Long car trip - just toddler and driver

[Anonymous]

Hello I am planning a 5 hour car trip with my almost 2 year old this summer. It will just be the 2 of us in the car and she will be backward facing.

I read a recent thread about activities I can give her (thanks for the tips!) but I am curious about the dynamic of not being able to help her if she drops something or needs to switch activities bc I will be driving.

I plan to depart at nap time and hope to get 2+ hours before she wakes up. When she does I will stop get her situated with snack and activity. My hope is that I get another 90 minutes and maybe one more stop before we arrive.

I am happy to let her watch tv/movies but I have some concerns bc there will not be anyone else in the car to manage it for her. At home she watches short shows (Teletubbies, Mr. Rogers, some Winnie the Pooh episodes). Also even very G rated Winnie the Pooh can cause her to get upset if something bad happens to one of the characters.

Am I over thinking this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello I am planning a 5 hour car trip with my almost 2 year old this summer. It will just be the 2 of us in the car and she will be backward facing.

I read a recent thread about activities I can give her (thanks for the tips!) but I am curious about the dynamic of not being able to help her if she drops something or needs to switch activities bc I will be driving.

I plan to depart at nap time and hope to get 2+ hours before she wakes up. When she does I will stop get her situated with snack and activity. My hope is that I get another 90 minutes and maybe one more stop before we arrive.

I am happy to let her watch tv/movies but I have some concerns bc there will not be anyone else in the car to manage it for her. At home she watches short shows (Teletubbies, Mr. Rogers, some Winnie the Pooh episodes). Also even very G rated Winnie the Pooh can cause her to get upset if something bad happens to one of the characters.

Am I over thinking this?

I don't think it's workable or safe backward facing.

I did trips like this, but my child was forward facing.

[Anonymous]

I'd get up super early, and put her in the car in her pjs. Then drive, let her fall back asleep. When she wakes up and gets fussy, stop find a park, let her run around, have a breakfast picnic, run some more, have some lunch and then put her in the car for a nice nap. Get a couple more hours. Then stop, repeat, and finish your trip in the evening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd get up super early, and put her in the car in her pjs. Then drive, let her fall back asleep. When she wakes up and gets fussy, stop find a park, let her run around, have a breakfast picnic, run some more, have some lunch and then put her in the car for a nice nap. Get a couple more hours. Then stop, repeat, and finish your trip in the evening.

This is a good answer. I did 7 hours with a toddler and baby. You go as early as you can and drive as far as you can until they become cranky. Get out, let them run around, get food/bathroom/etc. and baby will sleep some more.

[Anonymous]

Only 5 hours I’d plan it so she’s asleep most of the drive time. A PP upthread had a good schedule. I’m not a morning person so I’d leave around 7 pm with toddler in PJs and hope she falls asleep right away.

[Anonymous]

I would not wait until the afternoon nap to depart. Kids get crankier as the day wears on. Like another PP suggested, I’d start out super early in the morning.

[Anonymous]

I have done trips of this length with babies up through toddlers alone and rear facing. My strategy was to leave at bedtime and get to my destination around midnight. It was doable to stay up that late for me and the kids slept.

If I had to do it during the day I would plan out numerous rest of stops where they could get out and move around to break it up. Hopefully with numerous stops and naps it would go okay but would likely take more like 7 hours than 5.

Truthfully, in this situation sometimes they will just have to cry, be upset, and wait to get their be needs met same as if you are driving a shorter trip and can't stop. It's good to have options to entertain them but it's unrealistic to be able to manage it for them when driving.

[Anonymous]

I would get up at 1-2 am and leave then. You’ll arrive just when the baby is waking up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would get up at 1-2 am and leave then. You’ll arrive just when the baby is waking up.

A two year old is not a baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd get up super early, and put her in the car in her pjs. Then drive, let her fall back asleep. When she wakes up and gets fussy, stop find a park, let her run around, have a breakfast picnic, run some more, have some lunch and then put her in the car for a nice nap. Get a couple more hours. Then stop, repeat, and finish your trip in the evening.

This is what I did with our frequent trips to NYC with just my toddler and I. I would leave around 5 am. When she woke up we would have a bathroom break and eat. For the rest of the trip she would watch recordings of her favorite shows that I recorded and played them on a DVD player that fit on the headrest. Enjoy your trip.

[Anonymous]

Just assume it will take at least 8 hours and do a lot of stops, even if they are quickies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would get up at 1-2 am and leave then. You’ll arrive just when the baby is waking up.

A two year old is not a baby.

OP doesn't hav a two year old, so that's not really relevant. OP has a 1 year old.

[Anonymous]

I regularly travel solo with my twins and have since right before they turned 1. A few thoughts:

1. I 100% agree that the better schedule is to leave super early. I usually would just give them a pouch for breakfast while I change their diapers and get dressed, then let them have some very-un-chokeable finger foods in the car (like puffs cut in half) if they are old enough for that, or if they are too young I might do one of those mesh things with a hunk of apple in it for them to gnaw on. I just assume my car will need a thorough wipe and vacuum afterwards. We just drive and sing songs/listen to music until they start to get fussy/antsy (usually 45-90 min depending on age). Then we get out and go somewhere they can run around. Playground, indoor playspace, empty field, etc. I google online first and have options starting with a place 45 min away, then an hour, hour-and-15, etc. up to about 2 hours. We have a proper meal and some snacks during our playtime, then we get back in the car for naptime. Drive for as long as they sleep, then when they wake up we get out, have a little snack and some playtime (pack bubbles and just stop at a rest area or outside a target or something), then get in the car and do screen time the rest of the way. I like to do Aristocats as a first “real” movie bc it is full of animals and there are hardly any scary bits.

2. I actually think this is easier RF than FF the car seat bc you can toss a toy in their lap and it won’t immediately fall onto the floor. I also usually tie a few favorite soft toys to the headrest of the seat so it can’t fall too far away. And for little ones, I will take a thin blanket and tie a lovey or teether to one corner and then wedge the opposite corner between their back and the carseat, so their body weight keeps it close.

3. Other ideas for entertainment: I record some of their favorite books, stories, songs, finger plays, etc. in advance so I can turn on “Big Red Barn” or whatever they ask for at home. I also keep a bin filled with soft toys in the front seat so I can toss one back to them if we get stuck in traffic or they just seem to need something else. I also definitely have a headrest mirror for them and a rearview mirror for me so I can visually check on them, esp if I have decided to do some snacks in the car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I regularly travel solo with my twins and have since right before they turned 1. A few thoughts:

1. I 100% agree that the better schedule is to leave super early. I usually would just give them a pouch for breakfast while I change their diapers and get dressed, then let them have some very-un-chokeable finger foods in the car (like puffs cut in half) if they are old enough for that, or if they are too young I might do one of those mesh things with a hunk of apple in it for them to gnaw on. I just assume my car will need a thorough wipe and vacuum afterwards. We just drive and sing songs/listen to music until they start to get fussy/antsy (usually 45-90 min depending on age). Then we get out and go somewhere they can run around. Playground, indoor playspace, empty field, etc. I google online first and have options starting with a place 45 min away, then an hour, hour-and-15, etc. up to about 2 hours. We have a proper meal and some snacks during our playtime, then we get back in the car for naptime. Drive for as long as they sleep, then when they wake up we get out, have a little snack and some playtime (pack bubbles and just stop at a rest area or outside a target or something), then get in the car and do screen time the rest of the way. I like to do Aristocats as a first “real” movie bc it is full of animals and there are hardly any scary bits.

2. I actually think this is easier RF than FF the car seat bc you can toss a toy in their lap and it won’t immediately fall onto the floor. I also usually tie a few favorite soft toys to the headrest of the seat so it can’t fall too far away. And for little ones, I will take a thin blanket and tie a lovey or teether to one corner and then wedge the opposite corner between their back and the carseat, so their body weight keeps it close.

3. Other ideas for entertainment: I record some of their favorite books, stories, songs, finger plays, etc. in advance so I can turn on “Big Red Barn” or whatever they ask for at home. I also keep a bin filled with soft toys in the front seat so I can toss one back to them if we get stuck in traffic or they just seem to need something else. I also definitely have a headrest mirror for them and a rearview mirror for me so I can visually check on them, esp if I have decided to do some snacks in the car.

Your wedding mom, aren’t you, with the prune juice and the scheduled pooping?

[Anonymous]

OP here, leaving early in the AM does not align with the destination, the ppl we are meeting or DDs schedule. We are going to a private cabin in a pretty remote area and meeting the people who own the cabin, who will be arriving late afternoon/early evening.

Also, DD wakes up early with lots of energy so I think better to have her go to playground at home 90 min or so before we leave. Then home for quick bath and lunch. She usually takes a 2-2 1/2 hour nap + which may allow me to make it half way there. She also is a good car napper.

I am curious about suggestions for movies (longer than a show) appropriate for her age so I can put it on and get some good distance before stop #2.