https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:33:14 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2810179 Thu, 15 Mar 2018 21:17:22 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2810179@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@birdofafeather: interesting! I remember my dad peeing in a drink cup on a road trip once. And I think he may have done it while driving. The details are foggy. I was young and in the back somewhere. He hates stopping. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2810121 Thu, 15 Mar 2018 15:33:46 +0000 birdofafeather 2810121@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: no, they call it a portable urinal? it has a bag attached with an absorbent gel so you can pee on the go (both DH and i have used it in the car, sorry for the TMI)</p> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Travel-John-TravelJohn-Disposable-Urinal-pack/dp/B077YQPGRG" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Travel-John-TravelJohn-Disposable-Urinal-pack/dp/B077YQPGRG</a></p> <p>but i did put my fully potty trained 4.5 year old in a pullup for a long trip we had where it was a very very tight timeline for driving a long freaking time. i felt a little bad but we made it, so i'm not above it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2810106 Thu, 15 Mar 2018 14:18:15 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2810106@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: That's a good idea to pack the potty. We had it with us for this 4 hour trip, but we were going to be on a major 4 lane highway and we wouldn't even have been able to stop safely if requested. No accidents on the way there, but one on the way home so I had to wash the car seat cover. Our summer drive will be on back highways where you usually see only a few cars so it will be much easier for us to stop so I may as well pack the potty or a bucket or something. </p> <p>It's nice you're relatively close to Hawaii. We'd definitely want to visit somewhere like you describe Oahu. I wouldn't really be interested in just visiting a place that looks like a big city because those are everywhere. </p> <p>Sounds like a fun trip if you have extra hands! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2810064 Thu, 15 Mar 2018 10:53:02 +0000 gingerbebe 2810064@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We keep a potty kit in our van. Its the small Ikea squatty potty plus in a large wet bag we keep a padded potty ring, extra wipes, pull-ups, and spare clean clothes and undies. That way we are prepared for side of the road stops or truck stops. For a long road trip we do pull-ups and our 3.5 year old still wears a pull-up at night, so its not a big deal. He doesn't LIKE going in his pull-up during the day and we will make an effort to pull over and stop, but its better to have the pull-up on in case there's an accident.</p> <p>RE: Hawaii, its doable for us because its a nonstop 6 hour flight from the West Coast. I wouldn't try to drag the kids to the Bahamas or Europe right now, for sure. We prefer Oahu over Maui. Maybe its because I'm from Southern CA, Maui just feels like Orange County to me. Very upper-class suburban, golfing, and gated communities - so kinda boring personally. Oahu is campier and has that kitschy old Hawaii vibe I dig and its easier to cruise around the island looking at stuff. We have yet to do Kauai or Big Island, but we hope to when our kids are older and a little more able to handle nature and hiking. </p> <p>In Oahu, with our kids at this age, we'd probably be looking at some of the resorts or VRBOs over in Ko Olina because they are condo-style buildings with access to calm man-made lagoons and then day trip to places like North Shore or Waikiki. We have considered purchasing a Disney Vacation Club membership some day on resale to access Aulani, since its too expensive to stay there otherwise and they have great kid-friendly pools and a Kid's Club with drop-off care and what not. Its definitely cheaper just to use a rental and hire one of the reputable nanny services for babysitting on a date night, though. Oahu and Maui both have great nanny services that my friends have used, so we're open to going that route.</p> <p>DH is considering taking the kids to Hawaii sometime in the next year (before the magic age he insists on) because DS1 will be entering kindergarten next fall and we have some friends who are interested in tagging along with us and helping out with the boys. We could go in the off-season, rent a big house, and just all hang out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2810055 Thu, 15 Mar 2018 10:02:43 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2810055@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@autumnleaves: Those are great ideas. Thank you. I'm really nervous about the trip, but I'm excited too and want to do it.</p> <p>@birdofafeather: oh, intriguing! Are they just like depends or something? I feel like that would be excellent. We also just recently potty trained...so I feel like that adds a whole new layer to this. I probably should have asked tips for a potty trained kid and should I just throw a diaper on her too?! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809762 Wed, 14 Mar 2018 09:32:20 +0000 autumnleaves 2809762@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: We did an 18 hour road trip over 2 days at Christmas with a 3 year old and 20 month old and got away somehow with no screen time in the car. In addition to what you noted, we also wrapped gifts to give the kids - some of them were things they had at home but hadn't played with in awhile and some of the gifts were new books or a new dinosaur figure. My 3 year old liked travel bingo - I printed some cards from the internet and he liked putting stickers on the objects he saw on the trip. They both loved listening to Christmas music in the car so maybe a new CD would be good to pull out or something they don't get to listen to often. I was so over a Muppet's Christmas Carol after the trip but it helped them on the trip so much.<br /> DH and I are not up for driving at night so we drove for 2 days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809712 Wed, 14 Mar 2018 07:24:19 +0000 lamariniere 2809712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: there are a few favorites that I’ve downloaded in advance, but I usually just stream them and it works fine that way. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809710 Wed, 14 Mar 2018 07:19:19 +0000 birdofafeather 2809710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our kids do sleep/nap in the car, but we figured out that leaving early morning is best for us. We wake them up, no talking, when it’s dark out, etc and put them in the car and start going. Breakfast foods in the car for everyone. DH and I are fresher that way but I do try to rest my eyes for a bit. Then we figured out to take a break mid trip, for early lunch,stretch the legs. Then we get back in for an afternoon nap and hopefully to our destination before dinner. We are terrible at night and our kids have a way harder time falling back asleep transferring to a new place. This is our ideal and we don’t always hit it but that’s how we like to plan when we can!</p> <p>Also, if you yourself have a small bladder (mine is tiny) then get some porta johns for yourself. I have no shame in peeing wherever I need to and this makes it so we don’t stop prematurely. 🙈 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809708 Wed, 14 Mar 2018 07:00:06 +0000 Anagram 2809708@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lamariniere: i checked out the Stories podcast today---it seems perfect for car trips! Do you DL the podcasts? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809692 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 23:38:16 +0000 ALV91711 2809692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When DS wa ms just over two we had a 12 hour car trip. We figured leaving close to bedtime and driving through the night would be a great idea. It was a disaster and we were all miserable and cranky by the time we got to our destination. </p> <p>Coming back in the same trip we drive through the day and took our time. It went much better. I sat in the back with DS and had lots of toys and snacks. He eventually had a nap. We didn't do any screen time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809669 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 19:26:19 +0000 HappyBaker 2809669@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: Oh yea I should have added the transfer was always sort of a crapshoot, sometimes it went great other times not so much - a lot depended on how amped up the grandparents were when we got to their house haha. We usually would just each sleep with a kid on the first night even though we never co-sleep normally, and then get back to normal bed situations the second night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809667 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 19:19:44 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2809667@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HappyBaker: @lamariniere: I'll check it out.</p> <p>@HappyBaker: I'm the one with the teeny/over active bladder, but if I don't drink anything I could probably just stop once. I would be highly motivated to dehydrate for sleeping kids. That's an interesting idea to leave at that time of the day and have a long dinner break and do the pjs and continue on. That would kind of give us the best of both and wouldn't mean we'd have to drive over night. I'd be nervous about transferring them, but maybe if we got somewhere before 1 am then it would end up okay. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809665 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 19:15:29 +0000 HappyBaker 2809665@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids also love the Stories podcast and there is also a Disney Storie podcast too (but the stories are super short on that one!) </p> <p>My in-laws are 7 hours away and we do that drive every two months and have since they were born (5 and 3 now), so we sort of just had to make it work. </p> <p>When they were your kids ages we would leave around 3:00pm and drive until dinner time. Then we'd stop at a rest stop (bonus points for finding a McDonalds or Chick-Fil-A play place instead!), eat dinner, let them run around a bit, and then change into PJ's. Once we got back in the car we'd do our bedtime routine from home, so I'd read them a book / sing some songs and then say it was time for bed. It would definitely take them longer to fall asleep than it would at home and there would be some tears involved but they'd eventually get there, and once asleep we'd drive the rest of the way without stopping. (PSA - warn your spouse of this plan and don't let them drink too much, I remember having to stop once because DH had to pee and both kids were sleeping and I WAS SO ANGRY when both of them woke up haha.)</p> <p>We did start letting my older one have a tablet (kids leapfrog) that had some 30 minute PBS shows on it around age 2.5 as well, we'd basically hold out as long as possible with giving it to her and limit her to one or two shows. </p> <p>I never sat in the back because I felt like once I started that I'd never be able to sit in the front again! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809664 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 19:07:30 +0000 lamariniere 2809664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids love Stories Podcast. We were on a recent trip and the kids requested it each time we got in the car. They can listen to it for hours, </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809659 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 18:46:49 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2809659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrswin: That's interesting! Could work for the trips if it's light outside. For both of them. Maybe if they pass out, I can just cover their eyes.</p> <p>@MrsADS: Good luck.</p> <p>@gingerbebe: I don't blame him. Where do you go in Hawaii? My husband wants to go one day and so do I, although I'm not sure I can stomach the 14 hour flight...and with kids on top of that. Eek. My longest flight was 9 hours when I was 26 weeks pregnant with my first...so boring and so not fun when pregnant! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809600 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 15:46:03 +0000 mrswin 2809600@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: OK so my kid doesn’t sleep in the car very well, in part I think because she is a tummy sleeper and just can’t get comfortable. We often drive home from my in laws at bedtime (2.5 hr drive) and it takes her a while to fall asleep and then she is restless and almost always wakes up on transfer so for all those reasons we have generally avoided traveling at night.</p> <p>We have had success over the last 6 months or so with getting her to nap in the car with a sleep mask! I kid you not we spent $2 at Walmart one day when we needed to be home earlier in the day and talked it up about how we got her a special sleeping mask which she thought was very cool. We played her white noise app on our phone and gave her all her sleeping things (2 loveys and two blankets oy!). She slept for two full hours in the car which was life changing! </p> <p>We have had success a couple of other trips replicating this :grin: Could be worth a try! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809588 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:55:07 +0000 MrsADS 2809588@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, this thread already makes me dread our next nightmare travel trip to the in-laws. 45 minute drive to the airport, 3.5 hour flight, car rental, then a 4 hour drive (may take 5 with kids). Awful, awful awful. The next time we do it will likely be with a 3 yo and a 6 month old :bummed: Doing it with one was hard enough. 2 sounds impossible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809585 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:41:14 +0000 Pumuckl 2809585@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: we regularly drive 4h each way to visit family. We have started to just leave after dinner at bedtime. They’ll usually fall asleep within 30 minutes. All 4 are rear facing without mirrors because we quickly found out that the mirror was causing our oldest to NOT sleep while in the car (as a baby). For the time they’re still awake we listen to kid’s music or kid’s audiobooks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809572 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:11:26 +0000 gingerbebe 2809572@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: Yeah, we love vacationing in Hawaii, but after that death trip DH was like we're not going back until everyone is at least 3 years old and potty trained (and thus able to be dropped off at a kids club at a resort) and can be entertained with an iPad on the plane.</p> <p>We are also on the every-other-year visit track to the in-laws because sherpa-ing 2 kids is not a game. The one at 27 months and 6 months was actually not terrible relatively speaking, we declined to travel this past Christmas when DS2 was 18 months old, and we will be braving it this Christmas at 4 years 3 months and 30 months. Santa may be bringing everyone a Kindle Fire this year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809570 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:05:32 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2809570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Silva: maybe! The 4 hour trip was our test and my husband said we should do another test that’s longer. </p> <p>@gingerbebe: good reasoning for not doing early morning. Probably why no one suggested it. Those trips sounds scary! It’s interesting that during the first two years there are really good ages and really bad ages just in that two year span. We did a 7 hour flight with our 6 mo Th old and it was a breeze. The 13 month trip was also when I was in my first trimester and already felt like crap while holding a screaming toddler. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809569 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:04:20 +0000 JMOM 2809569@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have been listening to audio books since my kids were small. Our library has a system where you can download them to your phone. We did a lot of road trips when my youngest was 2 and as long as they were age appropriate he loved them. My kids liked the Araminta Spooky books, the Magic Tree House books, Hank the Cowdog, Flat Stanley. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809565 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:56:29 +0000 gingerbebe 2809565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: 3am sounds awful. The kids will wake up with the sun, you will be tired, you'll have to stop for breakfast, then get caught in commute hour. Ugh. </p> <p>Yeah, we had to fly with our oldest to Hawaii when he was 13 months old for a wedding and it was a 6 hour nonstop flight. It was AWFUL. We had to use Benadryl on the way back because the child was just a screaming banshee the whole way there. We had to fly with him again at 18 or 19 months because DH's grandmother died - a 6 hours in a plane with a 2 hour layover while I was 8 months pregnant - and that was also a nightmare.</p> <p>But it wont be forever. We flew again with DS1 later that year when he was 27 months old and the baby was 6 months old and it was SO much smoother. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809563 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:55:07 +0000 Silva 2809563@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: you will do great!! Hopefully it goes smoothly- maybe they will surprise you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809561 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:47:16 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2809561@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: That makes sense about leaving time, and it will be summer so it won't be dark at their usual bedtime as it isn't now either. :(. I was also thinking about maybe leaving early in the morning, 3 am? They sleep until 6 and 6:30. However, that could really backfire because it will be light outside and I might just end up with a couple of extra cranky kids who have been woken up super early...</p> <p>The scarring plane ride which was only 3 hours occurred when our first was 13 months, smack in the middle of your "nightmare age range", so that's good to know. Our youngest will be 11 months at the time of the trip so that makes me a bit nervous. He's pretty agreeable now, but isn't super mobile and being restrained in a a car seat.</p> <p>Hoping as they get older this gets easier because the in-laws aren't moving any closer and neither are we! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809557 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:41:25 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2809557@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@codeitall: Great list and ideas that my toddler would enjoy and I just didn't think of. Thank you. And you're troopers, 12 hours. This 16 hour two day trip is one I want to make about once every 2 years, which is actually what we have done thus far so I'm good with that frequency. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809555 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:39:29 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2809555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownepiano: That's a good idea to hide favourites. I did actually bring a toddler "e-reader" that reads the books and you press a new button for each page, but she didn't read the books with it, just pressed the buttons for an hour while I handed back a tiny raisin box with cheerios in it and refilled every 10 minutes. It was something I grabbed running out of the house last minute and it had only been played with twice since Christmas. Stopping was a 10 minute fix. She was SO bubbly and happy and ecstatic and then we'd get back in the vehicle and it would quickly deteriorate after 15 minutes.</p> <p>@Silva: I don't even like road trips! haha. I get mild anxiety thinking about the trip, but I feel like being stuck in a vehicle is better than being stuck in a plane with a kid losing their crap, well two kids...because we did it with our first and it scarred me. At least we have the option to stop if we want to. My kids don't transfer at all so we'd have to time it well that we get to our destination when its morning or close to. I think my husband would probably do most of the driving or maybe the late night portion and I could sleep for a few hours and then do the really early morning or something. We'll have to discuss it. He is a hardcore road tripper and has driven the 16 hours in one day, but I can't handle being in the car that long and I definitely wouldn't attempt that with kids.</p> <p>@FaithFertility: Colour wow is a good idea as the markers I passed back quickly became skin and car seat markers...bad plan on my part.</p> <p>We did this trip with our first at 9 months over two days and just took a bag of toys and passed one back every once in a while and it actually wasn't bad. That was an idea I read on here before we went on our trip. If we were just travelling with our current youngest I wouldn't even be concerned at all. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809551 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:31:33 +0000 codeitall 2809551@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My family lives 12 hours away and we almost always drive it in one go there and then again back. DS is 3 and DD is almost 1 and we've done that trip probably every 4-6 months.</p> <p>Here's my pack list:<br /> Cars<br /> Planes<br /> Manipulative wood toys (like this: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maxim-Enterprise-INC-Fidgetz-Transform/dp/B00332IF1S)" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Maxim-Enterprise-INC-Fidgetz-Transform/dp/B00332IF1S)</a><br /> I Spy books<br /> A large Richard Scarry book<br /> Where's Waldo style books (note the bigger the better actually, because then DS can rest the top on the chair in front rather than trying to hold it upright in his little lap)<br /> Fun little containers to pass little amounts of candy/treats back and forth (we use a plastic little hinged container we probably got from McDonald's)<br /> Etch a Sketch<br /> A Magnetic tray with scene magnets (this one has been a huge hit: <a href="https://deseretbook.com/p/magnetic-cars-planes-and-trains-q12)" rel="nofollow">https://deseretbook.com/p/magnetic-cars-planes-and-trains-q12)</a><br /> Teethers<br /> Stuffed animals that you can use to play hide and seek around seats<br /> New toys from the dollar store<br /> Stickers<br /> Little coloring pads and colored pencils<br /> Water wow<br /> I spy homemade bottles (<a href="https://feltmagnet.com/crafts/How-to-Make-an-I-Spy-Bottle" rel="nofollow">https://feltmagnet.com/crafts/How-to-Make-an-I-Spy-Bottle</a>)<br /> Cheerios (multi grain are more interesting) and pipe cleaners for threading/eating (extra straws pair surprisingly well with the pipe cleaners too)<br /> Felt boards (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GTXN9XG/" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GTXN9XG/</a>)</p> <p>Finally, I do include an old phone with some puzzle apps and downloaded Netflix shows and kid headphones for DS when he reaches his limit, or when it gets dark.</p> <p>Major caveat with this: while I do generally sit up front, on occasion, I jump back to the middle to get DD to stop crying. Sometimes in the middle of nowhere when we don't see a place to stop, I feed her in the car. We really try to limit our stops as it is so hard to get them back in the car. Sometimes we have as little as two stops, but I think our highest was 5. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809550 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:30:39 +0000 gingerbebe 2809550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: My kids are definitely sleep at home in their bed kids too - they have rarely ever taken carseat naps and we never try to either, so I get it. We recently had to drive out of town and both kids slept for 30 minutes each for nap that day.</p> <p>We left 2 hours after bedtime because by then it would be dark and they were deeply asleep, so the logic was they would be groggy and since it was dark outside, hopefully they would lull back to sleep. It took them about 30-45 minutes once we hit the road, but then they were out for most of the drive. </p> <p>The way the drive back ended up working on that trip was that DS1 was exhausted. He had missed his morning nap and he had a lot of snacks to keep him happy in the morning and lots of attention from family, so by the time he hit the car, he was just full and really tired. We didn't expect them to nap for 2 hours - I think 60-90 minutes is a great car nap - but it just ended up happening because they had just had so much activity that weekend. Either way, we would have just pushed through those 2 hours with songs and whatever until 3pm when we scheduled to stop. At age 1, there's not much you can do to make a kid in a carseat happy if they're upset. I think when he was pissy I just threw some small soft toys at him to play with and he'd play for a few seconds and throw them on the ground. Then I'd gasp and chide him in a mock-outraged voice and he'd laugh and we'd repeat for a while until he cheered up a bit. </p> <p>We did one leg at night and one leg during the day because physically DH and I would be too exhausted to only drive at night and then cope with the kids during the day (unless we took the day off after we got home and the kids went off to daycare for the day while we slept?) </p> <p>Our kids are 3.5 and almost 2 now. Our youngest is far more food motivated than DS1, so there are lots of snack traps of fun snacks when we travel with him in the car. He also has his own musical preferences now, so we have to keep his jams on deck. We also keep a few books that he likes.</p> <p>With DS1, he's really into music and his shows, so if we were to do this drive now, we'd probably keep a stash of small musical toys like maracas or tiny toy guitar or those dollar store mics and do a little sing a long that way to his jams. </p> <p>I will say between 12-24 months was the hardest time to travel with both of our kids - car or plane - with 12-18 months being the worst. We TRY not to have to travel in that age range if possible because its just hard to make someone that age happy and they get frustrated and want to squirm and run around. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809540 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:13:47 +0000 brownepiano 2809540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: oh, I meant what kind of toy and then gets new ones/more in that category. If I handed my 3.5 year old hand puppets last year he'd be done in 5 minutes. But if I buy him a new truck book and truck stickers, he's busy for 20 minutes. I also hide favourite toys for a few weeks and then packed them to go with us.</p> <p> We do an 8 hr car ride about once a year and the last hour or two are brutal. I would drive through the night if either of us were night owls but we just aren't. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/non-movie-road-trip-distractions#post-2809539 Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:10:33 +0000 Silva 2809539@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Goose: I mean, we did it. It gets done. I'm just a fan of accepting it will be a miserable, miserable time so that I'm not surprised! :)<br /> We decided to drive from Atlanta to New Orleans (we had flown to Atlanta to visit friends, and wanted to go to NOLA to visit other friends while we were reasonably close- closer than the north east!)<br /> We did it instead of flying because we thought it would be easier (and my husband doesn't like to fly). After we did it, we both felt that we would probably fly if we had to do it again, at those ages. It was just a lot to ask of them.<br /> It sucked for me too- its hard to be in the car that long entertaining people!</p> <p>ETA: I have a lot of friends who drive overnight, and it works for them. I'm always so tired that I just can't fathom it. We did try leaving at bedtime once when my daughter was probably two, and it kind of backfired because she slept for about four hours and then when we arrived she was WIDE awake for two more hours before we could finally get her down. She just didn't transfer well. </p>