Last week Katie's Nesting Spot and ABC & 123 posted about how to keep your kids occupied while traveling. A few days ago Michael and I decided to make the 9 hour car trip to Oklahoma to see his parents. Jacob has made the trip twice a year since he was about 5 months old and Tyler has made the trip twice. I agree with Katie that it is so much easier when they are younger becuase they sleep the majority of the time.
Now that they are older I am having to be creative and think of new and exciting things for them to do so they do not go stir crazy. I would like to say that the dvd player solves our problems, but just like anyone else they get sick of watching tv too.
Here are a few things we carry along with us:
- DVD's: I made sure when I got my new car that it either had a dvd player or we had one installed. During the times when the kids are restless and just want to sit back and relax it is nice to be able to pop in a movie and hand them their earphones so we can listen to the radio or talk without interruption. Jacob's favorite movies are: Night at the Museum, Cars and Madagascar 2. Tyler favorite movies are: Madagascar 2 and 102 Dalmations. We alternate who gets to pick out which movie to watch.
- Art Bag: Both boys love to color so I keep a few coloring books and two boxes of crayons in a bag for them. I thought about markers but I then decided that would be a bad idea if Tyler decided to put them in his mouth.
- Resuraunt Helpers: I am with Katie on this one... I used to carry around the plastic mats that stick to the table, but now that the kids are older and I don't worry as much I use the ones that are also coloring mat. I have not been able to find ones that I can order online but I use the ones that you get at the resturant. And thank you Katie for the travel sippy cup idea. You wouldn't believe how many I have lost while traveling.
- Snacks: I like to keep healthy snacks on hand just in case the boys get a little hungry between meals. My favorite ones to keep with us are: Fruit Snacks, Goldfish and Teddy Grahams. You can either buy them in the box or you can buy the individual ones, which I find easier because you can just give each kid one and they dont fight over who gets more.
We also:
- Schedule Periodic Breaks: My kids get restless and like to get out and stretch their legs . We try to stop every two hours or so just because Jacob has to potty often and Tyler gets super restless if he can't get out of the car every once in a while. And I know they like to run around to burn off some energy. We do try to plan the majority of our driving for the late evening or night time so the kids will sleep the majority of the way. It makes it just a little easier when they sleep a good portion of the time.
- Comforts of Home: I made Jacob a John Deere blankie when he was a year old and ever since then he has been attached to it. Every where we go the blankie goes. And since Tyler does not have a blankie, any blankie works for him. We also take the pack n play for Tyler to sleep in along with his pillow and his stuffed doggie. Jacob is a little easier and just requires his blankie and pillow. They both enjoy waking up with some fimiliar things around them in a new place.
I hope that these were a help and I can't wait to go back and read some of the other blogger tips too!
See we're so much alike! Our kids even like the same movies☺ The coloring placemats that are self stick are great for the odd restaurant that don't have coloring kid's menus - not that we go to those often. They're also good for the handful of times we were at places when they RAN out of coloring menus. Seriously, that can stink if you're not prepared. I found mine at Babies R Us, got one near you? I've also seen them at Target from time to time. But since they're older save yourself the hassle and just keep a cheap pad of paper in the car with crayons. That's what I plan to do when we run out of the set we've got. She likes that better anyway. I totally for got to mention the snacks, we also go for individual snacks because then you don't have to worry about packing baggies and or containers that will get lost.
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