Hi everyone! I haven't been on the boards in a long time so hello to everyone and I hope you are all having a nice summer! Well here's the deal- I got invited to go up to a friend's cottage with her son tomorrow...I would have to drive 3 hours alone with 18 month old twins (no dvd player in the car!) I know that my girlfriend will help me once we are there but I am a little nervous about the drive alone and also the twins haven't stayed in their pack n plays since last summer. I plan on bringing their white noise and taggies/blankies etc but do you think it will be a complete nightmare for me?? Part of me wants to say screw it and go and have fun- hit the beach etc, but the other part is thinking it could be a total disaster and I might regret it. I guess it's a crapshoot but thought I would see what everyone thought! Thanks for your advice!!!!
I guess it depends on your kiddos temperment! If you really want to try it, try putting them in a pnp tonight to get an idea how they do (if it isn't to late!! they may be in bed already). If you think the car ride will be okay and she will help you once you get there, then go for it!! My kiddos would do me in for just a 3 hour car ride (longest I have done alone is 1.5 hours, longest with my DH is 5.5 hours - and we rarely do that as it is a miserable time). You know your kids and you know what you can handle. Also, will the cabin be semi child proof, or will you be on constant duty to take away things they can't have/ect. If they don't sleep in a pnp they probalby won't nap in one either, so I would say that would be the deciding factor!
I personally wouldn't do it. My kids don't like to sleep in pack-n-plays so I probably wouldn't even attempt it.
I am still pregnant with my twins. however, from past experience with my two singletons I would not do it. Good Luck with your decision.
I would do it. It may be challenging the first night, but I am the kind of person that likes a change of pace. And typically my kids do pretty well in situations like that. BUT...the only thing that would worry me is the 3-hr drive by myself. I would have to gaurantee that the road I was traveling on to get to my destination was 1) within cell-phone range, and 2) well traveled. When my kids were 15 mos old, we were on a road trip in the middle of NOWHERE (desert) and got a flat tire. We did not have cell-phone service and we were on a tiny two lane highway. Thank goodness my DH was with us. We had to take everything out of the car, including the carseats, to get to the jack. It took forever and it was terribly hot. I panicked. And I don't know WHAT I would have done had I been alone.
I'm all for travel alone with twins - I'm on my own with mine, so I'd never get to go anywhere if I didn't go alone. I think though that a previous poster had a good point with whether the place will be child friendly/safe. We've done all kinds of vacations together, just the three of us (five hour road trip to Vegas/one week cruises/resort vacations) but the only one I wouldn't repeat was when we stayed in a rented pool home with family. I spent the entire week chasing after the twins and fretting that they were going to break something or get hurt. Now I always keep a baggie of those little plasitc electric outlet saftely plugs in our suitcase and do a childproof sweep when we arrive. But my biggest fear was that someone would leave the door open and one of the girls would wander out and fall in the pool. As long as you think it will be safe, I think you should give it a shot. Worst case, you won't have a good time, but chances are you're going to be really proud of yourself and have a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy yourself. Best, Mia
The pack and plays wo uldn't bother me at all. The 3 hour drive would be a concern for my two. WE don't have DVD players in our car and my 18 month olds don't watch TV anyway, even if we did have them. I just imagine mine tolerating the car for about an hour or so then getting really restless, They don't sleep well in the car. If mine slept well in the car I may try to leave a little before nap time so they fall asleep after aobut a nhour then sleep for 1.5-2 hours. I know I am not much help, sorry. Good luck with what ever you decide.
I say why not? If it doesn't work, you have a torturous 3 hour drive home. If it works you get a great vacation and a lot of fun out of it!!
Go!! My DH travels some for work so I always pack the kids up and travel to my parents (2 1/2 hrs) or meet my mother at the beach (3 hrs). I always plan to drive during nap time (we don't have a DVD player either). The girls seem to sleep better than my oldest when we travel. I think it may because they have each other and don't get scared. They really don't even seem to mind the pack-n-plays. Like the pp, if it is awful pack up and come home! I'm sure you will have a great time and make some fun memories with you friend!
I wouldn't- just me. We just got back from our vacation with the twins- had lots of help and I"m still feeling like I need a vacation from my vacation. We "hit the beach" - and it was a LOT of work. I think it depends on your patience level, your children, etc. I know my DH wouldn't let me do that- he'd be too scared we'd break down somewhere, etc.
I was supposed to travel two days in car alone with the babes at 9 months old and my 6 year old but I chickened out. If it was a shorter traveling time and I didn't have to do the driving ie train or car it might have been different.
I took my kiddos to my ILs at 15 mos by myself (It's 4.5 hours) it was NO SWEAT! They were fabulous, the only hard part was when I had to stop to pee! I had to leave the door open cause we didn't fit with the door closed! You'll feel like super woman if you do it! Also I feel like if you don't get them used to something other than the routine, you'll always be stuck!
I have to travel in the car 2.5 hours tomorrow alone to get the twins to the airport where we are meeting my father who will fly 6 hours with us. I'm scared as **** but I posted and everyone said one bad day of travel and 6 days of fun. So I'm going for it. I just plan to sing a lot when they cry. What else can I do? I say go for it.
I've done a good amount of travelling alone with my boys, more so as they get older. At that age, try leaving the house when they usually take their nap. Chances are they'll sleep through the whole drive. Or leave REALLY early in the morning, like 4am. The kids might sleep through the whole drive AND you'll probably have no traffic to deal with. That's what I usually do. Good luck if you go and I hope you all have a fun trip!
Have you considering investing in a portible DVD player? We moved quite a long way when my kids were just under 2 and I had them in the car with me, I couldn't have done it without my DVD player, but we were in the car all day. Good luck!
I have been traveling alone with my boys since they were 6 months old. When I was a SAHM and DH was gone (Navy) I would drive to NC every weekend to hang out with my family. I needed the change in scenery. They drive was 4 hours and I didn't have a DVD player, nor would it make a difference in the early stages. Sure, they cried, often screamed, but somehow I managed to block it out. As they got older they began to travel better with no issues. You won't know until you try it, and you may even be surprised. They may tolerate the entire trip with no major issues! I also suggest you leave during nap time and/or bedtime. I used to leave for NC right before their morning nap and drive home at 7pm, their bedtime.
I would go, i am traveling in the summer from NJ to VA, about 7hrs DH is riding his harley so i will be in the van all alone with the 5...shot me know!!!! & for the pac~n~play bring lots of blankets or a thick comforter & cover with a sheet(makes it a little bit more comfy), & bring all the sleepy things with you. My boys do fuss a liitle but i close the door and let them CIO(it only took maybe 45min before they fell asleep) and it only takes 1 night for them to get adjusted...with all the fun they will be having they will be pooped anyway.. and do u have a cell phone if so get AAA or any roadside assitance place and program in ur phone..for any unexpected emergencies driving... HAVE FUN YOU DESERVE IT!!!
I'd do it! Even if it were a terrible ride, the reward would be being at the beach! WOO HOO!! But mine sleep pretty well in the car, so I don't think it would be too hard for us. Good luck!!
I would do it. Like a pp said, put them in their pnp to sleep tonight so they can get used to them in the familiarity of their own room. Take their favorite music and expect to do a lot of singing in the car. Take little baggies of special snacks they enjoy and lots of box drinks and keep them where you can reach them easily in the front seat. The girls may enjoy magnadoodles at this age and any other small toys you have around. You'll want to stop at least once, maybe twice on the way up and let them run around a little bit. Expect the trip to take longer than 5 hours. Have fun!
Well, yeah. But as a single mom, I have no choice if I want to go places. You just have to let it flow and don't stress about problems and don't lock yourself into any times to be places.
I would do it. I did a 5 hour trip with an overnight stay at my friends when my boys were around that age and it wasn't very fun...but I learned a lot. I was worried about the 5 hour car ride and they were great. They were so cranky though at my friends due to not being able to sleep well. It was certainly an experience I will never forget. If I had to do it over again, I would still do it. I learned a lot from that trip and our vacations a few months later went great. Also, once the kids did go to bed the first night I got to spend some quality time with my friend and so everything was worth it. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best but don't give up on something you want to do just because it might be hard. I almost didn't do our vacation that year after the way the boys were at my friends and our vacation was amazing. I would have missed out on so much.
I went to Oklahoma City from Des Moines when the boys were 6 months old. No movies, but they wouldn't have cared anyway! LOL The normal 8 hour trip became 12, but we did it. We survived, and it's something that I would have and will do again. I have to drive a minimum of 4 hours to any family, so we've done that trip alone as well. Not very often, because it IS tiring on the boys. (and mommy! LOL) I'd go and pack a TON of stuff! as well as blankets to stop by the road if necessary! ENJOY!
I would do it. Try to have them take a late nap in the car and bring lot's of snacks. You can always stop on the way and let them run around for a while. If your kids like to watch TV, maybe you can get a portable DVD player. Hopefully your kids will be so tiered from all the playing, that they'll be to exhausted, to put up a fight in their pack and plays. And like a pp said you can always come back home. Good Luck! Julia
I just came back from a 12 hour trip alone with my 2.5yr. olds. I think 3 hours would be a breeze. Try to leave at naptime. We went to Myrtle Beach last year when they were about 18mo. old (13 hr. drive). They slept in pack n plays there and did fine with it. It just depends on your kids. Good luck with your decision. Crystal
UPDATE ON TRAVELING ALONE WITH THE TWINS! Well it was a horrible ride up there (3 hours and they wouldn't sleep) but when we got there the girls had a BLAST at the beach-- since they barely napped all day (just a 30 minute snooze in the car) I thought they would be exhausted and worn out from their fun day playing in the sand! Well it was a horrible night trying to get them to sleep! From 8:30-11:30 I tried EVERYTHING possible to get them to sleep in the pack n plays, I even drove around a couple times to get them to sleep but they were so riled up from the day that they couldn't settle down. It was a COMPLETE nightmare and now I am scared we will have a repeat of this craziness come our family vacation end of July. Is 18 months just a tough age to take kids on vacation??? I am going to try my best to stick to their "routine" while we are away but I can't help but dread the thought of having 7 nights of this madness!! I guess I am happy I went for the beach aspect but it made for a LONG night! Thanks for all your encouragement on going-- I guess I never would have known had I not tried it right???!!
I would totally do it. I have driven a 10 hour drive by myself to spend a week with my family and all went well. I think the key is to have no expectations, and no time schedule. You get there when you get there. Try to stick to the routine as best you can and enjoy.
