https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 12 May 2026 20:39:45 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1687472 Sun, 08 Jun 2014 14:45:41 +0000 lamariniere 1687472@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you are crazy! :happy: But we aren't car people and I wouldn't want to drive more than 3 hours with my two LOs! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1687464 Sun, 08 Jun 2014 14:32:05 +0000 Beebug 1687464@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@CupQuakeWalk: there isn't a way to make both car seats work and fit a human back there too. Bah, I want a minivan!!! We have two types of car seats DD fits into and neither with the bucket seat (or if we moved him out of the bucket) would make someone be able to fit! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1687237 Sun, 08 Jun 2014 09:17:14 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 1687237@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did this with 1 child and it doable.<br /> 1- I sat in the back with him A LOT<br /> 2- we had to stop and sleep (baby needed a bath and to get out of his car seat!)<br /> 3- bring snacks and movies (LO was 5m so we didn't but now at 21m, we would)<br /> It wasn't pretty all the time but we got there and back! I'd try to configure the car seats in a way that makes room for you guys to go back there and sit with them if they need entertaining. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686960 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 21:13:47 +0000 Kemma 1686960@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did a nine hour stretch when Alexis was 17 months old and broke it up with two stops (so 7 hours of driving) and the day prior we'd done a ferry trip and two hour drive. I think it's doable if you allow yourself two or three days and do as much driving as possible on the first day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686934 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 20:45:17 +0000 Ocean girl 1686934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Beebug: ha, me and your husband probably have allll kinds of mutual friends! My dad grew up just outside Antigonish and I still have family there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686916 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 20:29:08 +0000 skipra 1686916@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have only managed a 5 hour drive with one 9 month old and have since limited trips to under 3 hours. But most people are much braver than me. My sister took her 3 kids and dog from Denver to San Diego and back in a week and a half. Her youngest was 3.5 months at the time. They had a great time. I think it will be toughest for your DD but doable if you make frequent stops which you'll have to anyway to feed the baby. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686791 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 17:12:02 +0000 Beebug 1686791@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Applesandbananas: iPad, we need to get one, I've wanted one for eons, and this could be a good excuse!</p> <p>@luckypenny: yes, it will be a lot of work, surely a stop for one, think we're set and need to stop for another, eeep!</p> <p>@Happygal: @rattles: really early is definitely doable, I'm the morning person, and DH later, so that could help us!</p> <p>@chopsuey: @sorrycharlie: @Weagle: I think breaking it up is totally necessary, take advantage of long stretches when we can though, well IF we can!</p> <p>@stargal: there's some gross stretches of the drive that are dangerous to drive in the night, so with the kiddos, we'd try to limit how much we do in the dark! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686778 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 16:58:14 +0000 Kimberlybee 1686778@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My inlaws are road warriors and have done a lot of road trips with young children. They usually do the majority of driving at night while the kids are asleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686775 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 16:57:01 +0000 Beebug 1686775@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ocean girl: my husband is too, and that's his hometown! :) I'm an outcast with no x-ring. He and I met in Ottawa :)</p> <p>Awesome on the early am tip! </p> <p>I did PEI for the first time two summers ago, loveeee! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686767 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 16:42:59 +0000 Applesandbananas 1686767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did something similar with just one LO at 2 months and he slept most the time. </p> <p>We are doing it again when LO is 15m and plan to drive at night while he sleeps and indulge him with the iPad, snacks, and games. </p> <p>We broke it up into two stretches, which worked really well. LO needed a chance to not be in the car seat for awhile. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686699 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 15:22:10 +0000 Ocean girl 1686699@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Beebug: we just drove from Ottawa to Summerside, PEI and then back again a few weeks later with our 9mth old and big black lab. It went remarkably well. I second the suggestion of leaving really early in the morning to get a good start in on the drive. We planned it so our first day of driving was longer than the second day, which I think helped all of us mentally! </p> <p>Oh, and Cheerios and other snacks plus water was very helpful. As was a CD of Robert Munsch reading a few of his stories!</p> <p>Just before Cape Breton? Antigonish??? (I'm an StFX grad)! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686601 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:32:57 +0000 luckypenny 1686601@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If do it when they were older. We used to drive 13 hours but we were 5+ years old. I could t imagine keeping toddlers happy that long. I mean 3.5 months you'll have to feed all the time, change diapers all the time.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686589 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:11:48 +0000 Beebug 1686589@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@travelgirl1: East coast! Just before Cape Breton!</p> <p>All crazy, but will be reality for us most summers!</p> <p>PS, hugs &lt;3 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686587 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:07:29 +0000 travelgirl1 1686587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You, my friend, are crazy. And brave. But mainly crazy :silly: Isn't it Calgary? I would fly for sure, I know it's a ball ache but ooooooh just imagine the screaming in the car! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686542 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 12:13:11 +0000 rattles 1686542@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I only have one LO so far, but we've done a 14 hour road trip at 3.5 months and a 22 hour, 2 day road trip with her at 13 months. I was surprised by how well it went. The 14 hour trip we drove straight with breaks every 2-3 hours. We leave around 3:30-4am to get a good stretch in while they're still sleeping so that we've made decent progress by the time the frequent stops begin. That also means that for the longer trip, we made it to our halfway/resting spot by the mid afternoon. We took her to the children's museum in that town when we got there so that she could blow off steam and so that the day wasn't a total loss for her. It went well enough that we're looking at doing it again next month (19 months). That said, I'm just as nervous as I was last time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686523 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:46:45 +0000 chopsuey 1686523@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My BIL/SIL have done a 14 hour straight with their 2 kids. I think the girls were 16 months and almost 5 though.<br /> I would do 9 hours a day so the kids don't get stir crazy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686519 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:43:21 +0000 sorrycharlie 1686519@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would think if you can break it up to let them stretch and get out of the seats it's doable! Hard but doable ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686515 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:35:24 +0000 Weagle 1686515@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>At least among the people we know IRL, we're the only ones that don't blink at long road trips. We have always assumed that for vacations we will usually drive, and we make a 12+ hour drive with LO several times each year. </p> <p>The most we've done is 16, and we did it in one day. It was under unusual circumstances (family emergency), but it was much harder for us than LO. After hour 12 we all got a bit delirious :). I think it's totally doable if you can break it up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686513 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:32:38 +0000 Radish 1686513@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it is totally do-able, but I see how it is intimidating. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686511 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:31:11 +0000 stargal 1686511@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Could you do most if your driving at night when the kids are sleeping? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686508 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:29:05 +0000 Happygal 1686508@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't done this as a mom, but we did this as kids with driving across the country each summer. Long days in the car. My mom was very prepared, and we had lots of things to keep us busy. Watching her with my nieces and nephews, I realized she trained us to be good car passengers. "Look out the window and see if you can count the cows!" and things like that. </p> <p>If you can break the day up, I say to go for it! We would leave reallllly early, before the sun was even up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/19-hour-drive-two-young-kids-have-you-done-it#post-1686502 Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:17:27 +0000 Beebug 1686502@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have tentatively planned to drive cross country in August to ILs.</p> <p>It's 19 hours straight, DH and I have done it pre-kids straight through a number of times.</p> <p>In August kids will be 21.5m and 3.5m, DH already doesn't want to go, I'm still nuts enough to want to try.</p> <p>Aside from being very go with the flow, and okay with it taking. A couple days (or more?!) has anyone done this?</p> <p>We would have no time restrictions on how soon we got there, or when we got home (DH a teacher, and I'm on mat leave).</p> <p>Other than Christmas, March Break and summer, we really can't go any other time, we would fly the other two times of the year, flying could be an option, but with the longer stay, we usually bring our dog, more gear, nice to have our car, etc.</p> <p>Are we nuts? </p>