Managing Rest Stops

[Anonymous]

Any advice on how to manage the rest stops for kids if you do a long trip? Is stopping about every 6 hours enough? At what age would you expect your kids to be able to wait for a rest stop?

[Anonymous]

6 hours would be tough for me. We make at least short stops every 3-4ish hours but try to mix it up (e.g., might be a longer stop for a full meal or to see an attraction. And if we all had beverages at the last stop, 3 hours would be pushing it given bathroom breaks needed.

How often are your kids asking to stop OP?

[Anonymous]

What's your objective/concern? A 15 min stop just to stand and move every 3 hours does not seem excessive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6 hours would be tough for me. We make at least short stops every 3-4ish hours but try to mix it up (e.g., might be a longer stop for a full meal or to see an attraction. And if we all had beverages at the last stop, 3 hours would be pushing it given bathroom breaks needed.

How often are your kids asking to stop OP?

+1 6 hours is a long time when you’re stuck in a car with nothing to do but think about having to pee.

[Anonymous]

Yeah I never go six hours as an adult, partially to pee, partially to take my eyes off the road for a bit (or switch drivers). They recommend a fifteen minutes break every two hours. We definitely don't do that, but enough time to use the bathroom every three hours seems like what you'd need for safety.

[Anonymous]

6 hours is aggressive. Are you my dad and is it 1992? I think 3 hours is the longest that is reasonable from a health and safety perspective, and that’s still too long for me as the driver.

[Anonymous]

We do 15 minutes every 2 hours and a longer break to have a meal.

[Anonymous]

Now I’m curious where you are along 95 and why you won’t stop. I know it’s Labor Day, but let the kids have a bathroom break!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah I never go six hours as an adult, partially to pee, partially to take my eyes off the road for a bit (or switch drivers). They recommend a fifteen minutes break every two hours. We definitely don't do that, but enough time to use the bathroom every three hours seems like what you'd need for safety.

Absolutely. We take quick breaks every 2-3 hours. If there are two drivers, we switch places at that point. If I'm driving solo, it's a good mental break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6 hours is aggressive. Are you my dad and is it 1992? I think 3 hours is the longest that is reasonable from a health and safety perspective, and that’s still too long for me as the driver.

I was having flashbacks to MY dad! It felt so mean when I had to pee so badly and he was a jerk about it and wouldn’t stop.

[Anonymous]

And please don't restrict liquids to lessen the need for bathroom stops. My mother used to do this to herself and the result was crabbiness and migraines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6 hours is aggressive. Are you my dad and is it 1992? I think 3 hours is the longest that is reasonable from a health and safety perspective, and that’s still too long for me as the driver.

I was having flashbacks to MY dad! It felt so mean when I had to pee so badly and he was a jerk about it and wouldn’t stop.

I remember being shocked by guy in college who talked about hating car trips with his dad and brothers and there were no stops and just bottles… yuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6 hours is aggressive. Are you my dad and is it 1992? I think 3 hours is the longest that is reasonable from a health and safety perspective, and that’s still too long for me as the driver.

I was having flashbacks to MY dad! It felt so mean when I had to pee so badly and he was a jerk about it and wouldn’t stop.

One of my friends told me that she had to wear a diaper for long car rides until she was 9. She didn’t have any special needs, it was just because they didn’t want to make extra stops.

[Anonymous]

Every 4 hours, because everyone needs to stretch their legs. I force everyone to go pee as well, even if they claim they don't have to go, because the next stop is 4 hours away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any advice on how to manage the rest stops for kids if you do a long trip? Is stopping about every 6 hours enough? At what age would you expect your kids to be able to wait for a rest stop?

Even if your kids are asleep and not asking to pee, 6 hours driving straight is unsafe.

I think it's reasonable for kids over about 4 to "try" to go and then not have to go for 2 hours, by about 7, I'd say 3, which is about as long as is safe for a driver. But, I also think that there will be exceptions. I think that once a kid over 4 asks to stop, 30 minutes is a reasonable time to find a place to stop to pee.