Experts Needed

We took a road trip out to Hilton Head with an 18-month old. I can't even tell you how many times we sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but it was a LOT. It was the only thing that would stop his crying.

We've done quite a bit of traveling with babies and toddlers. We carried powdered formula and bottled water, for mixing on the go without worrying about refrigeration.

A portable DVD player is a must-have, as well. Our van doesn't have built-ins, so we bought a set that has two screens--the older boy can play video games on one while the little ones watch Nemo or Mermaid or whatever. Plus, you can plug in headphones.

We tend to stay in places with kitchens, but in 2006 we stayed at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo hotel. It worked eating-out wise because the kid's meals were free in the Garden dining area. I hate paying six bucks for a kid's meal when you know they're only going to take a few bites.

For the long car rides, I let each of the kids fill a small bag with toys for the road.

Oh, and we like to get up really, really early for travel. We bundle the kids in the car with blankets and pillows and by the time they've woken up, we're halfway to our destination.

Here are my 2cents:

We've traveled with the boy by air domestically six times in his short 2-year life, so I think we're fairly seasoned at it.

Before leaving, double check the TSA Web site for the latest updates on traveling with children/toddlers. When in doubt, you can e-mail the TSA with a question. They will reply (any answers you get, print and take with you. An e-mail directly from the TSA trumps what the person at security tells you.)

Take a copy of your child's birth certificate with you. (A copy, not the original.) IMHO if both parents are traveling, each one should have a copy.

Bring books, lovies and snacks/beverages for the little ones. Snacks for toddlers are not subject to the 4 oz. liquid rule. (But all snacks must be declared before going through security.)

Babies/toddlers are allowed their own zip lock bag of toiletries (even if they're not old enough or heavy enough to need a ticket).

okay, I just realized that I've got a ton of them...I'll PM you.

I've traveled with all of my kids as toddlers including twin toddlers.

If you have specific questions, PM me here and I'll do my best to answer.

I've traveled many times w/two little ones, now aged 2 and 4. Almost 3 and 5 (sob).

One was a complete nightmare trip that I took on my own with a nursing baby and a 2-year-old. The good news is that the airline let hubby walk me to the gate (that is NOT easy to convince them to do post-9/11). I went to visit my folks. On the return trip, they wouldn't let my dad help me to the gate. I guess it all depends (as so much does) on the kindness of strangers.

Anyway, that's probaby not terribly helpful, but if you have other q's let me know!

When I took road trips with my two toddlers way back in the pre-electronic age, I would give them each a bag of toys I'd saved--stuff from clearance sales, prizes from Kids Meals, etc. Since all the toys were things they hadn't played with before, it would keep them occupied for quite a while. When the trip was over, I'd pack the bags away so the toys would be "new" and interesting the next time we traveled.

I've done a bit of road traveling with my kids, now aged 2, 4, and 6. We live in a small town (technically a village), so when we go to "town" it means that we're going to be on the road for at least 40 minutes, each way. I've seen adults get more fidgety than my kids for this amount of time in a car; they're so used to riding for that long.

When my oldest was a baby, he couldn't stand being in the car. He'd scream the whole time, even if it was just for a mile to and from our house. So I started (for my own sanity's sake) to build up his tolerance by taking him for a ride every day. I'd go to the post office and then for a loop into the country and back, playing the same soothing songs on the stereo each time. It took about a week before he settled into the routine. And longer trips became a breeze, soon after.

We do have a DVD player in the car; like Siddow, ours is an aftermarket that we bought for less than $250. Surprisingly, the kids don't always watch it. It's been invaluable for the really long trips. My SIL has one that also runs on batteries, and until her son was old enough to sit still for longer periods, she'd take it even into restaurants.

I do the "trip bags" for the kids, too. I try to save things for different parts of the trip. And some treats are reserved only for road trips. My kids know we're having an adventure when we pack Little Debbie's pumpkin cookies. (Available only in the fall, but we always take our vacations, then.)

We love rest stops--they give the kids a chance to run, let them have a chance to pick out a snack (sometimes), and let them learn about the location we're in at the moment. We long ago learned never to eat at the fast food places with play areas. The kids don't want to eat, and the food isn't that great or good for you. They never want to leave the play area and they get really wound up while there, and they are generally unhappy when you tell them it's time to go--regardless of how long you've already been there. Stopping at those places will eat a big hole in your travel time budget, and you'll end up getting to your destination much later and everyone will be crankier for it.

We do take brief detours for local attractions, sometimes. We all get to learn something new and have a surprise experience. And it usually doesn't cost us much more in time or money.

We videotape parts of our travel, as well. If we hadn't, we'd never have gotten a shot of our son singing "Old McDonald" to himself. We'd also have missed capturing the general silliness and giddiness that comes of being trapped in a small space with each other for hours at a time. (Thankfully, no one has recorded the meltdowns that come with it. And the kids aren't always the ones who have the meltdown!)

Sorry LG - I didn't post cause my daughter has always been fantastic in the car since day one. Maybe cause she was born in one

We drove from MN to PA with her when she was 2 & 4 & drove from MN to Oklahoma when she was 6. I took every drawing thing imaginable... leap pad etc... all she did was smile & stare out the window or nap She's a dream ( I think she was switched in the hospital - this cannot be my child )

She's 11 now - we do 2 or 4 hrs every weekend - she's still a dream. Books, CD player & gameboy are brought along - she usually self entertains anyway

Good Luck!

lostgirl said:

stalkerbug, you're the devil.

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Duh ...

lostgirl said:

I don't know how you got so lucky..

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Well... perhaps its Daddy DNA... he is the "nice one"

~Buying new toys and holding them until taking a trip is a wonderful way to keep a child's attention.
~If you are taking a road trip consisting of say 1800 miles, you will want to plan out everything ahead of time. Know where all the rest stops are, cities, hotels (especially kid friendly ones!) and break it up.
~If you have a child that sleeps later in the day, get an early start so they sleep the first few hours and plan your first stop for shortly after they awake. Same goes for early risers and early to bed. Get a later start, allowing them to play in the morning and sleeping during the last few hours of your travel.
~Always take frequent breaks where children can run around. While I'm not suggesting that you plan an hour long lunch at every fast-food place on the road, it's great to pack lunches and snacks for the drive and stop at McDonalds to grab a cookie and take advantage of the play room. Let your child play for an hour before getting back into the car.
~The same goes for eating at fast food places. Take the food with you and encourage your child to play for as long as possible while there. Having been siting for lengthy amounts of time, it's much harder for them to sit in a restaurant when they could be up moving about.
~Have a personal belongings bucket for each child. It can be a small tub where they pack their own things, you pack various coloring/writing things, etc. Magna doodles, etch-a-sketch, cards. All of those things will keep a child occupied for hours!

Hi Lostgirl,

I have a 3 (almost 4) and 10 months (almost 11 months).

We travel a lot, mostly 2-hour trips to see my mum who lives in Sydney. Thankfully, my kids are great travellers. They can normally endure this amount of time in a car with little complaint.

We recently travelled to Queensland. We had the choice of an eight hour road trip or an hour by plane. I'm terrified of flying. We took the plane.

Keep a spare set of clothes, a large towel and a sickbag handy.

I used to travel a lot.

I LOVED seeing moms with a couple of toddlers at the airport. I offer to help them get it all on board ... and I'd be on first and all settled before the stampede.