We are leaving this evening for vacation we are going to Alabama and we currently reside in Pennsylvania it is about a 10-12 hour car drive and that is with stopping for food and potty breaks and such. We are leaving at midnight tonight and should be arriving sometime tomorrow in the early afternoon late morning depending on the traffic. my son sleeps through the night already and has done so since he was a young so I am kinda hoping that he will sleep for most of it. we rented a mini van and i will be back there with him for the entire length of the trip. Now my question is what should I pack for him for the ride down to make it as pleasant as I can for him.
2006-11-17 05:47:41 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
HE IS A ONE YEAR OLD, it is in the title of the question
2006-11-17 06:01:05 · update #1
Well I'm guessing you know what to pack as far as clothes, diapers, etc.
As for keeping him entertained and happy just bring along toys that won't be messy such as stuffed animals, a couple toys that make sounds, and a couple of his other favorite toys. Bring along books to read to him and maybe take some sing along cds so you can sing with him in the backseat. Bring tons of little snacks like baggies of cheerios or crackers as well.
2006-11-17 06:00:14 · answer #1 · answered by CelebrateMeHome 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Get a portable DVD player. Or if there is more then one kid in the car, you can play the alphabet game. Each person is trying to get to z first. You have to see signs, or businesses, or words on a car sticker or something, or a license plate; that start with A, and then B, and so on until you get to Z. The first person to get to z is the winner, and the same work cant be used twice. Other then that, you can read a book, if you don't get car sick. It's not much, but the alphabet game will keep you entertained for quite a while... sorry if this doesn't help :)
2016-05-21 23:08:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What a fun age to go on a long car ride! Hopefully your toddler will sleep for you. Bring lots of books, famililiar and unfamiliar. It always helps to bring a few unfamiliar new toys or books, because the child will spend more time playing/looking at it (at least that is what I have found from experience).
If you have the luxury of bringing a portable DVD player (or even a laptop), that can be a lifesaver, but of course shouldn't be used constantly. I is important for kids to learn to preoccupy themselves with other things, even at that young age.
Random things like keys, pictures, ... other things the toddler does not normally play with can be very entertaining.
Foodwise, bring lots of snacks (healthy) you can easily feed you child in the van, depending on what your child can eat, ex. goldfish, fruit snacks, fruit puffs, applesauce, jello, ...
Make sure you take "run-around" breaks, and allow your child to just run around (somewhere safe), like on the grass at rest stops. That lets some of that energy out.
Have a wonderful trip!!! And enjoy the ride!
2006-11-17 06:07:05 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We haven't done this length journey but have done several Kassel (Germany) to Europoort (Holland) runs (5 hours) which were terrible as our little one just screamed. On the last trip I made sure that we had some new toys and this seemed to help A LOT. In fact we made it to the outskirts of Rotterdam before he got grumpy. We also made sure we stopped in places where he could get out and move about (IKEA for lunch.......). Bit annoying that there aren't more facilities for babies that can crawl but not walk. I also sat in the back with him so I could retrieve lost toys and play and sing with him.
GOOD LUCK!
2006-11-21 02:53:03 · answer #4 · answered by Quorlia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
His favorite toys , some snacks. Maybe play some music that he likes. After he wakes up from his night sleep stop somewhere and let him stretch out. My little one get's grumpy right away if she doesn't get to stretch after a long car ride, even if she was a sleep for most of the time.
Good luck
2006-11-17 11:47:46 · answer #5 · answered by nena 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello Lacey try to transfer your child from his/her bed without him/her (hopefully) walking up.
Keep the car cool and well ventilated don't overdress your child for travelling.
Put up a sunshade on the child's window side for the day light part of the journey so as he/her can focus on the long distance objects rather than seeing the fast moving traffic whizzing past this can limit feeling queasy.
Avoid any strong smells in the car don't smoke as i am sure you don't or wear perfume and be rather careful about over powering air fresheners as this can make the child feel sick.
Make sure you bring toys and blanket and other familiar family items to reassure your child when you reach your destination.
May God Bless your journey and keep you safe.
2006-11-17 06:27:52 · answer #6 · answered by jean811823 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Pack his favorite toys and defintely some snacks to keep him distracted. You could also get some books that have things that he can touch and feel. Anything you think will keep him distracted. If you can afford it, you can get a portable DVD player for pretty cheap ($50-$75) nowadays, and pack along some movies. Does he like music? Try kids tapes to sing along to. But you may not want to listen to that all morning! It'll also be good to let him get out a walk (if he can) around a little bit so he won't feel so cooped up. Good Luck!
2006-11-17 05:57:51 · answer #7 · answered by Annieo 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Make a pass the parcel style package and remove layers as he gets bored. Try getting new toys or toys he hasnt played with for a while as itll be a nice suprise, and if u can stand it a tape of fave songs/ rhymes
2006-11-18 08:01:25 · answer #8 · answered by hayleynichols88 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a one year old and we just came from a long trip, we brought fish crackers, cherrios, fruit, we stopped and got her yoguart and other snacks along the way, got a portable dvd player but she wasn't so interested in it, we took movies like blues clues, etc. brought a lot of her favorite toys, she slept a lot through the whole trip, we gave her a sippy cup with juice or milk, we pulled over a few times to give her a break from her chair and to change diapers. but mostly she slept through a lot of the drive.
2006-11-17 07:34:24 · answer #9 · answered by shady20001978 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
When we flew to Florida with two 3 year olds I bought a couple travel size Magna Doodles and they played with them a lot. You might consider that. Also maybe a CD or casette tape with kids songs that you can listen to while you drive. Good luck!
2006-11-17 07:06:07 · answer #10 · answered by dmommab@sbcglobal.net 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋