Some travel tips for a road trip with an 18 month old?
We’re driving from Baltimore to Boston (about 8-9 hours) and I need some suggestions on cost effective ways to keep my 18 month old son entertained/fed. We don’t eat fast food so those things are out of the question and we try to keep things pretty healthy. Is there a website available that can help us plan our route so we can plan on places to eat that don’t include rest stops?
Thanks!
We drove from New York to Colorado when our twins were 18 months, we drove 8-10 hours per day for 4 days. If you can afford it get a portable DVD player, or even borrow one. When things began to get unbearable we would put a video on for the kids and it would quiet them down for a little while. I normally don’t agree with them and we haven’t used it since that trip (6 months ago) but for the long drive it was a lifesaver.
Our kids don’t like fast food either. We ate it ourselves but stopped at supermarkets for food for the kids which I packed in a cooler for them. I also bought a few small new toys for them and would introduce them when they began to get bored. Each toy was worth about an hour of quiet time, it was wonderful. Be sure to stop frequently and let him walk around at rest stops (watching him carefully of course) to burn off extra energy. Good luck!
Edit: Try the AAA website to plan your trip. I haven’t used it but others have told me it’s very good.
I don’t know of any web sights to help you but, but i can give you a few suggestions, such as Great a bag full of all healthy snacks. cereal granulates ETC so what if he ends up eating a little more then usual at least hes happy in the bar, also back lots of books and kids cds sp that you can all get into singing the songs he will enjoy this, make sure to have a favorite blanked and stuffed animal easily accessible for when he starts to get tired also try bringing, some color wonder markers and paints and such, this way he gets the thrill of painting in the car and there is no mess that should keep his distracted for a while…….i did mind to find a few websights with travel ideas…… http://www.tinytravelers.net/articles/article/11043/p/151?gclid=CNHu1YK8mpYCFQOcFQodegkD6Q and http://www.ehow.com/how_4568_road-trip-with.html and also http://www.kidscantravel.com/tipstravelkids/ontheroad/tripsinfantstoddlers/index.html
i travel every two weeks with my daughter who is three and have been doing so for about a year and a half. our road trip is 8 hours and at first it was a total nightmare. the dvd player really worked when she was crabby i put on a movie and she would fall asleep for a bit. also on the warmer days i would pack some bubbles so she could blow bubbles at the rest stop and chase them around. stopping was very important for her so she could run and stretch her muscles. now we have a stretch routine we do before we get in the car to leave and at every stop we make. i would suggest taking a cooler and putting healthy snacks and juices it will keep your costs down as well if you bring your own food. i found a website that helps with planning. its called www.momsminivan.com good luck and drive safe on your road trip