the drive, I have to tell you to stop at the McDonalds in I think Vinita, OK. It goes over 44. It's just fun.

Good luck!!!

Good Morning L., you have a lot of awesome advice. all of it super great. They are right Do not stop half way. You can leave at O'darkthirty and be there by 6 or 7.
I usually drive my daughter in law & 2 gr sons to Houston area from Ks, 10-12 hours depending on the stops. This time when she wanted to go on Labor Day weekend I didn't feel the need to go. I wanted a break from kid-o's :) Her and the boys left at 5, and we there by 3pm.
They watched DVDs, had a couple of new draw boards I got them, hard back books, bottled water for sippy cups etc.
Corbin 4, Zane 2 next month did great. Genné placed a small plastic storage bin between their car seats so they could reach the toys they wanted. Sing songs, play my little eye spy's, count big trucks on the hwy, look for blue cars, red cars etc. They learn and you two drive. And of course he will pass out and sleep sometime.

Have a great time in Big D', but don't stop half way ya can get there in one day maybe a little Seat Sore but do able. More visiting time :)

God Bless you,
K. Nana of 5

portable dvd player. its the only thing that keeps our 2 1/2 year old entertained on long drives.

You have some great advice already, but just thought I would add: 1. I agree, Just drive the whole thing. You don't want to have to do it twice.. Driving for a long period of time with a toddler! 2. DVD players are great! My son is 2.5 and very into movies right now. Grab a bunch to keep him occupied! 3. On our first road trip to TX, I bought a bunch of cheap $1 toys. I wrapped them up and gave my kids one every couple of hours. It was their "present" for being good. They loved it and it did work - for a little while... Good luck! S.

Get a portable DVD player - it works wonders!

We brought a small backpack of toys that our boys pick out (Mc Donald's toys are wonderful) & a DVD player for the car (that was our saving grace).

God bless!

Hi L.,
I haven't taken the time to read your other responses, but I thought I would share what we did back in May for our 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son when we drove to Orlando, straight through! Yes, 20+ hours in the car.
We took color wonder markers and paper, always a hit for our 2, plus no mess on your seats, etc. We did take a portable DVD player w/ lots of movie choices and lots of snacks.
I think our biggest saving grace...every time we stopped for gas I got the kids out of the car and found some grass for them to run, jump, spin, whatever to burn off some energy! When we stopped to eat, we either ate a sandwich or grabbed something from a drive thru and found some grass for the kids to run, jump, etc while we ate then had them eat in the car. I truely think this had to have helped. I know I have two great kids, but we had no whining, crying, screaming anything fussy on our trip there or back!
Best of luck, I know I was extremely unsure when we set off on our long trip. Oh yeah, we prepped for about two weeks before by telling them that we would be taking a very long trip in the car!
Best wishes for a safe trip,
J.

I have done two 16 hour trips to visit my parents. My kids were 3, 3, and 1 at the time. I agree that the dvd player is fantastic, we would not have survived without it. Lots of snacks and water in the cooler. I made snack mix with lots of little cracker, yogurt raisens, pretzels, m&m's and such. I also took color wonder coloring books, seek and find books, magnet boards. I also recommend lots of stops so they can get out and stretch their legs. My kids get really fussy when they have to sit still for long periods of time. We would stop at a Mcdonald's with a playground for lunch. Then we would stop at a rest area in the afternoon so they could get out and run around for a little while. If your kids sleep good in the car I would try to make it in one day rather than stopping. My kids don't sleep in the car so we had to stop overnight. After being in the car all day it was really hard to get them to settle down and sleep in the hotel. Hope this advice helps. Good luck on your trip.

We buy special coloring and game books for the trip. Our kids have leap pads and now leapster games. We play I spy, license plate, and other car games. However, the thing that keeps us all entertained the most is listening to audio books. I know a lot of people use DVDs but audiobooks are something the whole family (even the driver) can enjoy. You also have to use your imagination. If you have a local library check out the kids section. An added bonus is that you can discover some great authors that you can read the book version of. We started with some of the Disney classics. We went on to the younger reader chapter books like Junie B. Jones, the Magic Treehouse, Katie Kazoo, and Geronimo Stilton. We have done the longer preteen/teen chapter books as well. This would depend upon the attention span of each child and the subject involved. We have listened to some of the Harry Potter books and the Spiderwick Chronicles but some of these can get a little scary for some younger kids.

Good luck

Children travel best when they are asleep. Drive it at night. Good luck B.