Vacation Anxiety!

In two weeks we are planning a trip to Vermont - in the car! It is an 8 hour drive without any stops so I'm thinking it will take us about 10 hours to get there. My husband, myself and the two boys will be in one car. My in-laws and my husband's almost 90 year old grandfather are also going. They are extremely helpful with the boys - even the grandfather! - so that is a blessing. BUT....I must admit I am starting to freak myself out about the trip. I am starting to lie awake at night worrying about all the things that I will need to take, what could go wrong, etc. We will be staying in a hotel for the entire trip (five nights total) but we will change hotels three different times as we are traveling to various parts of the state during our trip.

Ok...so here's what I'm most worried about... Any advice/support would be greatly appreciated! I know many of you have successfully traveled with little ones so I'm hoping I too can do this!

1) First and foremost....is this too long of a trip for the boys at this age? I know once we get there they will have fun and I hadn't questioned it until just this past weekend when my Mom mentioned she thought it was too long of a trip for them. So now I am worrying about this. What do you all think?

2) How do I keep them happy in the car? Any suggestions for little toys I could buy to bring out every few hours to help pass the time? I noticed in one catalog you can buy these trays that go over their laps for them to play toys on. Is this worth the money?

3) Any tips for staying in the hotel? I've never stayed in a hotel with them before so I'm worrying about how they will sleep. Will we disturb other people staying at the hotel? We did ask for adjoining rooms to our in-laws so I"m hoping I can put them to bed (in their pack n plays) and then go over to their room to visit before we all have to go to bed. Also, I'm worried about hotel cleanliness. Any advice on that too?

4) How do you handle naps when you are on vacation? They normally go down for a nap around 1:00 or 1:30 at home. Should I try to return to the hotel with them when I can during our trip to give them a nap or just let them sleep in the car between the different places we are going to see. Will they really nap in a strange place?

5) Any other must haves that you can think of that I should take with me?


Again.....thanks for reading! I really appreciate your advice and support.

 

QUOTE(happyfor2 @ May 12 2009, 09:21 AM) [snapback]1310305[/snapback]
1) First and foremost....is this too long of a trip for the boys at this age? I know once we get there they will have fun and I hadn't questioned it until just this past weekend when my Mom mentioned she thought it was too long of a trip for them. So now I am worrying about this. What do you all think?
I have friends who flew to Israel with their 14-month-old son. He was a gem and totally fantastic for the entire 20+ hour trip. We took a family vacation 2 hours away from our home last year when the boys were 11 months old and the whole trip was torture (so was our 4-hour flight to MI at 13 months - my kids were bad travelers). It depends on the kids, as well as any of 1,000,000 variables you probably won't have much control over. It may not be pleasant for you, but it won't hurt them. You should all be fine and I really hope it is a wonderful and enjoyable trip for you all! If you try to leave around naptime, that might be good so they will at least sleep part of the way.

2) How do I keep them happy in the car? Any suggestions for little toys I could buy to bring out every few hours to help pass the time? I noticed in one catalog you can buy these trays that go over their laps for them to play toys on. Is this worth the money?
I don't have experience with the trays, but my boys enjoy MegaBloks (just 2 or 3 will provide hours of entertainment!). I have also heard good things about AquaDoodle Travel Pads. Mine would love to have Crayola invisible ink markers that only color on the special paper (brain lapse - I can't think of their marketed name!).

3) Any tips for staying in the hotel? I've never stayed in a hotel with them before so I'm worrying about how they will sleep. Will we disturb other people staying at the hotel? We did ask for adjoining rooms to our in-laws so I"m hoping I can put them to bed (in their pack n plays) and then go over to their room to visit before we all have to go to bed. Also, I'm worried about hotel cleanliness. Any advice on that too?
Sounds like you have a good plan with the adjoining rooms! I would bring some babyproofing items (plug covers mainly) and try to replicate their home environment as much as possible for night time. We had one bad experience and one good experience with sleeping in hotels. As they have gotten older, our kids have gotten less comfortable sleeping in foreign places, but it's impossible to predict how they will behave. I'm hoping for the best for you!!!

4) How do you handle naps when you are on vacation? They normally go down for a nap around 1:00 or 1:30 at home. Should I try to return to the hotel with them when I can during our trip to give them a nap or just let them sleep in the car between the different places we are going to see. Will they really nap in a strange place?
We had more luck with car napping when on vacation when the boys were little. Now, I don't know what I would do. Wish I had better advice in that dept. Napping drives me crazy!

5) Any other must haves that you can think of that I should take with me? Snacks! They are great for keeping the little ones occupied.

Good luck - try not to stress too much (easier said than done, I know!). Enjoy yourself!!!

 

You can do it! You really can. The trip isn't too long. We took our 14 month old girls on a 13 hour car trip and they did fine. When they got particularly antsy I climbed in the backseat and read books to them or just held their hands. We also brought along a ton of new books - the kind with flaps to lift or things to touch. I'm sure the books would be even better received at your boys age (slightly older), so I recommend a lot of new books. Other toys that worked well, plastic animal figures, small dolls purchased for $2 each at Target, and the travel size Magnadoodles. As long as they're new, any toy will hold attention for awhile in the car. Are your boys old enough to play games in the car where you look for birds or airplanes or red cars? We do that now for trips and the fun lasts for about an hour.

I've never stayed in a hotel with my girls, so no advice there. As for naps, we've usually tried to keep to our regular nap schedule. We planned to either be in the hotel, or in the car, or even out for a walk with the stroller so they could fall asleep.

As far as must haves... hats to cover their heads from the sun if you'll be out a lot, extra sippy cups in case one gets thrown while out and about, and lots of extra towels/blankets. We found out that one of my girls got car sick... and used up all of our towels in the first hour of the trip. She only puked twice, but when you're planning for no puke, twice is two times too many. So, pack extra of everything!

Good luck, and don't stress (yeah, right). You'll have a blast.

 

I live in NY and last summer a few days before the boys 1st b-day we drove to New Hampshire to see my sister. It was a 8 hour drive that took about 10 b/c of stopping so much. It really was not as bad as I thought it would be. We left early in the morning and drove ALL day. We tried to let them run around as much as possible at rest stops (be very careful of dog poop! people don't use the fenced in areas for dogs at all!). What really saved us was a dvd player. My mom had a portable one that we borrowed and we played a lot of blues clues on the way. I don't know what we would have done without it!!! It's a must have in my book! We also got a few small toys that they could play with. It helps getting new ones so they stay interested a while longer. They took their naps around their usual time which was very nice! Oh and lots of snacks!!!

As for sleeping at my sisters...that didnt go very well. We had 2 packn plays, but my kids like their beds. They don't do well anywhere else. Sadly by the 3th night I admit that I gave them each a half a dose of chilrens benydryll :blush: before bed. Not even b/c I wanted to sleep but b/c they had slept so poorly for days that they were misrable and they just needed to SLEEP! They did ok with naps. It was just going to bed at night that was the problem for us. We did take them back to my sisters for naps.

The drive back wasn't as good b/c they new what was going on, but we made it. It was worth it and we did have fun. Just don't ask me if I'd ever drive there again.. And now when ever they are naughty in the car I tell them they better be good RIGHT NOW or we are going to New Hampshire! :lol: I'm pretty sure they remember b/c they always straighten up.

Good luck!!!

 

Thanks for the tips and advice! I know that the trip will be somewhat stressful but I am just going to try to enjoy it for what it is with twin toddlers!

Someone at my work today gave me a great activity idea for the car so I thought I'd pass it along. She said that she got small metal cookie sheets and magnets. I have some of those leap frog magnets and so I might just try this.

Thanks again!

 

One thing that always helps me is making lists. This way you can pack over a few days (and for me that's a lot less stressful!) and know that you have everything you need.

We've traveled a few times with our two and they are fairly adaptable and don't seem too bothered by new places. For naps and bed time I do bring their noise machine (we use it everyday/night at home) and their blankets. I think this helps them feel more comfortable.

For the car, I just bring a few of their favorite books and small toys and try to rotate them to keep them interested. In our last trip, just a few days ago, I locked my cell phone and gave that to one and then gave my iPod to the other. They were entertained for a really long time with those!

I also bring sippy cups of water for the car so they don't get thirsty and lots of snacks. Boxes of raisins are great for this.

When we do stop, we take them to a grassy area if available and let them run a little to burn off some energy.


Try not to stress over the million and one things that could happen. You just can't control everything and worrying non-stop will just drive you nuts. Plan the best you can and let the rest just happen.