We will be traveling roughly 8 hours in the car for the 4th of July holiday and need some suggestions to keep my 10 month old entertained. We have traveled this length of times a few other times, but she liked being in her carseat then. she isn't too interested in traveling now. A neighbor of mine told me to give her tryptophan, which is what is found in turkey that makes you sleepy, but I am not sure about that. I would speak with her dr before I tried it. Has anyone ever tried tryptophan for thier children? I would rather enterain her, so I would love to hear any suggestions for keeping a 10 month old entertained.
Does your child sleep well in the carseat? If so, one of you could rest up during the day and then make the drive at night. That way your little one will be sleeping anyway and you can make less stops on the way. The only downside is if your child stays up all night. Worth a try if you think it will work.
I know how it is to travel with small children for a more than 2 hours is like. I just came back from a 10 hour car trip and I don't just have one child but five. It's great if u have a portable dvd player and movies that she can watch. My husband and I installed a dvd and tv in our car for these types of trips and it helps out a lot. Books with lots of pictures, snacks (even if it means cleaning up when you get to your destination), toys. When you stop to get gas, have her walk around while you finish. Traveling with children in cars can be stressful but most of the time it's fun, at least it is for me. Hope this works.
Hey J.--
When my husband and I traveled to MO we stop every few hours to switch drivers. One person in the back with our son & 2 older children and the other driving. I took a variety of toys and took out only a few at a time---when he got tired of the ones he was playing with at the time I would switch the toys. My older children would also help keep him occupied. When we stopped, we also took him out of his carseat--we walked around, look at things, played. The trip took longer but in the end, he was a happy baby which made up happy parents.
We also take an 8 hr trip a couple times a year. My son is now two and here are a few things we do.
1.We take lots of books, and one of us sits back with him and reads to him
2.We have a laptop and we let him watch movies on it. We have several of the Cedarmont Kids videos, which are a lot of singing/dancing, and it will hold her attention at that age.
3. We stop at least every 2 hrs, even if it is just for a few minutes.
I know it sounds like a long trip but I think you will find it gets more fun as they get older. I would never give my child something to make them sleep though.
Hope this helps, and enjoy your trip.
