Any advice for taking a 2-year-old on a road trip?

[miss_thenorth]

Portable dvd player with lots of dvd's, lots of healthy finger snacks, a few things to play with, blanket, window shade, lots of stops, gravol .Or better yet--do most of your driving at night.

 

[Dar]

i found it went better on a long trip if i or my husband sat in the back with our children then they are not alone and it was story time...or movie time with popcorn and all

 

[WriterofWords]

Keep everything as normal as possible, meal times, potty breaks, etc. Include him in conversations, don't expect to sit up front and chat and him be quiet in the back seat alone, sit with him too. Etch a Sketch, a White Board and erasable markers along with a sheet or blanket to put over his lap in case he drops a marker. Big manipulatives like toddler sized Leggos, soft books with pictures, games with mom or dad like pointing out the window and naming trees, buildings, or look for a red car, a dump truck etc.

Steven has traveled with me since he was 6 weeks old going to archeological sites and on vacations. He loved having his own battery operated tape/cd player to hear his own music too.

The biggest and most important piece of advice I have though is to make sure he is included in your conversations and interactions so he doesn't get bored. You'll know when to leave him alone, he'll zone out or flat out ignore you.

Have fun, I loved road trips with Steven.

 

[kdcrws]

Quote:
As mom of Three the portable dvd player is a life saver on road trips. We drive from N FL to Ft Worth TX and back @ least once a yr. Also we do the travel sized magnadoodles and buy the Small things of milk that u can fit into a small cooler that u can keep in floorboard.

 

[horsejody]

If it gets real bad, put them in the trunk or leave them at a rest stop. (Just kidding)

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Ear-plugs made just for 1

 

[Anny]

Snakes lots and lots of snakes.

sing along music. up beat music you can "dance" in the car to

 

[kdcrws]

oh also leave @ bed time travel as much as possible then

 

[mom'sfolly]

A small new toy that they will love to play with. New is key, because they will have a chance to explore and play with it for the first time. Small cars and planes are great, things with interesting textures or sounds, things that they can take apart and manipulate.

DVD player

Read to him

Color with him

 

[WriterofWords]

I bought a portable DVD player at Wal Mart that has two screens that hang on the back of my truck seats with one that the DVD goes into. Take several different titles or the driver will go nuts! I got to listen to Jumange all the way from Hell Paso TX to Yreka CA!