Christmas trip advice?

Discussion in 'The Toddler Years(1-3)' started by Fran27, Dec 15, 2010.

  1. 4jsinPA

    4jsinPA Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    For eating out... when we take long car rides before we stop to eat, we stop at a walmart or a target first and let them run around in the toy section for 20 mins just to stretch their legs (and we usually let them pick out a toy that they cannot open till we get back in the car). THEN we go to dinner and we have found they are much more well behaved. We have learned that as soon as we sit down we place the entire order and ask for bread or crackers or anything to start us out. Then we play games..."I spy" or coloring. Whatever it took to get them to sit. Now they are great at eating out.
    As for car rides. Can you wrap a little present and let them open it every hour or something. Stuff like the travel doodle and such? Do you have an itouch...my kids LOVE those and will watch a movie on those or play games. Can you get them the little desks that they can color or such? There are tons of toys that are great for car rides...some of the simplest things will entertain the kids for a while. Give them some bubble wrap if you can stand the noise for a while (might be better than crying!) We also mounted dvd players against the seats and just taught the kids not to touch them. Didn't always work but they learned quickly that we turned if off if they kicked it or something.
    Good luck... I used to dread long car rides but we kept trying until we found stuff that worked. I take the kids on a 9 hour car ride by myself every summer and its not bad at all!
     
  2. MistyP

    MistyP Well-Known Member

    We use to make a 18-24 hr trip twice a year when we lived in FL. I never kept them rear facing that long; but that is your choice. If you have a portable DVD player, put it on the headrest BETWEEN their seats. We would stop at rest areas for bathroom breaks and let them run on the grass. I would not expect them to sit in a real restaurant. Fast food places with playgrounds get a lot of energy out. We would give drinks about 30 minutes before we had to stop for gas, etc so we wouldn't be stopping for bathroom breaks every 30 minutes. Keep little baggies of snacks handy (goldfish crackers, raisins, grapes, etc.) also bibs!

    My daughter likes the travel aquadoodle. I packed lots of books and handed them out one at a time.

    We also would frequently leave at night. DH would load the van and sleep for 3-4 hrs. I would keep the girls up later; dress them in sweatpants or something comfy. If they went to sleep before we left that was fine but they would usually sleep for several hours on the first part of the trip....It was actually easier to keep driving then stopping at a hotel most of the time because when we stopped they didn't want to sleep they were wanting to burn up energy! DH did most of the driving but I would also switch out and let him sleep when he got tired.
     
  3. tinalb

    tinalb Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    We went on a long car trip when my older kids were almost 4, almost 2, and newborn. We drove 7 hours a day for 6 days, from here to Alabama. You have already gotten most of the advice I would give.... drive early in the morning & late at night, stopping in between to let them run around (at this time of year McDonalds & similar places are great for that with their play places), I kept a bag of never seen before toys & candies under my seat that I could dole out when things got too bad, we didn't have a DVD player but if you can get one I think that would be super helpful, most of all the most helpful thing is very frequent stops. I know it makes the trip longer, but it does make it a lot more pleasant in the long run. Also, I don't know how you feel about it or if your children are old enough, but my saving grace has always been lollipops. I buy those Ring Pops because there are no pointy sticks & they seem to always be very securely attached to their bases so I don't worry about them coming off & being a choking hazard and they take a loooooooong time to eat, which is great because while they are eating them, they are happy and QUIET!
     
  4. Danibell

    Danibell Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    We drive 2000 miles, 4 days, from SC to Canada every summer, have ever since my oldest was 5 months old.

    Double (triple, quadruple...) the DVD player. Captain's chairs, you should be able to rig up a strap to strap one tv between the seats if you are concerned about them kicking it. Or, at their age, you can take their shoes off and teach them not to kick the tv. Buy it ahead of time and use it around town, everytime they kick it, turn it off. They should learn fast not to touch it.

    We stop every 2-3 hrs (in time for a movie change), and let the kids run around at a rest area, park, playground...etc. On our trips, I never expect my kids to behave when we go to eat, and we often take our food to go. I bought travel tables that strap to their carseats for them to eat on. Normally ours eat very well in restaurants, we often get compliments on their behaviour, but for our trips...those rules go out the window. We also hit the restaurants at off peak times. Go for early lunch at 10:30-11. Eat a snack around 1:30-2. Supper at 5. Everytime we stop, we fill juice cups with fresh cold juice and dig out some more snacks. Not healthy for their diet, but it keeps them quiet :)

    Target dollar bins have better $1 toys than dollar stores do. But sometimes even that stuff is garbage, and I just buy a bunch of "small" toys from walmart even if they cost more. You got lots of good suggestions on little toys, doodle pads, magnets, stickers, hot wheels cars, coloring books and crayons (my dd spilt the bag of crayons, must have been 200 crayons in there. I'm still digging crayons out from this last summer! lol).

    Good luck, I wouldn't trade our trips for the world, we have a blast once we get to my parents place...it's just the LONG trip that kills us! :D
     
    1 person likes this.
  5. Kittyjo1

    Kittyjo1 New Member

    It sounds like you've accepted the fact they'll cry and fuss if they ride backwards for 14 hours (I know I would!) so like others said the only thing you might be able to make them happier with is a portable DVD player. Mine kicked ours the first time we used it (FF) but I just unplugged it when they did so they soon learned not to touch it. Kids learn fast.
    Oh, and we have Britax marathons and the manual says the rear facing limits are 35lbs and 35 inches. Both my kids are way over that height and one is over the weight limit. I would have thought that most 3 year olds would be over those limits (mine are still only 2) so it may not be long before you have to turn yours around?
     
  6. KCMichigan

    KCMichigan Well-Known Member

    One of my 5 yr olds doesnt weigh that much!! :laughing:

    Ours were Graco and the limits were even lower (back in 2006/7 or so). We switched at 20 lbs to FF and high backed boosters at 30lbs and 40". ( we got boosters that had a lower weight limits, my DDs are tall and skinny!)
     
  7. twoplustwo

    twoplustwo Well-Known Member

    Neither of my 5 y/o's weigh that much. [​IMG] (32 and 34 lbs)
     
  8. mkcondrey

    mkcondrey Well-Known Member

    I agree with the DVD player idea, too. My twins are 21 months old and my DD is still rear facing as she just recently reached the 20lb mark. We "installed" a portable DVD player a few months ago for her and it has done wonders. She is like a totally different child in the car now.

    Word of caution about the DVD players, though. When I got my carseats installed/inspected by the local fire department, I had the dvd player bungee corded tightly to the headrest on the captain's seat her carseat was in. The firefighters pointed out that in a bad enough accident, that player could come loose and it would be a hard projectile. I don't remember the math, but at a certain rate of speed (maybe 50mph?), a 5 lb dvd player would become a 50 lb weight an if it hit her in the head or face, it could kill her or, at the very least, seriously hurt her. They told me that nothing not manufactured by the vehicle and basically a part of the vehicle itself is safe to "attach" to the seats or the vehicle itself.

    Having said all this, what I do is attach the DVD player to the "jumpseat" that we have that fits in between the 2 captains chairs. (We have a Honda Odyssey). DD can still see the dvd, but she can't reach it and it isn't directly in front of her face.

    Do you have a removable seat that fits in between your captains chairs? If so, that's also a great way to be able to sit in between them for times when they just need a little company or are getting fussy.
     
  9. Fran27

    Fran27 Well-Known Member

    Most marathon seats don't have any height limit rear-facing. I couldn't even find one on their site. Mine only has the 1" from the top thing. There's a max height forward facing though. They're probably not over 28lb yet so I don't think I'm ever going to have to worry about the weight limit.

    Also, most kids cry in car seats because they are restrained, not because they are rear-facing. Please show me ANY kid that doesn't start fussing after 90 minutes in a car without DVD player, rear facing or forward facing... Plus I'd add that in our van, they can see through the back window, as we don't have the back seats up and the window is pretty low. If we turn them forward, they won't be able to see much because the front seats will be in the way... if anything, that will make things worse. They still have plenty of room to stretch their legs on the sides.

    And yes, I've read that it's dangerous to have a dvd player in case of accidents, so we've decided against it for now... we'll just stop often. There's nothing to attach one between the captain seats :(
     
  10. abrinka

    abrinka Well-Known Member

    I am the lucky mom whose kids DO NOT fuss after 90 minutes in the carseat and we do not have DVD player. They just love looking out the window or playing with toys that I have in the box in between their seats.

    Just curious if you don't have seats in the back and kids can see through the back window WHAT protects them IF you happen to have rear end coalision? I know my trunk is full when we travel. There might be things flying to the front of the car you know what I mean.
     
  11. sullivanre

    sullivanre Well-Known Member

    Good luck on your trip Fran! I hope you guys have fun. Our last trip was only 8 hours, down from 12-13, and it was still a pain for about the last 1 hour.
     
  12. Utopia122

    Utopia122 Well-Known Member

    Anything that is not restrained is dangerous and can become flying projectiles in a crash. Are you carrying luggage, cooler, books, purse, phone, etc. Can you imagine getting hit in the head by a cell phone when in a crash? Unless you plan on harnessing everything that you are taking to the top of the van, I don't think you are in any more danger of a DVD player causing serious damage than a toy or book. But, to each is own.

    Good luck on your trip.
     
    4 people like this.
  13. Fran27

    Fran27 Well-Known Member

    Well there is the seat just in front of them, but the headrest isn't on.
     
  14. jjzollman

    jjzollman Well-Known Member

    The longest road trip we have taken is 3 hours. They easily make it those 3 hours but they are definitely ready to get out at that point. Can you plan your trip so that the kids are asleep most of the time?

    As far as the rear-facing, I just turned mine last month. They were within 1-2 pounds of the limits on the older Marathon (33lbs). They were perfectly content in their carseats that way and a lot safer. Keep them rear-facing as long as you want! :)
     
  15. KCMichigan

    KCMichigan Well-Known Member

    Sorry, mine dont fuss either and we regularly have taken 5-14 hr car trips a few times a year since they were 14 months old.... no DVD player either. Out of probably 20+ car trips, we had only one that was truly terrible (car sickness, car break down, etc). The girls are good travelers---but really that is a broad statement. Mine are used to traveling and have never minded being restrained in the car seat, but do like to get out and about on frequent breaks. We never traveled by night either.

    I can say that I have sat on a train & sat facing 'backwards' my eye hurt after a few hours of watching things go by backwards instead of forward. Involuntary eye movements track things if you are looking out the side movement will cause eye strain vs looking out of the back window where objects simply move away instead of left/right or right/left. I asked my eye Dr about it (I have always taken long train rides and never had sore eye muscles afterward) and he told me it was from tracking object 'backwards' a shorter distance (you can not see what is coming when facing backwards so you only track things for a very short distance instead of looking forward to a far distance and watching it approach (longer sustained eye contact). So you may have a more pleasant trip if they see out the back vs out the side windows.

    Have fun!
     
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  16. AmynTony

    AmynTony Well-Known Member

    mine don't fuss either and we have no DVD player, and its only in the last year that they have the handheld Leapsters...
     
  17. nateandbrig

    nateandbrig Well-Known Member

    Fran, I think it's wonderful that you still have them rear-facing, I totally agree that it's safer!
    Mine are not still RF and they fuss after about an hour. I do have to say that before we had the dvd player it was awful listening to them cry. I actually think that the danger of the dvd player being a dangerous object is far better then the driver having to listen to the crying. I know when I'm driving I can hardly focus when just one is fussing let alone 2 of them.
    I wish you all the best!
     
    1 person likes this.
  18. Danibell

    Danibell Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I do have to agree with this, and the "what if's" of this scenario are endless. Ideally your car would be free from anything that could become a projectile (no water bottles, no boxes of kleenex, no trash cans, no books or toys of any kind), but making a trip like is not only going to be virtually impossible, but it's also going to be dangerous for the driver. Driver with a baby (or two) screaming behind them from boredom is going to make driving safely almost impossible as well.

    I do hope you have a good trip, and can come up with enough "safe" ways of entertaining your kidlets. Having made the three day drive many many times now, I know my kids would be miserable without any forms of distraction in the vehicle.
     
  19. lianyla

    lianyla Well-Known Member

    Well said.
     
  20. lianyla

    lianyla Well-Known Member

    The nice thing is that you've had them RF their whole lives so it's no new news to them. That is how they travel. I took mine on a 10 hr car ride ALONE when they were 21 months old, RF. It wasn't that bad. They napped, etc. My kids are very scheduled tho.

    Anyway, when your kids are RF already- it's not like you're turning a FF kid RF just for a trip. They are used to it so it's nothing. It's a non-issue, the LEAST of your worries.

    Your problem here is, the HOURS.

    You need them to NAP. Do you use white noise for nap time? If so- bring it. It is your friend:) (cd or find a radio station that is static and use it during nap time).

    Can you stop overnite? Stay in a hotel to break it up?

    The DVD thing might really be helpful if your kids like tv.

    Good luck!
     
  21. Fran27

    Fran27 Well-Known Member

    We survived the way down...lol. I found a thrift store that had bags of little toys for $2 and got a few, and between that, stops and snacks we really didn't have that much fussing.

    They haven't been sleeping well at all though, so with some luck they'll be tired on the way back and sleep more...
     
  22. vharrison1969

    vharrison1969 Well-Known Member

    YAY!! :clapping:

    I hope the trip back goes even better. :)
     
  23. Fran27

    Fran27 Well-Known Member

    It didn't go that well but it was ok, lol. They slept most of the first day (after waking up at 1am and refusing to go back to bed, so we packed and left at 4am), we spent the rest of the day at the hotel, and day 2 was a bit hard with DD being pretty crabby but we survived.

    We both decided not to do this again next year though...
     
  24. Leighann

    Leighann Well-Known Member

    Glad you survived. The more you travel with them, and the older they get, the easier it will be.
     
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