One of my biggest worries about going on vacation this year was how Caleb would handle being confined to the car for long periods of time. He did surprisingly well, considering his usual day has included running around a playground, climbing around our house, and bouncing in his crib. He was a super trooper!
Here are some of the strategies we used to help the trip go smoothly.
Strategy #1: Independent Play
I packed a diaper box full of toys for our trip. It included old toys and new toys, real toys and homemade toys. You’ve seen the best featured in the recently awarded CTTAs. Other standouts included magnets on a cookie sheet and a water bottle with random items inside.
Strategy #2: Play with Mommy
When Caleb was fed up with his toys and playing by himself, I’d move into the backseat and we’d play together. Board books were a lifesaver even though we read them over and over (and over). Caleb also had fun pointing to different body parts I’d name or making animal sounds for animals I’d say. “This Little Piggie” was also a good game to get out some giggles. Videos to come!
Strategy #3: Have Realistic Expectations
There will be crying. And yelling. Accept it. Expect it.
Strategy #4: Be creative.
Find toys along the way. Caleb enjoyed navigating for us using a newly acquired (and free) map of Tennessee. Thankfully we already knew where we were going, but it kept him occupied for a bit!
Strategy #5: Eat in the Car
Caleb needs to sit still when he eats anyway so why not feed him in the car? Although Caleb did get a few extra snacks at times, I still tried to make it “lunchtime” by giving him a bib and actual lunch-type food.
Strategy #6: Take a break
We would look for a rest area after Caleb had eaten lunch. At one stop, we found a playland in lieu of a rest area. Then Caleb could run, jump, and climb while we made lunch for ourselves. Burning some energy at this point in the day made the next strategy possible.
Strategy #7: Hope for a nap.
Drive and do not stop until after the nap is over.
Strategy #8: Be flexible.
Go with the flow. Lunch time might not be at lunchtime. Naptime might be early, late, short, or not at all. Not only did I need to hold my plans loosely for our days of travel (especially when it took us three times as long to leave the national park as it did to enter it), I also had to be physically flexible. One benefit of having a sedan is that I could reach many of the places where Caleb would drop his toys. Thankfully I wasn’t more pregnant than I was because it required a lot of twisting and turning and stretching that I don’t think I could do nearly as well in a few months.
What do you do to survive and enjoy long car rides (with or without toddlers)?
2 comments:
well congratulations. You did abetter job than I did when Arlene was that age. Augh. She does great now. One toy entertained her for 15 hours going to Montana. And the rest stops with playgrounds. What a great idea!
KS-You're just teaching Arlene to have a longer attention span, right?
Post a Comment