Long Car Trip with a 3 Year Old and 19 Mo Old

You can get a travel aqua doodle at Walmart for $13. It is small enough to hold in their laps. My two year old just got one for his birthday and loves it. If you are not familiar with them, the "ink" is only water.

no advice on what to take but make frequent stops to allow them to get out and run. Their legs are not long enough to reach the floor and circulation slows down. After a while they will become uncomfortable and fussy.

I just scanned over all the other responses so sorry if I repeat. We travel with our granddaughter (now 3) and these are my must haves.

Her potty chair! I know that sounds strange but this way I dont's have to tell her to wait if we are in between towns. Liquids get poured out and solids wrapped up tightly then tossed in the nearest trash can. Make sure you have plenty of wipes since you won't have a place to wash their & your hands. This also rids you of the worry of a clean facility!!

DVD's are fantastic and we don't leave without them, but I try to limit her time. At 3 there are lots of games she can play by looking out the window.

We also sing - a lot! This is something that grandpa gets to join in on since he is driving and can't take his eyes off the road.

When we stop to eat, we usually pick a place that has a play area. We let her play while we eat. Then she gets to eat back in the car and on the road which is special for her since eating in the car is usually a no no.

Relax - we have found this to be most important. My hubby likes to hit the road and doesn't stop until we have to. That doesn't work with toddlers in the car. So he has trained himself to run on her time. When she starts getting fussy, we stop somewhere to unbuckle and get out to play.

Have fun and be safe.

go to momsminivan.com for all the ideas you need! have fun!

Don't forget fun music and books on cd.

Be very careful with crayons in the car in the summertime. They will melt. I made sure to take them in the original container, that way at a glance you can make sure you have them all. You don't want them left on a seat or the carpet and have the sun hit them. As long as they aren't in a hot car long and not in full sun you shouldn't have an issue.

We loved cookie sheets with a lip too.

I always got some new items for them to use on the trip for the first time. I would have a goodie bag that I would pull one thing at a time out for them. Stuffed animal, book, action figure, movie, favorite treat, etc. They knew that and anticipated earning them for good car behavior.

The DVD player is a definite must! Bring several movies. I usually take them out of their cases and put them in a travel CD case so it takes up less space. Books are good too, but my oldest boy usually get car sick from them. Some other things that are great in the car - a travel magna doodle, a travel etch-n-sketch, view master. Maybe a clip board with a coloring book for the older kid. For snacks, I will pack a lunch box for each kid with a variety of snacks for them and tell them to make it last for the whole car trip. I have some fun stuff and some healthy stuff. Plus, I put a ziploc baggie in it for their trash. It probably wouldn't work for the 19th month old, but the 3 year old might like that. I like it because it keeps me from having to get in my bag all the time to get them stuff. I also always make sure the kids have a small pillow and blanket and usually the DVD player will put them to sleep! Take plenty of wipes and be sure to have extra clothes easily accessible for each child and you. I also throw a couple towels in the backseat for spills or (in the case of my easily car-sick boy) vomit. A box of kleenex is always good to have handy too as well as a box of zip lock baggies for trash. I usually bring several so I can throw it out when we get gas.

Your in luck, we are going on a trip as well. My Son gets Occupational Therapy and our child has Sensory Issues and Developmentally Delayed in Fine Motor skills, Communication and Visual perception. I asked her for ideas for him, I hate having him miss therapy. So, I'll pass them on to you, it might be fun for your child even though they don't have the same issues as our child.

1.) Take a zip lock bag and fill it with rice. Place tiny toys in the rice and hide them or even a small plastic container would work also. You can put small cars, cotton balls, small toys, a penny or other coins. The toys out of the gum ball and candy machines are perfect! Your tell your child to dig for the toys, they reach their hand in the bag or the container. It may be a little messy, so you might want to bring a cake pan or small pan with sides, just in case the rice falls out.

2.) The cake pan or cookie sheet with sides is perfect for legos or mega blox anything with small pieces that you don't want to lose or have it drop on the floor!

3.) Magna Doodle
4.) Books, you might want to get a few new ones at the dollar store or on sale
5.) Colored pencils or crayons (however don't leave them out in the heat)
6.) Fill an old bottle (water) with oil and you can even put sprinkles or sparkly stars or confetti in it. You can add food drops to it. Use a glue gun to seal the top on from the inside of the top and the outside of the top. This can be fun for them to shake it up and see the water and oil and color,etc... mix1

7.) You can do car aerobics with your children. You might want to sit where they can see you easily. You can kick your feet and move your arms and do stretches. My Son's therapist suggested using music like a CD with bouncy or fast paced music for this activity. You want to make sure they don't kick the back of the seats, especially if someone is sitting in them! This gets their muscles going and you and your child gets tired.

8.)Egg Cartons- This is a fine motor skill fun activity. Save your egg cartons to use for this. Have cotton balls and color them with food coloring or paint (dried on) and have different colors to fill in for each hole where the egg usually sits. Then take a piece of paper and color it the same colors that the cotton balls are and glue or tape them on to the egg carton in the small areas where the egg sits. This is a matching game for colors, a fine motor activity and a fun activity for kids in the car. You might want to use a lap tray or the cake pan with sides so the cotton balls don't fall or put the cotton balls in a bag and use the bag to hold the cotton balls in there. Basically, the child picks up the cotton ball using their pincher grasp with the thumb and first one or two fingers. The goal is to match the colors of the cotton ball to the color in the egg carton slots.

9.) Basketball goal- if you have some sort of organizer or a bag that you could tie on to the bar in the back seat, place that on there. Take some paper or newspaper and have them crumple up the paper into a wad or a ball. The organizer will have space or a section for DVd's or etc... Your child can play basketball by making the ball out of paper and throwing the ball into the bag or organizer.
This gets their hands moving and active and a fun game.

10.) Okay, here's mine. You can sing songs. I love to sing. We have several CD's of songs especially for kids. You could look up the words on the internet if you don't know all the words. Example-itsy, bitsy spider, Mary had a little lamb, Happy Birthday song, Jack and Jill/Two Blackbirds, and you could even do rhymes. You could buy some CD's or check them out from the library and take them along. There is tons of CD's that are Christian/Bible based or classics,etc... My Son loves them while we are traveling.

11.) You could play games of finding different letters or different colors on cars, vans, trucks.

12.) I would buy a couple of new toys, that has helped us in the past. When it is new, it gets a lot of attention. Maybe some new coloring books, might help also.

13.) We are bringing some small puzzles. We have a small puzzle box with a lid that has 4 puzzles in it. I'm going to let him do this with the cake pan, so we don't lose any of the pieces.

14.) We staying a week and half. We are taking 2 board type games. One is the shapes game from Discovery Toys and Perfection for fine motor skills. The perfection he can do in the car, if it isn't too bumpy. While he is there with all the family, he can also play with it there at the house. We are taking a Thomas the Train ride on toy, as there isn't any toys where we are going. Thought this would be good for him to have something to ride on.

15.) Our therapist even mentioned about making a schedule for our child. This may help you all as well. Make a schedule of your day for your child. She said to use a cardboard (thick) kind one and tape pictures of what the child needs to be doing or the goal. For example, waking up and eating breakfast- you could show a child in their jammies eating breakfast. Etc.... She said you might want to laminate it or put it in a plastic paper protector. You might want to have a section for the days and for you to keep track of where they are on the calendar/schedule. She said you can use a magnet on the frig or a clothspin. You might want to use velcro strips on the pictures just in case you want to change the schedule in case of trips/different activities for that day. She said you could use contact paper and could use it also as a wipe on wipe off type of schedule/board. This would help at home and in the car and where you are going. Your child may wonder what they are doing later in the day. This way you can show them that you are going to a hotel or family or beach,etc... Kids do better when they know what to expect next in regards to daily routine.

She told me that the main one I need to work on is the schedule for our child. So, that's the main one I'm going to be working on. I am going to strive to get the others going also, as it will help me stay sane! We are taking the DVD player with lots of DVD's too.

Must Haves have would be wipes, paper towels, extra sippy or straw cups, extra outfits that are in the diaper bags or handy, so you don't have to get them out of the suitcase, bibs. Medicine, like Tylenol, just in case and also band-aids. We have a first aid kit in our van that we keep all the time. I would highly recommend getting a first aid kit for the car. Flashlight for evening driving or make sure your lights on in the vehicle are working over the seats (if you have those kind) where the kids are sitting. Stuffed animals or dolls, in case it rains or thunders or if they get scared. Music, DVD's, books, coloring books, plain paper, outfits for dolls, if they are in to that. Blanket, small bottles of water for the 3 year olds- I believe Ozarka makes the small little bitty waters that are just right for kids. This way you won't have to stop all the time for drinks. A cooler for food and drinks. Suckers or some gum or some sort of candy for an occasional treat when they behave! Hope this helps and hope your trip goes well!

we always take a new toy, something of their favorite, so maybe a new barbie, or doll. Of course crayons or the markers that only color on special paper. I like to take a cookie sheet with magnets, plus they can use it as a tray for coloring and the "lip" around the edges helps to keep the crayons from rolling off. For your 3 year old it might be a good time to learn a card game-go fish-if you are able to sit in the back seat some with her. We also try to drive as much as we can at night. It's easier on everyone, except my husband, who does most of the driving. Good luck and have a fun trip! Let us know what worked for you....I have boys the same age and our trip is coming next month. Sometimes you just never know what is going to work!

Hi T.,

We take long road trips with our kids, too. (Florida last year; Chicago this year) First, I recommend driving at night as much as possible. It's a bit hard on the parents, but much easier than listening to kids complain/fight/be bored the entire time.

To Chicago, we left at 8pm. I drove until 1am, then we switched and hubby drove until 7am, when we stopped for breakfast.

We have also left in the middle of the night, which is a bit easier for the parents. To Florida, we left at 3am. We made it into Louisiana before the kids woke up and were hungry.

A couple people mentioned bringing a cookie sheet or cake pan. Bring your magnetic toys for this! Especially for the 19-month old.

Keep snacks at their feet for you to reach. Get some fun shaped pretzels or something. That way they can have a snack and play a game of what shape do they have.

On a more personal note, when we went to Chicago, both kids were potty trained (3 and 5 yo). We have a very large backyard that is completely private and they are used to just going potty in the grass (only pee-pee!), which I thought was just a funny thing, but on a road trip, it was a lifesaver! If your 3 yo is potty trained, it can be a real blessing to be able to pull over on the side of the road (or an exit ramp), and let her go in the grass. Saves a LOT of time. Depending on your route, there are some stretches in LA that have nowhere to stop.

Good luck!

M.

Sounds crazy, but when my son was 20 months old, he loved a sewing measuring tape! Get it at Hobby Lobby. There's a button for release and when you extend it, it clicks loudly. Then too release, push the button and it zooms back in. He still plays with this at 2 3/4. He was entertained on a 7 hour trip for at least an hour by that thing!!! Costs a $1.

Wow, you've rec'd tons of great advice which I love to read b'c we're taking a long roadtrip soon also. A couple of things to add: take washable markers instead of crayons. That way you don't have to worry about the crayons melting into your car upholstery. Also, Aqua doodles are really cool and my 2 yr old really likes his. They make a travel one just for the car.

You've received a ton of responses and all great ideas. I cant think of anything else to say. I just want to ditto the stopping for food. I know its easier to drive through and keep going. But stopping at a place where they can play while you eat and then letting them eat in the car is a life saver. I have 3 girls 14, 8 and 4 and we travel alot as all our family lives far off and this really does make a difference. If you worry about food on your seats, Get a bed sheet and spread it over the seat and then put the carseats on top. This will save your seats from mess.

Go to the dollar store and buy several "new" toys. Wrap them up and give them a new toy every few hours. Saved us on many trips!

We just took this same trip at Christmas with our three year old and then a two month old. For the 3 year old the DVD player definitely helped. We made sure to have lots of snacks and water. I filled his little back back with toys...it helped keep everything together when we stopped, he just threw everything in his backpack. We didn't bring a whole lot. A doodle pad (those magnetic drawling boards) kept him busy for a Loooonnng time. I found a great coloring little coloring book at Walmart. It came in a cardboard case that held four crayons. When he unfolded the cardboard doubled as a hard surface to write on. A few matchbox cars. His Viewmaster (I bought a few new slides for the trip) and a few action toys. We had to stop more than we would have liked for potty breaks and stretching legs, but it really wasn't a bad trip.

Hi T.:

My soon to be 3 year old has always loved bringing his MagnaDoodle with him on long car rides.

They even have two sizes. One quite large and the other is much smaller. They can be found at Target.

Also, what about getting a digital camera for the 3 year old to take pictures out the car window? My son handles ours really well and LOVES it!

Low cal, low sugar snacks will keep them busy as well. I always used to play a counting game with Cheerios.

Have fun with your family!

walkmans ... books on tape... maybe you could get someone with a different voice that could read books into a recorder and then have the girls hold the books and read along with the disc... i use to wear my child out the day before a trip and kept her up as late as possible... then in the wee hours of the morning, i would begin my trip... she would sleep nearly the entire road trip. enjoy your trip!:)

Hi T.~

I would just make sure maybe you have extra babywipes and plastic bag to put trash in. Maybe you could also put some snacks in small ziplock baggies so they are easy access and you can just grab and give to them when they are hungry? If your kiddos like to look at books maybe take a few of those as well. A long car ride is hard. I hate to say it but the DVD player might be your best friend on the trip? Maybe get a variety of dvd's so they have different stuff to watch? Good luck and have fun!!!

I just drove to CA with my 6 year old and 18 month old, and we are also getting ready to do it again. 6 year old is pretty easy, the baby...took a little more thought! I went to the dollar store and stocked up on random items to pull out when she got fussy. Michaels and Party City also have a $1 section, for variety.

Snacks at home are usually pretty healthy. So, I splurged a little bit and bought things they had never had before. I never give candy, but towards the end of our trip she was seriously melting. I caved and gave her a dum-dum sucker, best to give with a bib on:) Kept her quiet for awhile!

I skimmed the other posts as well. I totally agree that you don't want to stop to eat at places where your kids can't stretch. Get Subway and stop at a rest stop outside or a park. My goal this next trip is to stop more often, but for shorter time periods.

Have fun!

one thing that you should take is a can of spray lysol to spray the sheets where you're staying. sounds funny but trust me you'll be happy you did it. also, i learned from my mom to carry a wet rag in a plastic bag on road trips....you'll never know when you'll need it.

I just bought my 2 year old a Coloring set. It comes in a case that looks kind of like a lap top. It comes with colors and some coloring papers. It also has a white board on it they your little girl can color on. If I were you I would also bring a coloring book for her. It has straps on it to where you can attach it to the head rest of the seet in front of her. It also works great if she needs a little table for her food if you eat on the road. I got it at Target.