Amusing toddlers in the car

[lauras]

Just attended a going away party for a friend with two toddlers who is driving across the country with them. Some of the gifts she received to help amuse her kids in the car were rather original --

packages of colorful bandaids for the kids to stick on the windows

a small cookie sheet filled with fun magnets

colorform stickers to put on the windows.

those cardboard cards that have holes in the edges for the kids to stitch with yarn - kind of tricky for really young toddlers but still fun if they can do it.

little figurines tied with long thin strands of ribbon so mom can tie them to the car seat and the kids can play with them without losing them if they drop them.

[gregor]

If you're going to travel with toddlers plan to stop often! That's the most important advice I can give for car trips with this age. Music cds can amuse them for a little while if you can find music that won't drive you crazy. We often drove well into the night so our toddlers would sleep and we could get some peace!

[flora]

I think toddlers are really hard to travel with in the car. We tend not to give our kids much candy, but found that a lollipop could last an awfully long time on a car trip. We also tried to stop at parks and playgrounds and really run them around so they'd be tired and would sit for longer. We often tried to leave about 1-2 hours before nap time, and before putting them in the car we'd do something physical. Then they'd sit in the car for an hour or two, eat something, play with some kind of new toy we would give them and then fall asleep. Then after the nap we'd stop briefly and run around and then put the DVD on the portable video player and let them watch a movie. Then stop and eat at a fast food place with a playground or something. We don't eat much fast food, so that because a real treat too.

[Trekka]

When our children were younger, we'd make sure we stopped often, ideally at places where they could run about and let off steam.

Pack a mini picnic for them to eat in the car, play sing-along CDs, or nursery rhyme songs (for as long as you can bear) or try to travel at night so they'll sleep for most of the journey.

[RedDot]

A portable dvd player is a lifesaver. We also purchased a convertor and plugged the PlayStation in so they could play video games.

If it's feasible, we will drive at night. The traffic is lighter, and the kids go to sleep.

[SpencerBrown]

Plan to stop A LOT and make sure you have snacks for when they'll get hungry. Also, if you can drive thorugh the night do it-the kids go to sleep and there's not a lot of traffic.

[DaleB]

There are a few sites that have "printable car games" you can print out before the trip and bring along. This is a great way to organize and remember games like the classic "license plate game" and many new ones too.

[travelgalfor2]

Give them snacks and drinks without too much sugar. That just makes them more antsy.

[jessmess]

It's also a good idea to pack them a little 'goody bad' beforehand and let them open it after you have travelled a certain distance- kids love the excitement of not knowing what's in the bag until they are well on their way in the trip

[kiki82]

This tip is more for plane travel but it really works with the kids if you need to keep hand luggage down to a minimum. Take a few ballons and blow them up in the departure lounge, it wears the kids out for the flight and you can pop the ballon before boarding and put it in the bin.

[rogersnic]

I agree the portable DVD player is a must in our car. Make sure you take along snacks that aren't messy or can melt!! Definately don't feed them anything to hype them up unless you are planning to give them a chance to let off steam at some stage along the way.