Help me plan my long road trip, please!

[Anonymous]

We are driving with DCs to Florida in 3 weeks. They are 3.5 years and 11 months old. Both are decent in the car - we have family 5 hours away so they are fairly used to long car rides. On our way down, we are stopping in Myrtle Beach and then continuing on the next day - so two 6 hours days. We will be traveling South while in Florida so it will be longer on our way back - two 7.5 hour days, pit stopping in Columbia, SC for the night.

Any tips or tricks for successful, long car rides? I really need advice!

[Anonymous]

-Snacks.
I'd pack healthy snacks for them, then have some "treats" hidden away in case things start to get stressful.

cereal, baby puffs, carrot sticks, celery, cheese, goldfish, fruit snacks, fresh fruit, cucumber, mini muffins, sandwiches, etc.

I'd also pack a few bottles of water, sippy cups of water/juice/milk, etc.

You can keep the cold things in a cooler. Just read about a trick. Instead of an ice pack, freeze a bottle of water and put that in the cooler.

-Misc.
Make sure you have trash bags. Plastic grocery bags work great. use them for food wrappers, dirty diapers, etc.
Bring a portable potty for the 3.5 year old to use.
Make sure whatever they are wearing is easy to take off for potty breaks/diaper changes.
wet wipes to clean hands and faces!

-Games
DVDs/CDs
You can play I spy with the 3.5 year old
Car bingo. Google has all sorts of templates.
20 questions
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/summer/travelgames.htm