Since we essentially live in the middle of nowhere, the shortest drive my children (ages 2 and 3) have is about an hour; when we go to Southern Indiana to see Grandma and Grampie - it is 10 hours! So, I've gotten pretty good in the entertainment department...Often it is just the kids and me when we make the 10 hour trek. I'm driving so I can't turn around every ten minutes to get something for them. To solve this problem, I put a large Rubbermaid tub in between the two back seats in our van. That way the kids can reach the toys and they stay much happier, they can also set their drinks and snacks on the table when they need their hands for something else. Occasionally a toy does fall (as you can see, the tub is overflowing,) but S and K know they will have to wait until we stop for gas to get that toy back.
Also on the toy front, we have toys that remain in the car all the time. That way they are special and it is a treat to get to play with them. (Remember, I live on an island where cars are illegal, so the kids only ride in the car about twice a month.) The favorite car toy we have right now is the Magna Doodle. It is a great toy that the kids love, and best of all I think they were $3.00 each on clearance at Toys R Us. Lola the dog and Arial the elephant (our swap stuffed animals) love the magna doodles too.
One last thing: To make the trip shorter for the kids I get on the road at 5:00 am. (You read that right - 5:00 in the morning!) I get the car all warmed up, lift them from their beds, put them into their car seats and cover them with blankets. Often they will sleep until eight or so. (My daughter is still in diapers and my son sleeps in a Pull-up, so wetting the car seats is not an issue for us.) It cuts a few hours off the trip for them making the day easier on me - even if I do have to be up before most everyone else.
4 comments:
Great ideas, Liz. My husband and I once left CA at around 8pm, so we could drive straight through to WA while our son was alseep for the bulk of the trip. The only problem was by the time we arrived at about noon the next day, he wanted to run and play and all we wanted to do was sleep.
P.S. I totoally love the stuffed animals--you are so creative!
They are from the book Sock and Glove by Miyako Kanamori.
do you keep your car at your home? and, are you allowed to drive it to the ferry or whatever you use to get off the island?
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