https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:49:55 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2219291 Fri, 26 Jun 2015 07:47:12 +0000 Mamaof2 2219291@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would leave right after lunch. That way maybe they stay awake for an hour or so - then sleep for a few hours - then when they wake you will almost be there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2219177 Fri, 26 Jun 2015 03:33:24 +0000 shopaholic 2219177@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do the Mammoth drive all the time, which is longer than Vegas. I don't like driving in the night and then being exhausted and having to take care of LO the next day. I've found the sweet spot is to leave a little before nap time. Feed some lunch or snacks, in the car and once we're really out on the open road, hope and pray that LO falls asleep for a good chunk of the drive. If she wakes up, we stop for a little break, and put on the iPad for the rest of the drive. Not sure if that will work with two, but I find that even if she doesn't sleep much in the car, she'll be more tired and ready to sleep/adjust at the new destination that much better and mama gets to rest too! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2219128 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 23:33:47 +0000 SAHM0811 2219128@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bedtime on Thursday night is your best bet!!! I drove from LA to Vegas in Feb with 3 kids on a Friday afternoon and it took *7 hours* due to traffic and stopping twice for food and breaks (baby was 9 months). My 6 year old and 3 year old did great, but were super tired and had their moments after the whole ordeal. We left at 3p and got to the hotel at 10p :(</p> <p>I wanted to do the bedtime thing, but due to something my eldest had at school that Friday and my mom's schedule (she was meeting us there Friday night) we just couldn't. </p> <p>All my other mom friends leave on Thurs nights for Vegas and that's my plan next time we go. Have FUN!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2219061 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 21:53:36 +0000 Mrs. Bee 2219061@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we've done several long trips at naptime and it's worked out really well. they've napped up to 5 hours in the car. never drove at night, but naptime is a great time because if they don't sleep the whole time, you only have to entertain them for a short time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2219046 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 21:35:59 +0000 Ra 2219046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Yep! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2219027 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 20:51:26 +0000 MamaBehr 2219027@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Last summer we started a 24 hour (straight!) drive at nap time. They did NOT sleep at night. It was horrific. They feel asleep, after no naps, at 11:30 when they normally go to bed at 7:30z. They were up at 5 am. It was bad. Drive during the day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2219001 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 20:26:26 +0000 blackbird 2219001@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a 5 hour trip to where my parents live. We leave right before E's second nap or about an hour before bedtime </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2219000 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 20:24:52 +0000 Foodnerd81 2219000@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ra: is he rear facing still? C only threw up the one time in all our trips but it scarred me. (C was fine after I cleaned her up a little). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218999 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 20:24:41 +0000 mrs.shinerbock 2218999@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would not do the wake up early trip. When we visit my ILs, taking the only flight that gets us back to our house before LO's bedtime means we have to get up at 4 am to drive to the airport. We woke her up, checked her diaper and walked straight to the car, but she never fell back asleep and then didn't nap because we were traveling. It was miserable. </p> <p>I would probably leave at nap time, stop for a snack around 3.5-4 hrs into the drive so my LO could run around for awhile, then finish up the last hour. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218987 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 20:01:05 +0000 Ra 2218987@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Yep! He hasn't had any issues with car sickness yet (knock on wood!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218972 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 19:41:34 +0000 matador84 2218972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would personally never drive at night but I know others who would. I travel to visit my parents 5 hours away with both kids a few times a year and I usually shoot for leaving right before morning/afternoon naps so they are worn out. They usually get a good 2-3 hour car nap and then I pack a lunch for them, they eat it, they read some books or watch a movie on the iPad and we are there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218967 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 19:36:31 +0000 Foodnerd81 2218967@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ra: is he ok watching the iPad right after eating lunch? On our last trip I rushed lunch the out her right back in the car seat. No iPad or anything and she threw up all over in the last hour of the trip (which I realized after we arrived :sad: ) I'm kind of terrified to add an iPad to that mix. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218963 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 19:34:53 +0000 Rockies11 2218963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do 3.5 hour drives with our 2 month old and 2 year old, and we leave shortly before bedtime (since they're happy in the car for a bit) and then drive until we get there. Bedtime is 8, so we leave at 7. We are doing a long road trip this summer, and we are planning on only driving from 6:30 pm until we get tired. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218938 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:57:24 +0000 Ra 2218938@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have regularly made 4.5 hour drives with B. I typically leave before nap time and he naps for a chunk, we stop and eat/stretch when he wakes, and then we finish the drive. If he has an iPad to watch movies he does awesome. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218918 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:25:53 +0000 Jess1483 2218918@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I voted middle of the night because it worked well for us, but on second thought would change my vote. Our drive was closer to 11 hours, so we took turns sleeping and driving and the day was almost over when we arrived, so we didn't have long until we got to sleep again. For just 5 hours, I think leaving at night sounds good. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218917 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:24:42 +0000 birdofafeather 2218917@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>for vegas and visiting friends, i'd say leave at night. when we go camping, we leave at 4 am to get a good stretch of sleep but that's because we would have nowhere to sleep at 1 am if we got to the campsite then! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218900 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:11:53 +0000 Mrs. Tiger 2218900@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No way I would do the middle of the night thing. We got the kids up super early to catch a 6am flight once and they both stayed awake the whole car ride and at the airport. It was awful! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218897 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:07:37 +0000 chopsuey 2218897@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would leave right before nap time, have them nap in the car, have some awake time, arrive right around dinner and do bedtime at your friend's place.</p> <p>we did a 5 hour drive last year when DS was 1 and DD was 3. They both did incredibly well! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218880 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:36:45 +0000 Foodnerd81 2218880@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My parents are a five hour drive so we have done the drive several times with our one kid, between ages of a few months old to most recently at 22 months. </p> <p>If dh and I were both going, in the beginning we left at bedtime and transferred. She was usually fine. We would be pretty tired though and she still woke up at her normal time. </p> <p>If I'm alone I don't like to drive so late, so I just leave around 10 am. She usually ends up napping earlier than usual (like will fall asleep at 11 instead of 1.) then we stop for lunch and stretch our legs. Then get back in the car for the last hour or so. That last hour is always the worst part because she is done with the car but I feel a lot better driving during the day. </p> <p>Is traffic better or worse at a certain time?</p> <p>I would not even consider the 3 am thing. You'd be so tired all day!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/5-hour-drive-with-1-and-3-year-olds#post-2218813 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:34:37 +0000 HabesBabe 2218813@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, our good friends live in Vegas (5 hour drive from us) and have been inviting us out there for years... we used to go all the time pre-kids, but ever since we had Char, I didn't want to think about a long drive with a little kid in the car. But now we decided to go next month with two toddlers in the backseat!</p> <p>We're not flying because we aren't going to spend $500 on plane tickets for a 45 min flight. We were thinking of leaving around their bedtime on a Thursday night so we would miss traffic, and they would fall asleep the whole drive there, then continue to sleep once we got to our friends' house. Worse case-- it takes them awhile to fall asleep, but they would be out by 10pm at the latest, then if they wake up once we got to the house, they would eventually fall asleep again around 2 or 3, and they would wake up a little later (8am or so). </p> <p>My girlfriend just took her kids on a drive up to the bay area and they woke them up at 3am, and the kids slept for a good 3-4 hours until waking up. That seems like it would work for the kids, but I feel like us parents would be exhausted from being awake since 3am and having to entertain the kids once they're up for the day when we arrive at our friends' place.</p> <p>What would you do? Or would you do something totally different? </p>