https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 04 Nov 2026 04:00:58 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807578 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 22:32:38 +0000 tlcbaby 1807578@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Chocolate: Thank you - I am going to check out that post!</p> <p>@Applesandbananas: @Weagle: I like the idea of leaving really early or right before nap so he gets some sleep in the car. I guess we might have to base some of it on our check-in date/time for the hotel.</p> <p>@avivoca: New toys - that is a good idea! Plus I always forget to switch out his toys at home so I don't even think he knows half of his toys exist so they will be new to him if I bring them. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807536 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 21:44:28 +0000 Weagle 1807536@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not crazy! We've done as long as 16 hours, but do 12 -13 hour trips at least 3x/year and have been since LO was 6 months old. We've found that leaving a few hours before normal wake-up time works best for us. We get a few hours into the trip, LO wakes happy, and then when she starts getting a bit fussy we can stop for breakfast and running around. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807431 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 20:31:49 +0000 yin 1807431@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're headed back home tomorrow with a 3 year old and 9 month old and planning on starting our trip back after dinner. It's only 6 hours, and we're hoping both will fall asleep for most of the trip. On our way down to our destination we started in the morning, and we ran into a lot of hurdles (bad traffic, whiny baby who didn't like being in the car all day, bored toddler, and bathroom breaks that would always wake up the baby). Hoping traveling at night will be better for them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807395 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 20:10:19 +0000 avivoca 1807395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you are crazy, then I am insane for taking H on a 10-hr. Road trip when she was six months old. :silly: </p> <p>On the way down, we stopped halfway and stayed the night. For both drives, we bought some new toys and had a little toy exchange every hour. We also stopped every couple of hours to change her and let her stretch. She took naps well in the car, so that was nice. Have fun! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807378 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 19:47:05 +0000 Mrs. Chocolate 1807378@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@tlcbaby: I edited my original post as I hit send too soon on my phone by accident.</p> <p>Have a great trip! Let me know if you have any more questions</p> <p>Drive was 14 hours I believe </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807374 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 19:42:52 +0000 tlcbaby 1807374@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Chocolate: That is where we are headed :) and to the beach. How long of a drive was it for you? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807372 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 19:42:32 +0000 Applesandbananas 1807372@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We left in time for his nap. He takes a two hour nap around noon, then we had games, the iPad, and snacks to keep him occupied until dinner. We stopped for dinner, he got to stretch his legs, run around, etc., then he slept well in the car, zonking out around his usual bedtime! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807369 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 19:39:07 +0000 Mrs. Chocolate 1807369@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just got home from Disney driving from Nj with a 4 year old and a 1 year old</p> <p>Sorry phone hit send too soon</p> <p>ETA We left around 7 PM on Thursday night driving down and drove through the night til about 8 AM where we crashed in Savannah. We left too soon and realized we would be in Disney a day before our reservations started so we stopped but we might have been able to do it all the way between DH and I but it was rough at the end. DH drove til 6 AM after a full day of work and I took over the last 2 hours to get so to the hotel in Savannah. I might have been able to do the remaining 5 hours but it would have been rough as we all crashed. The kids were ok as they slept but it was on and off with all the gas stops and such we had to take My son was up longer than he was use to but he napped later My little one would sleep but wake up at every rest stop but would quickly fall back asleep once we moved. I stroked her hair from the front seat until she settled. </p> <p>Coming home we left around noon on Friday and my husband drove through the night and we made it home at 5 AM During the day I used a variety of things to entertain them</p> <p>I blogged about it here</p> <p><a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2014/07/21/roadtrip-essentials/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2014/07/21/roadtrip-essentials/</a></p> <p>My daughter passed out around 7ish and stayed asleep (minus gas breaks like before) and slept in til 10 after we got home. My son stayed up to midnight but his schedule was off all week with the parks and slept til around 9 as well. </p> <p>I found driving through the night easier as they slept, less cars, less traffic incidents, faster speeds. We hit more traffic incidents going down then coming home </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807365 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 19:35:07 +0000 swedishfish 1807365@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We used to drive to Disney. My sisters were young...not as young as A though. We would leave at 2 or 3 AM but it was a 24 hour drive for us and we would stop overnight.</p> <p>ETA - actually one of them might have been as young as 1.5. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-road-trip-with-toddler-when-to-hit-the-road#post-1807345 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 19:24:16 +0000 tlcbaby 1807345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sooo...let's put aside the fact that we may be crazy for taking a 14 hour road trip to Florida with LO. :) What time of day have you had the most success leaving for a long trip? Early in the morning? Overnight? Drive all day?</p> <p>We have a few weeks, but I am already thinking of ways to keep LO occupied in the car as much as possible, but want to maximize his happiness (my sanity) on the trip. </p>