[roselee]

We did the dreaded 2,200 mile across country from AZ to OH...now we are moving back to our home home...WA state in a month. Only a month, I still can't believe it.

Last year our child just turned two years old. The drive was VERY easy, even with two dogs. We were both amazed...now, our child will be three years old - need I say more. Even with a ten minute drive, all we hear is "BIG car, "small, yellow car, Big truck...then sqweling for some reason, then laughing, then saying...momma I did it...I look back and see he did nothing or something so small...he just wanted attention...we are talking 10 - 20 minutes of driving. Our drive will be 2,500 miles...OH MY!

Yes, we are going to rent a DVD portable player or buy a cheap one (he will just want to take it apart rather then watch it and will cry for about an hour when he realizes he can't take it apart)...then he will be fine watching a movie or two. We will go to the store and get some toys that he hasn't seen before and do the "surprise" thing....what else can we do?? I am so dreading this drive. Our child is so cute when he does the above things, but after five minutes of it - we are so annoyed that I am surprised we still have some hair left....HELP! Need creative ideas!! Do we just have to accept that he is in this "cute" stage. We are going to leave evermorning at 2:00 am., because he should get at least four to five hours of sleep while we are driving (we say that but getting us up in time for work is an impossible task...seriously).

HELP again.

[Lovebug]

Is there any way you can leave like at 10pm or something so he can sleep all through the night and you guys can switch on and off driving??? The furthest we have driven with DS was 6 hours in the car and he was only 18 mos at the time so it was a breeze. Now at 29 mos, I think I'd need the sedative!!!! Lol.

--Renee

[roselee]

That was my idea, too. I am all for night driving. My husband doesn't seem so keen on the idea because he doesn't trust other night drivers. I am still going to try and convince him. I love that idea!!!!

The problem would be fatigue. I guess we can stay in a hotel during the day and switch off sleeping while our son goes crazy...is his typical self.

[Lovebug]

Awwww. Hoping you guys can work it out..I certainy don't envy you at all! {{{Hugs}}}

--Renee

[katnap80]

I made a 1300 km (one way) trip annually for years when my 2 boys were as young as yours. We usually headed out early in the evening and they slept most of the way......during the daylight hours they fortunately played with their toys or listened to cassette stories and songs....was long before the ays of DVD's....(Earplugs might be in store for the adults). Good luck with your adventure.

[HappyTwinsMom]

I don't envy you the drive. We drove from northwest Washington to southern California for Christmas when our twin daughters were 3 1/2 years old. I still get a migraine just thinking about it. We had the DVD player, we had LeapPads, we had toys, we had coloring books, etc., etc., etc. Basically, we had to grit our teeth and pray a lot to get through it. We did make a LOT of stops to let them play at McDonald's or run around or whatever.

Good luck! And...WELCOME BACK TO WASHINGTON!

[Merrill]

I finally broke down and bought a DVD player for long drives. It is worth every penny. I hate that my 3 year old is sitting in front of the videos for so long, but she usually only watches 30 minutes a day, and it keeps her occupied, so....oh well. Some other things I have found to keep her occupied are band-aids (better than stickers since they come off of things easier--we went through two boxes on a 600 mile drive a few months ago, but she was content to rip the paper off and put them all over herself, her baby doll, her car seat, sippy cup, etc.), some small things of play dough, a few of our Thomas trains, a doll or My Little Pony she can brush and play with. Fisher Price makes a small lap tray that you can clip onto the car seat so there is a flat, hard surface for driving trains/cars or coloring (love those Crayola markers that only color on the special paper!), playing with play dough, or what ever. I am lucky that she is a true book worm too, so a basket of books is permanently buckled in next to her in the back seat of the car. We're getting ready for another long drive to see my family. I actully let her pick out a new video and a small toy for the trip while we were shopping the other day. They are put away until we leave, but she is excited because she knows she will get the new things then. If I think of anything else while I am packing, I'll let you know.

[screaminrieman]

I just hope no one is going thru the potty training periods when taking these trips. Every 1/2 hour stopping, I gotta go bathroom. I think I'd consider diapers even if he were toilet trained.

[screaminrieman]

Originally Posted by screaminrieman

I just hope no one is going thru the potty training periods when taking these trips. Every 1/2 hour stopping, I gotta go bathroom. I think I'd consider diapers even if he were toilet trained.

I didn't get a chance to post this originally but when I first got my son (he was 4) we took a trip to Myrtle Beach (from Ohio) and I did make him wear Pull Ups just incase. I told him that I wasn't punishing him by doing so but wanted to make sure that when driving thru the mountains and there wasn't anyplace to stop, we could be accident free. Only had 2 accidents but everything was good. And yes, those portable DVD players make a difference !!!
Best of luck !!!