ROADTRIP...20 Hours...there and back...2 16mo olds...

Long story short. We rented a large RV to drive to my cousins wedding next weekend. It's ~20 hours there and back. Am I crazy? Has anyone taken a road trip this long and survived it? My children are very scheduled and I have a feeling it is going to bite me in the rear on this trip...Panic is setting in...

Has anyone else taken an RV anywhere with their toddlers? Any words of wisdom or what to expect... The rental guy said by law they don't have to be in carseats while driving and I looked at him crosseyed. He then showed me where the straps were to install the carseats.

Any ideas on how I should pack, great road trip toys, entertainment ect. would be appreciated!! TIA!!

 

We took our boys on their first real road trip when they were 18 months old. We drove in the car for 6 hours and they slept in a tent without any crib or playpen. Honestly it was absolutely horrible. It depends a lot on how good your kids are in the car. One of my boys is a good traveller and the other absolutely hates riding in the car. He whines incessantly and everything bothers him, especially the sun in his eyes and when it gets dark it scares him. The car ride was horrible. My boys also wouldn't nap at all for two whole days we were gone (they will only nap at home). By the time we got home they were basket cases. At night we tried to get them to sleep on an air mattress with us and they wouldn't lie down. They finally fell asleep hours after their bed time and with a lot of crying. We couldn't wait to get home.

This year, however, our boys were 2 years old when we took them camping in our new RV for a couple of days. We only drove 3 hours (tolerable) and at night they slept okay in the RV when we separated them and one slept with us and one slept with grandma. Still no naps, but they were fine during the day.

Don't mean to scare you, but my boys are very scheduled too, which is good most of the time but very difficult when travelling. It does depend on the children...I think my one son would have been okay by himself, but the other one is temperamental and made our trip very difficult. The RV is definitely better than a tent...both ends of our RV have a "door" of sorts you can close that makes them feel closed in. That's good so they can't get up and run around.

I would definitely consider a portable DVD player for them to watch while on the road. This has been a lifesaver for us, especially for long trips. I also recommend you stop frequently to let them run around and take a break. New toys are also a good idea...ones they haven't played with before. Other than that, good luck, you're very brave!

 

We rented an RV and traveled 30 hours straight through each way in 6 days. They were buckled every second the vehicle was moving. Mine too are creatures of habit so I kept things as close as possible. Ate at the normal times, got pj's and blankets at the normal time. They did fantastic. They slept when they would normally and while they would wake up for gas stops they would go right back to sleep once we were moving again. Honestly, the children did better than the adults during the travel. We did not have a dvd player although I have heard that can be a life saver. I brought lots of toys and snacks and just did the best I could (including flying like the wind when they were sleeping :winking0009 .


I personally think the key is to relax because if you are stressed they can sense it and will also be stressed which is counter productive. Relax and have fun!!

 

My kids are very scheduled as well and did GREAT on our 13hr car ride there and back, we only stopped twice each way too. We did have the DVD player which helped. We also went on vacation when they were 1 1/2 and they did GREAT then too. They took their naps at normals times and everything. I was super stressed for nothing. I hope it goes well for you!

 

My advice, although I have no practical experience with traveling any distance with kids, is this:

Relax and take it one step at a time, it will work out! I think kids can sense when Mom is uptight or anxious and that can stress them out too. Just don't expect perfection, that way if it's not as enjoyable as you had hoped, then you won't be disappointed. BUT if it's great, what a wonderful surprise!

I hope you have a safe and happy journey!

 

Thank you all for your responses. I am happy to hear some of you were able to do roadtrips with not many problems..I think you are all right, I just need to be mellow and go with the flow (very hard with my scheduled A-type personality, but I just need to suck it up!). I just bought a portable DVD player so I am glad I did that from the responses! Now, I just need to uber-pack and I think we will be fine, LOL! Thank you again!

 

I'd never do it, because DH would absolutely refuse something like that. I'd never take him solo on a road trip that long. He hates being in the car for long trips.

 

LOL Susan! Trust me, the last thing I want to deal with is my twins having a meltdown and my husband getting all flustered and turning red while asking, "who turned the heater on?"...and then looking at me like "DO SOMETHING!" when I have my hands full and am "doing" all I can ...but hopefully it will be okay!! 9 times out of 10 he is wonderful with the babies and very helpful - I am hoping we all survive being out of our element! I just keep thinking about the adorable tuxedo and silk dress the kids are wearing to the wedding and it makes me smile as I pack!

 

Staying in a new place was far worse than the car ride from my experience. We drove 12 hours (each way) and the boys only slept 45 mintues the entire time. Generally, they were OK. We got out twice to run around and eat, etc. Staying at my sister's was a nightmare. The first night they were up from 1-4am. The next 4 mornings they were up and ready to go at 4am everyday and because we were at my sisters I couldn't just let them sit in there and cry, talk, whatever as there were 7 other people in the house who wanted to sleep. I hope you are able to be in an environment that best mimics your own normal one.

 

we went to SC the week before the twins turned 2, my oldest is 4. It was 13 hours down and 14 hours back, with stops. I was nervous because my one twin has sensory issues and HATES the car, even 5 minute rides.
We just had our minivan loaded to the top! On the way down, they did better. After a week of their rigid schedules being off, they were whinier. neither twin sleeps n the car and well, that held true. I packed toys and movies for the DVD. I also packed some snacks. We stopped usually every 2-3 hours. I think the smart thing we did was when we stopped, we went to a fast food place and got food and then sat outside. We camped on a large beach blanket in a parking lot island. It wasn't pleasant but at least they could stretch and run around. We didn't bring them inside and make them sit more.

some of the toys they liked the best was travel aquadoodle and magnadoodles. I also packed lots of color wonders for restaurants once we were there. I even blew bubbles in the car at one point!

Good luck

 

OH DEAR about the not sleeping and up at 4 am everyday!!!!!!!!! Luckily we are staying in the RV (my cousin is getting married outdoors in some forest in colorado) so hopefully the RV will mimic the house to some extent. There is a door between the living area and bedroom. Fingers crossed, LOL!

THANK YOU for the aquadoodle suggestion! I hadn't thought of that. And you know what? I think I might just bring bubbles, LOL! My kids are fascinated with tape, so I might just buy them each a couple of rolls of scotch tape and say "knock yourselves out!" LOL!!