Is this possible?

Dh and I are planning for 7-hour drive road trip with the twin. Just want to gather opinions.

1. Should we stay there for two nights or three nights? Since it takes one day to get there and one day to come back, I am thinking to stay there for three nights. But I worry the kids do not get used to with hotel environment.

2. Is possible to drive 7-hour with the twins?

3. One of the twin still eat some baby food? Is it going to be a lot of work?

4. Does it worth the effort to travel with them? Are we going to be too tired that we won't enjoy the vacation at all?

Please let me know what you think.

 

QUOTE(aamom @ Jul 13 2007, 01:04 PM) [snapback]329581[/snapback]
Dh and I are planning for 7-hour drive road trip with the twin. Just want to gather opinions.

1. Should we stay there for two nights or three nights? Since it takes one day to get there and one day to come back, I am thinking to stay there for three nights. But I worry the kids do not get used to with hotel environment.
Three nights should be fine. We traveled, however it was to my mom's during Thanskgiving. The kids would have been around 15 months or close.

2. Is possible to drive 7-hour with the twins?
It is possible. Just remember that 7 hours will be longer since you will need to stop and let them walk around, change diapers, eat, etc.

3. One of the twin still eat some baby food? Is it going to be a lot of work?
We traveled once when they were still on baby food. We just packed it in a bag and kept going. No real issues with that.

4. Does it worth the effort to travel with them? Are we going to be too tired that we won't enjoy the vacation at all?
Whether it's worth the effort is debatable. We got to see family so that was great. However, we were truly tired when we finally made it back home.

Please let me know what you think.


Good luck to you.

 

We took our 18 mos old on a car trip from PA-FL. We made two stops on the way down and stayed overnight and on the way home, just one stop. We also had my 6&3 yr old at the time with us. It actually wasn't bad at all. We WAY prepared for it with movies, snacks, suprise toys that they got to unwrap in the car and whenever we stopped, we stopped at Super WalMarts or Super Targets...that way we could really get around and walk...we let the kids run around the toy aisles and we could go to the bathroom and we got to get food if hungry. We knew we would be stopped for at least 30-45mins each time. We just didn't put ourselves on any schedule...if we had to stop, we did and we didn't stress over it. We made it as far as we could each time. I even had to give my son a nebulizer treatment in a Ruby Tuesday restaurant. We made it work!!!

Good luck and have fun!!

 

1. Plan on staying 3 nights, but be willing to leave early if things are going poorly. the only advise i have on staying in a hotel... we were all in one room. we all went to bed at the same time. we used the pool to wear them out so they'd be ready to go to bed (about 45 min later than usual). Then we all laid down in the dark and went to bed. I did have to pat the girls down a couple of times... they weren't used to the bed or the environment or having us in the room with them. I think they would have done fine over several nights. we only had a 1 night stay.

2. I have driven long road trips before. We've driven all night. We've driven all day. We've done 12-13 hr straight. We've broken it up over 2 days. The key is that you mentally prepare your kids for being in the car seat all day long. Look in the "toddler actvity" sticky at the top of the forum page and find my post (dfaut helped me) on 30+ things to do in the car. having lots of toys/ snacks helps too.

3. baby food out is not any different than at home. just have extra wipes and disposable bibs.

4. is it worth the effort? Yes. having a different environment for everyone helps our mental health. plan ahead on what you will do to entertain the kids during the day. At night, have DH stay at the hotel while you go to the mall and get a pedicure. I would say, try to get packed and organized 2 days before you have to leave, then the day before you leave could be less stressful, more restful, and then you are ready for the vacation....

 

We just did it but we went 12 hrs one way SC to MI and then 16 hrs back to the SC coast.

I was prepared for it to be pure **** and set myself up for that mentaly but was pleasantly surprised.

On the way up to MI we decided to drive at night b/c we had never taken the boys on a road trip more than 4hrs and had no idea what to expect. We figured traffic would be better and it was their normal bedtime.

We left at 8:00 pm(their bedtime). Had them dressed in their PJ's Did bottles right before we left and hit the road. We also gave them some Infant Motrin so they wouldn't get as sore right before we left. They didn't go to sleep right away but wern't fussy at all. They watched the DVD player we had just gotten them(2 that go over each headrest). Finally around 9:30 I had to turn those off ot get them to sleep. They slept until around 12:30am and we had to stop for gas. Got them out, let them stretch and gave them a sippy of milk. Once we got back on the road they were fine for a little bit and then started fussing so I pulled out the Benadryl and crossed my fingers. I had never given the boys Benadry before and had NO idea what it would do. Cooper snoozed til 8am. Eli woke up every 1/2-hr but after giving him his paci back he was out again. Right before we got to the house we were visiting we stopped at a Bob Evans to feed the boys breakfast and I couldn't believe what a good mood they were in!

On the way back it was a 16hr drive and we decided to do it during the day. After staying 2 nights we left at 9am which is about 45mins before their regular naptime. They slept a while and then watched a movie. We stopped around their normal lunch time to let them stretch and get lunch. Then it was back to movies. Gave them a sippy of milk around afternoon nap time to help them sleep and then didn't stop again until their normal dinner time. We gave them their nightly bottle in the car around the same time we always give it and then a dose of Benadryl. Once again Cooper was out and Eli had some minor fussing. We arrived around 2am in Hilton Head. My mom was waiting on us and had everything ready for the boys so she put them to bed.

Tips:

Try to schedule stops around any normal schedules- naps, meals, bedtime

If you can get a DVD player and take lots of movies. My boys don't really care for tv at home but they did watch it in the car when confined.

If you are willing and know they will sleep with the Benadryl you can try it.

Take sippies of milk, lovies, pacis anything they normally soothe with.

I honestly was amazed at how well the boys did when we took them. We go to the beach a lot and they never are that good on just 4hr rides. We have learned that leaving in early morning around naptime or right before bedtime works best for us. We have tried leaving right before afternoon nap but it gets them more jazzed up for some reason. We are so glad we went. We had put off visiting Dh's family for a while b/c we dreaded the ride with the boys but it was so worth it.

Good luck!!!!

 

The week of July 4 last year, we drove from Pcola, FL to Northern IL. We stayed just outside Memphis. The girls were only crawling and barely crusing furniture. This was the first time the girls EVER had Chicken McNuggets. The night we stayed at the hotel. I peeled the breading off and pieced the chicken nugget to them and they LOVED it. I had also gotten the fruit thing with the red grapes and apple slices. I peeled the skin off of the grapes and cut the grapes in quarters and they LOVED it as well as the apples. In fact, I think this may have been the first time they really ever had a good dose of table foods. ALSO, prior to leaving to go on the trip from home, I bought the DVD player with dual 7" screens for the Explorer. Strapped a screen behind each seat and never heard much of anything out of them for the trip. I was DREADING this trip. It had to be done to visit the in-laws, but I was NOT happy about driving. It turned out to be okay. In fact, we even had one of our dogs with us too. Yellow lab mix that weighs about 65 lbs. He rode in the very back of the Explorer. It really really did turn out really really well. Even the trip back was nice. The DVD player is a MUST. When we stopped at rest areas, I would break out a blanket for them to sit on and stretch their legs a bit. Just don't be in a big hurry to get to your destination. Oh, and for breakfast the next morning at the hotel, they had their bottles and then on the way down the highway, we stopped at McDonalds again and I picked up the hotcake breakfast. They've been eating little pancakes ever since. They loved them. They SO loved them.

 

We are leaving on a 7-hour one-way road trip with 16 month olds at the end of the month.

I am anxious about it, but feel we are well-prepared. I'm mostly worried that the boys won't sleep well at night in PNPs. To get them used to them, we used PNPs for naps a couple times this week and it seemed to go fine. We are bringing our lovies, bedtime stories and the sound machine we have used since they were 5 months old to ensure that nap/bedtimes routines are as normal as possible in the new environment.

We are spending a week in a time share condo at a resort. They have PNPs & high chairs for us when we arrive. we are taking 2 days to make the trip down, stopping 1/2 way to stay overnight in a hotel. We plan to leave at naptime on day one, and have planned a few different stops we could make (zoos, parks, etc) if meltdown occurs at various points on the drive. We also plan to exhaust the kids in the hotel pool before going to bed. We plan on hanging out and wearing them out in the pool again in the morning and wait until naptime (noon) before getting back on the road to finish up the trip.

We also bought some new toys/books as well as the dual-screen DVD player. I rented a bunch of DVDs from the library of some of their favorites (Teletubbies , Elmo, Mr. Rogers) to keep them happy.

As far as keeping them entertained while we're there, we plan on doing lots of swimming in the pool, checking out trails in the jogging stroller, and capitalizing on the fact that their favorite activity is exploring ANY new, unchartered territory.

Good luck.

 

7 hours is an easy drive. We traveled 2500 miles when they were 7 months old, it was easy the first 2 days, it was the days after that that got hard. We just did an 1100 mile move right before the girls turned 1. They were pretty good with it because it wasnt as long as the first trip.
Mine were pretty good in the hotel, naps were difficult though. We did make sure on the drive to stop every few hours at a restraunt to let them stretch, change diapers, and eat. One person can also sit in the back and feed them as you go if you arent quite ready to stop yet. Make sure to bring lots of snacks like cheerios with you and plently of water and milk. If they are asleep then DONT stop, keep going til they wake up. Make sure to bring their normal bedtime things, like a blankey or toy, or sound machine if they use one of those, it makes bedtime so much easier. Good luck!

 

Yes, it's possible, we did it!
We actually did a trip that was more like 9-10 hours in a car each way.
I say just expect to stop relatively often for a run around a rest area or for a snack. Just a little variety makes it a lot more fun for them. Also, you can buy a few new toys or trinkets to bust out when they start getting fussy.
Hotels are really no problem. We brought along our Superyard so we could gate off a section of the hotel room in case it wasn't safe for them to have free run of the place.

The best part of it is that you will probably be surprised by how flexible they are in terms of schedule, etc. They will probably be just fine and you will have a great time!

 

I just got home yesterday from a 12 hour drive with my twins. We had to drive from Michigan to Kansas City, Mo. I actually did it by myself and lived to tell about it. Like the pp, I was sure that it would be ****, but they really shocked me. I would suggest movies. I even bought a coupl enew ones for them, so it was something new. I had to stop about every hour to change it, they dont like watching one over and over. I also had several sippy cups full of water, our drink of choice, and had them in the front seat with me. That way I wasnt always digging them out of the floor of the backseat. We stayed at a hotel on Friday night, and that is a story in itself. But, going to bed they wanted to lay in bed with me. I let them and when I was sure that they were asleep, I moved them to their pack and plays. Just remember it can be done and be flexible. I think if you dont put too much stress on yourself to stay on schedule, it will be great!!!

Let us know how it goes!!!

 

We just did this a couple weeks ago. We moved from Detroit to Guam. We had to drive from Detroit to Los Angeles to get our car shipped and catch a 15 hour flight. We drove over 4 days, stopping every night, but then we also stopped half way in Denver to spend time with family.
I was also suprised at how well they did. They were more upset I think about stopping and sleeping in different spots every night then they were with the actual driving part. I think they knew their carseat were familiar. I had also had them sleeping in their pnp's a few days before the trip too. (cause we had sent their cribs ahead). But I took their blankets and their little stuffed lambs that they usually sleep with. It also helped that they've always had a "noise maker" in their room to sleep to. It helps drown outside noise out. Syani was a little difficult to get to sleep at night, but I'd lay next to her until she fell asleep. They were still eating stage 3 baby food. I really hadn't made the transition yet for just this purpose. I found vinyl bibs with a pocket are easily cleaned with a wet wipe and alot sturdier than the disposable kind. We traveled with a cooler to keep their milk cold and I'd let them keep sippies of water while traveling. I took bananas with me too, easy snack to give them while driving and quick, or cheerios. We hung toys from little handles over thier seats to help keep them entertained. They did marvelously considering....and the plane trip wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated either. Probably eaiser to travel with them at this age than older.
Good luck and hope all goes well.

 

we just got back from florida. We traveled 16 hours and we didn't have one single problem. They were great. The dvd player helped and we stopped for food when they were hungry. It was so much better than I had imagined. Good luck.

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Now, I feel confident that the trip is possible... I will let you know when I came back from the trip.