Those with little kids- road trip?

[keyslover]

What is the longest road trip you went on with 2 kids under 5?

Would you do it again?

[Deleted]

We did 10hrs to WV from MA in December when they were 9 months old. We're doing it again in September at 18 months old.

We drive overnight so they have max 1-2hrs in the car awake. Exhausting for us but effective.  It also shortens the trip a bit b/c there's no traffic, construction, etc.

[texassmith]

We did 10 hours when DD #1 was 4.5 and DD #2 had just turned 1. It really wasn't too bad. Portable DVD player FTW.

[nahoku]

We just did a road trip with the kids over Memorial Day weekend - DS is 6 and DD is 3. We went to Estes Park, CO and went through South Dakota on the way there with an overnight stay in Rapid City.

We drove home straight through and went through Nebraska - that was about 15 hours total, including stops.

I'd do it again!

[thinkofthesoldiers]

23 hours over 3 days. It was NBD.

[katiescarlett]

We drove to Orlando when the kids were 2y10m and 10m. It was about 19 hours. We left after dinner so they slept for much of it.

[cuddlyevil]

9 hours from Cincinnati to Rochester NY. DD was 4 and DS was 9 months old. They did pretty well, slept most of the way there.

[Deleted]

I only have one. But we did a 10.5 hour road trip with him when he was 16 months old. Heading out we left right about his bedtime (my H slept the whole afternoon so he would be able to drive). He slept the whole way there.

Coming back, we had to leave early in the morning. Toys, games, snacks, an iPad and a break every now and then and he did fine. At one point he took a three hour nap which was beatiful.

I would do it again.

[prosecco]

10 hours is the most we have done (with a two year old and a 6 month old). We try to always drive overnight if we can. DS1 has slept through many overnight trips, DS2 slept all night on that trip as well. On the way back we drove during the day, the last couple hours of that really sucked, only because DS1 was sick to death of being in the car at that point and would not nap, plus we had to stop a bunch because DS2 just wanted to keep nursing.

We have a leap pad for the older one and a DVD player in the car now, so I expect future trips to be even easier.

We will be doing 16 hours in October, so yes, we would do it again.

[cleo29]

10-11 hours and yes, we will.

For us, the trick is leaving pretty early in the morning so you get them out of bed and right into their car seats (I bring clothes to change into later) and perhaps after a small snack they go back to sleep or at least are pretty darn quiet. That way, you can put in a few hours on the road before stopping for breakfast.

[nahoku]

Jun 5, 2013 10:12:46 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

10-11 hours and yes, we will.

For us, the trick is leaving pretty early in the morning so you get them out of bed and right into their car seats (I bring clothes to change into later) and perhaps after a small snack they go back to sleep or at least are pretty darn quiet. That way, you can put in a few hours on the road before stopping for breakfast.

This is how we did it, too.  H and I woke up at about 4:30 am, got the rest of our stuff in the car, woke the kids up by just carrying them to the bathroom and sitting them on the toilet and then putting them in the car.  DS went right back to sleep for a few hours in the car.  DD had a harder time going right back to sleep but that just meant that she took a really long nap later that day.

[keyslover]

I find all of this encouraging! I may need to contact AAA for our trip-tik

[Tacocat]

We're taking DD on her first road trip this summer, she'll be 7 mo. It's about 9 hours total, but we're breaking it up into 2 trips on the way there. We're leaving Fri night after dinner so DD will sleep until we get to the hotel. Then finish the trip the next day. Not sure what we'll do for the way back, since it will most likely be all in one day. We'll probably end up making a lot of stops.

[moolarkey]

500 miles. Did it a lot. That was by car.

By boat - at least 500. We typically do no more than 5 hours a day on the water and then dock or anchor for the night. The longest stretch was 7 hours running up the west side of Lake Huron to Mackinaw City, MI.

My mom's parents lived in South Central Illinois. We went out there 3 or 4 times a year when I was a kid so that was just normal to me - throw the kids in the car, take some food, coloring books etc.

[nahoku]

Jun 5, 2013 11:17:51 GMT -5 keyslover said:

I find all of this encouraging! I may need to contact AAA for our trip-tik

Where are you thinking of going?  You're also a Twin Citian, right? 

Just plan on it taking a little longer than you estimate and be prepared for stops and boredom.  I bought a ton of games and snacks and "prizes," and didn't use half of them.  Crayons, markers, paper and their nooks are what were used the most.  Goldfish, capri suns and gum were the snack/food winners.

[daisyheadmaizie]

We haven't done a long trip with both kids yet, but we have taken around ten 8-24 hour long road trips since DD was born 5 years ago. I consider my self a road tripping with kids pro.

For the long trips, we leave after dinner and drive all night usually. H and I switch off driving so we can each get a little sleep. We stop at someplace with either a park or indoor play place for breakfast or lunch and let her play and run like crazy. In the car I keep a bag with fun snacks (lots of them) and activities. Stickers, dry erase board and crayons or markers, random little toys (matchbox cars and little animal figurines are always a hit), and books are my standards. Then anytime we stop for gas or the bathroom, I make her get out and run. I also will let her pick a snack or drink at the gas station if she has had good behavior since our last stop.

[volcanoboom]

16 hours with a 4 year old and a 20 month old. We left at bedtime and drove straight through. They slept the first half, after that we took lots of breaks and they watched movies. It was not as bad as I'd expected.

[papie]

6 hours in one day. We are doing about the same this year, and then another 3 hours the next day. I just bought an ipad mount for the car, we will download a few movies before we go. And a few new toys and books always help too.

[keyslover]

Jun 5, 2013 11:32:36 GMT -5 nahoku said:

Jun 5, 2013 11:17:51 GMT -5 keyslover said:

I find all of this encouraging! I may need to contact AAA for our trip-tik

Where are you thinking of going?  You're also a Twin Citian, right? 

Just plan on it taking a little longer than you estimate and be prepared for stops and boredom.  I bought a ton of games and snacks and "prizes," and didn't use half of them.  Crayons, markers, paper and their nooks are what were used the most.  Goldfish, capri suns and gum were the snack/food winners.

Yes, from Minneapolis.  We are toying with the idea of Anna Maria Island.  So it would be a multi day drive, but I think manageable.  Oh, did I mention we would bring the dog? He is about 45-50lbs (depending on if he loses his winter weight).  

[Redpoppy]

We went from southern MA to the bay of Fundy. I think it was 12+ each way. DS was 2 at the time.

There was a delightful 2 hour period between the Canadian border and BAr Harbor when DS kept saying "cruise ship where are you?". We were in the woods. It wasn't going to appear but he would not let up on it. We did see one when we got there at least.

[scarletbandit]

We have done a few. WNY to NC when DS was 3 and WNY to VA Beach last week. He's 4 now. We pack coloring books, movie player, hand held games, books etc. This time we played an easy version of I Spy. (basically took turns pointing out things we saw) " I spy a big yellow truck" We also practiced basic math. We took turns "what's 2+5" kind of stuff.

Oh and we are the crazy family that took a train from WNY to Arizona for Monster truck world finals. That wasn't too bad and kind of a road trip.