Mason, at the young age of 2, has already been on his fair share of road trips. At one month old we drove from Washington to California. At three months old he experienced his first Spring Training trip (we drove to Arizona but then flew home to Nor Cal). At 9 months we went across the country to Iowa and Minnesota. We completed yet another trip to Arizona last March, and a couple of camping trips in between.
That equates to a LOT of hours in the car. It has actually become more of a challenge as Mason has grown, and as we prepare for 2011 Spring Training, I thought I would share a few tips.
First, we try to do as much driving at night as possible.
I realize it's not always feasible, but we find that driving at night is quiet, quicker, and Mason will actually sleep in the car. If it's light outside, he doesn't want to miss a THING and refuses to even nap. The trick is to follow your bedtime routine at home, get your toddler into "sleep mode" and then hop into the car to leave. Mase will be out by the time we get out of the city limits. We play classical music to help with the white noise, especially during gas stops, where he is most likely to wake up.
Second, if you do have to travel during the day, make sure you are armed with lots of fun, new toys and games.
Here is part of what our kit looks like for the 9 hour drive home from Arizona (most of which will be done during waking hours):
If you're flying with a toddler, get one of those travel accessories cases that rolls up. You can stick little toys and treats in each pouch, unroll it on the airplane and tie it to the seat in front of you. It's even more fun if you wrap your toys and games, like it's Christmas! Who doesn't love the excitement of unwrapping a gift?
Third, SNACKS.
Here are my go-to's:
Cheerios (Have you tried the Cinnamon Burst yet? Mmm!)
Trader Joe's Organic Animal Crackers
Trader Joe's Organic Dried Cranberries
String Cheese or Cheese Sticks
Fruit Snacks or Trader Joe's Organic Fruit Leather
Goldfish Crackers + Marshmallows + Pretzel Sticks (snack mix)
Fourth, remember to be flexible and have a good time.
This is probably the most important tip. If you're stressed out, your kid will sense it and be stressed out too. If you're positive and having a good time on the adventure, they will too. See how that works? Try it. I swear. Have fun, make a few stops, run around the car and take some silly pictures.
*Note: We have yet to travel with a portable DVD player and there is no way Matt is going to let Mason (AKA, Destructo) anywhere near his iPhone, but those are probably good options to kill some time and entertain your kids too. Mason has been into "Finding Nemo" and "Cars" lately, so I am considering the DVD player option for the next trip. I'll let you know how it goes!
You've done a lot of traveling! We love to travel. Last year we did a 2 week road trip. We hooked up a screen to the back of my seat and connected to a laptop and played lots of movies. When we flew with Kenzie to Disneyworld back in November I did the wrapping up different toys and goodies and surprised Kenzie with different items through out the flight. She did great and enjoyed all the goodies. :)
ReplyDeleteYou gave great tips and ideas. Doing the driving at night is not something I had thought about so that she would sleep for a good majority of the time. I wouldn't be so good at the night time driving though. So hubby would have to nap during the day before leaving and I'd sleep while he drove. How do you guys make the night time travel work?
Part of me wishes I was taking a red-eye this weekend, so I could at least hope that Anna will sleep in my arms on the plane. She's only three months but is all about being part of the action during the day. I wonder if I can download Baby Einstein to my Nook...
ReplyDeleteYay for long trips to ARIZONA!!! P.S. We tried the red eye on our way home from Hawaii... let's just say that I will NEVER travel at night with Ella again.
ReplyDeleteIpads work, too. Teddy has taught me how to use mine ;)
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