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We are driving to Flordia Thursday and the drive is going to be around 15 hrs straight through. I have 5 children, and the 3 older ones will be a piece of cake, but the 2 youngest are another story.

They are twins and they are 18 months old. The problem is they HATE being in a vehicle. The boys scream about 10 minutes into any trip we take. Blood curtling screams, We are leaving at night so hopefully they will sleep most of the trip, but I am looking for some more advice.

I keep small toys in the vehicle as it is, and those don't work. Food only works for a little bit. Nothing I have tried has been successful. Maybe I am missing something after all these years of being a parent?

Who has some tricks up their sleeve to keep these little munchkins under control and at least semi-happy?

2007-02-13 03:57:40 · 13 answers · asked by zinntwinnies 6 in Pregnancy & Parenting Toddler & Preschooler

Great suggestions! I can't possibly decide who had the best answer so I am going to put it to vote. Thanks for all the well wishes and good luck sent. Lord knows we will need it. And, to top it off we are under a blizzard watch, so we are vacationing at the PERFECT time!

Thanks again!

2007-02-13 14:54:36 · update #1

13 answers

If you have access to a portable DVD player that might keep them amused for a while, make sure to have favorite toys and snacks available, try playing kiddie music or classical music for them. Good Luck and have a great trip! It is almost 80 degrees here in Tampa today!

2007-02-13 04:02:45 · answer #1 · answered by sjl6987 3 · 2 0

Take along a portable DVD player, borrow one if possible, they aren't that expensive and will give you peace...really. then allow time for stops and switch them around. If there is a favorite seat, make them earn the right to sit there, if they are good they can sit there after the next stop, if not good, oh well and stick to it. that is what they need, consistancy. Then make sure to have kids music tapes of songs they can learn and sing along to. Up beat music is always good. It can drown them out if they are screaming too. Ignore it and don't allow the one child to take all the attention by screaming. This is the perfect opportunity to change this behavior, though you all may suffer for a while it beats a lifetime of it and since you have no way out, he will have to stop at some point. Let him go and ignore it. He'll sry himself sick maybe but that's ok, he may fall asleep or just hate you for a while, that is ok too. Just remember that this needs to stop and it has to be during this trip.... good luck. Be strong and do not give in.

2007-02-13 04:07:17 · answer #2 · answered by MISS-MARY 6 · 2 1

I have 6 littles and we travel a lot. I have never had a really hard to travel child though.

Perhaps you can sit back with them and let your husband drive and you can make them feel secure untill they fall asleep.
Or a DVD player like others suggested, but I don't do them because I want my kids to learn how to enjoy the simple things.
We play a lot of games if the kids get antsy. Can you think of the animal(20 questions) Can you find the letter on the signs. Who spots the color and where. I suggest a book called carschooling, it is meant for homeschooling parents like me, but it can be a great book for everyone traveling!

Good luck!

2007-02-13 04:16:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

We moved across the country last year. My mother and I drove my 14-month-old son, two cats, and about $200 worth of toys from Dallas to Connecticut. We learned a few things that hopefully will help you with a long-distance drive, especially a move.


Bring books, old favorite toys, and new surprise toys. We set aside our biases, selecting noisy toys, push-button toys, and manipulation toys. Balls are not a good idea. Best buys included Etch a Sketch-type toys with simple mechanisms and a four-key piano toy (which was such a success that we replaced it midtrip when we lost ours).

More on books: Sticker books are great for the toddler set. They don't know that they can peel them off; they are glossy, making the pages thick and thus easy to turn; they are bright colors and high contrast; and they come in endless subjects. They're a nice break from the other books your child might be tired of, too.

Put aside fears of setting poor eating habits, and bring on the snacks! I told JJ, "Welcome to the world of boredom eating." Goldfish, pretzels, fruit leather, Cheerios — if you give him a small lidded cup, it's 5 or 10 miles worth of entertainment for your toddler as he digs them out and fingers them. Toy bars meant for stroller use are a big help in the car, as they often feature toys plus a snack cup, and are big and easy for you to grab from the front seat for refills

2007-02-13 07:22:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

When we would go on trips my son used to FIGHT LIKE CRAZY when we tried to get him in the car. Arms and legs flying everywhere.....It was like trying to get Spiderman in the car seat.

The first thing we would do is play with my son until he got tired and went to sleep. Then we'd put him in the car seat and go. When he woke up, I had a tape of his favorite music that he would sing along to. That kept him from getting fidgety and cranky.

These days the DVD player is a godsend. I use that with my grandkids(from my g/f....I inherited them...LOL) and talk about quiet! We run it whether or not they fall asleep....they don't complain about reruns. Before, we just talked to them a lot, played the I SPY game and such.....but that got old quick after an hour. When they get older, we're getting them Ipods to keep them amused....we'll let you know how that works......:-)

2007-02-13 04:23:07 · answer #5 · answered by phillyvic 4 · 1 1

Try to plan your meal and rest stops at places that have play areas and plan on stopping for a while. Let them play their little hearts out and then hopefully they'll be run down (maybe even nap) for the next leg of the trip.

2007-02-13 04:11:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3 0

My twins' car riding experiences have been greatly improved by the purchase of a dvd player. Slap on some Dora and they're good to go! Best of luck.

2007-02-13 04:06:10 · answer #7 · answered by duckygrl21 5 · 2 1

OK... I think that i'm a pro at this...my husband and i have been traveling with his job since our daughter was 9 months old(she is 2 now) and she still screams at times but we invested in one of those tv/dvd players for the car and we play sesame street and baby einstin when she's not sleeping and it keeps her quite for the majority of the trip. other than that try to play the I Spy game if they can try to get them to name things outside that you can see. I know how it its when my husband was stationed in Florida it took us 15-16 hours to get to Arkansas.

2007-02-13 04:05:03 · answer #8 · answered by sjeboyce 5 · 2 0

They best thing I can tell you is to leave at like midnight while the kids are sleeping and they will sleep most of the way cause it will be dark.... Good Luck

2007-02-13 04:28:25 · answer #9 · answered by heather j 2 · 2 0

Sing, sing and sing some more. Babies love to hear singing and it will help pass the time faster for all of you. Plus, you can drown out the screams. haha

2007-02-13 06:56:35 · answer #10 · answered by Melissa R 4 · 0 0

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