Driving Long Distances

The longest I have driven with them is about 4-5 hours. Me and DH just invested in a vacation rewards ownership program and really want to take them to some great places. DH and I loved Canada when we visited. Our Ownership program has a property in Quebec, roughly 9-10 hours away driving time. At the time we will have the boys who will be 3 1/2 and an 8 month old(or around there).

Do you think I am crazy for attmepting this? Should I break it up and stay somewhere half way? Any advice would be appreciated since I need to book them in advance!

 

We only did it once, and not by choice. The boys were just a couple weeks shy of 12 months old when we had to evacuate for Hurricane Rita. The best thing I think we did was pack the front seat with iced snacks/bottles/drinks etc and we left just a little bit before they would be sleeping during a normal day. This way I could hand back anything they needed aside from a diaper change. They stayed awake for the first hour and then slept several hours, making our 13 hour trip in not-so-great circumstances very doable. We made two short stops to eat/potty/etc and one long stop to change our tires but it gave us the chance to play and stretch a bit.

I think you can do it with some careful planning and a good dose of patience HAVE FUN!

 

We travel a lot. The last trip we took was in December from here to Memphis, which is about 11-12 hours. DS1 was 6 and DS2 was three months. It was pretty easy, but we've traveled with the boys so much that they're used to it. We were making 8 hour trips with DS1 when he was about 6 months old.

The first thing to do, if you haven't already. Buy a portable DVD player with headphones! It's been our savior, even on the three hour trips to my mom's house. We also pack a backpack with toys, games and snacks that DS1 can get into on his own along with a cooler full of juice boxes, water and cokes (for DH).

For the baby, we packed bottles and planned on stopping to feed him (we also bought a warmer that hooked up to the car adaptor) but he slept 80% of the way. When DH took the boys out to Memphis in June (I was too pregnant to go), he said that DS2 was happy with his toys and lunch (jar foods) at a restaraunt.

If it were us, we wouldn't stop halfway. We usually find a park or a nice rest area and let them out to run around and play, have lunch and relax for a bit. But, if you think the boys will do better with an actual bed and better structure than a car can provide lol, then definitely stop for the night. DH and I can both function well on trips, so that's something you might want to factor in as well.

Hope that helps!
That sounds like a lot of fun! We have friends that go up to Canada every year and the pictures are SO gorgeous!

 

QUOTE(****mws**** @ Oct 1 2007, 03:44 PM) [snapback]431268[/snapback]
im getting ready to do mine on thanksgiving..
i plan on driving through the night..
with my mom.. i think ill do better on sleep deperevation than they will in a car for a long period of time..

good luck
m


I thought about that...maybe leaving at like 3am..and driving all night. Maybe with the help of a little motrin if they are very cranky (FYI, I only did that once for traveling, I dont do that normally!!). We drive a lot since I have family in different places....2-3hours max. I think they would do ok with help of a DVD player and good timing.

 

We've done the same trip twice so far and it's about 10 hours.

The first time they were 6 weeks old. OMGosh - how easy was that?! They slept almost the whole time. I sat between them in the backseat to feed and then we would stop so I could burp them and change them. Loved that.

The next time they were about 14 months old. A little more challenging since they were awake, but when they got fussy, we would put in a DVD. We didn't run them constantly because they have to look out of the window for pete's sake! Plus, DH and I would have been insane by then. They were too little for headphones so we ALL listened to Baby Einstein and Elmo. :blink:

Regarding the timing. We also went back and forth with this and decided to wait until they woke up for the day to leave. We figured it'd be easier to deal with them if we tried to stick to our own normal schedule versus disrupting their nighttime sleep - as well as our own. Now, my SIL does the nighttime drive and thinks that it works out well, even though she's dog tired and they are well-rested and ready to roll.

The people across the street from us have a son who's about our kids' age and they did about the same trip as us this summer. They broke the trip in half and spent the night in a hotel. She said they really didn't need to and skipped it on the way home. They drove straight through with no issues.

Good luck!

 

Everyone is different but, if you're not easily stressed, I'd go for it. We've done 3 road trips since Dax was born:

14 hours to Arkansas (2.5 months old + 2 almost 4 year olds)
7 hours to Rocky Mountain National Park (5.5 month old + 2 4-year-olds)
6 hours to Phoenix (6.5 month old + 2 4-year-olds)

We also went on countless trips with just the twins starting with a trip from San Francisco to Alberta at 2.5 months old. As long as you are prepared, understand that everything isn't going to go perfect, plan for lots of breaks, and stay relaxed you'll be fine. Traveling isn't really that difficult and your boys are reaching the age where they need less out of the car time so you'll mostly just have to plan around the baby. I agree with leaving at about 3-4 am for a trip of that length. That allows you to get some sleep before the trip but also keeps the kids asleep for a while before your first stop. One tip, take a portable potty so you can pull over at an exit real quick for the surprise potty breaks. Have fun!

 

We've done quite a bit of traveling with our kids. Dh's family is 12 hrs away and we've driven there many times. I personally like to drive straight through. It seems like more of a hassle to get a hotel, take the bags in , get everyone situated and then get everyone and our bags back in the car the next AM!! We've left both early (around 5 am) and later (around noon). The earlier we leave the more sleep we get out of them in the beginning...the later....the more sleep we get at the end, so I think it balances out. We also pack them backpacks with things to keep them busy...and had a DVD player put in our Sienna...we try to get as far as we can before we turn it on so the "magic" lasts longer!! LOL Also, letting them run around at rest stops or when we would stop for a meal (I'm not big on Micky D's (especially their playlands), but it's a good place to get their energy out!!! If you do bottles it's a good idea to pre make them as far as you can too & snack baggies for the big kids!

It's a very do-able thing...you just need to anticipate a few crying moments!

 

I have done a 12 hour drive with my kiddos. They were 9 months and the other time they were 16 months. My only advice is with the toys, if you can afford to buy a couple of new ones, I would. It will be fun for them to play with and mine seem to want to play with it longer. I usually try to buy a new DVD before long trips too.

 

We have taken several, starting at 5 mos and most recently this August. We stop often to play (park or fast-food play structure) but try to eat our meals in the car. That way, they aren't sitting still when we are out of the car, but running around instead. We pack new toys, their favorite books, and LOTS of DVDs. We do not drive in the middle of the night. We keep our schedule roughly the same and leave in the morning after they wake up.