Travel question...

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Travel question...
14
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 10:00pm
We are planning a cross country move in 6 weeks.


 

 thFootpr

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2001
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 10:08pm
portable dvd player is necessity #1!!!

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 10:13pm


 

 thFootpr

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-22-2003
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 10:16pm

So you're jumpin' the Illinois ship too, huh Crystal? Here's hoping we won't be too far behind you. :-)

We once made an 18 hour trip with our son. Probably the best thing we did was wrap up little gifts (mostly dollar store stuff) and for every pre-determined length of time that he was not totally unbearable, he got to open a new surprise. We also gave him a map and put big circles on the towns that we knew we'd be stopping in for food, potty breaks, etc.

If I had to do it all over, I'd definitely invest in a portable DVD player and a good set of headphones. They're remarkably affordable nowadays. I'd also Google the towns we'd be stopping in to find a park where he could run around. Even 20 minutes of physical activity can be of incredible help to a child. Like us, their joints get stiff when they're stuck sitting for so many hours at a time. Some fresh air and a jungle gym would probably be a huge help!

Good Luck~
Amy

Meez 3D avatar avatars games

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2001
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 10:25pm

Bobby jsut turned 5.

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 10:26pm

wow the gift things are a great idea too!! thank you!


 

 thFootpr

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 10:29pm
those are cool! Thank you Tina!


 

 thFootpr

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2001
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 10:47pm

We got the kids something called the taby tray

http://www.familyonboard.com/car_seat_travel_trays.html


 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 10:54pm
oh i'm anal...he is still in a 5 point carseat :)


 

 thFootpr

Avatar for betz67
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 8:09am

Hi,

We made a cross country move from WI (grew up in IL, lived in Rockford for many years) to South Carolina almost 3 yrs ago. We now go back to IL and WI at least once a year(3x in 2006) for family visits.

We have a DVD player, our kids love books on tape sometimes w/ headphones sometimes we all listen esp w/ the book to follow along in. Owen (now 5) has a Diego magnetic play set (found it at Target). We have some felt play sets, too. We also love Leap Pads and the Leapster. We have very old gameboys-- but they still work fine and they have about 20 games. We schedule stops about every 3 hours-- but we always have some unexpected potty stops (Weston, 10 ASD, when he says he needs to go we stop ASAP). Our older kids have iPods and the younger kids have CD players (we have all the Backyardigans, Lazytown, Veggietales, Dora and other cds). Coloring books, we save preschool magazines-- w/ all the picture finds in them. Our kids are really into the Picture Puzzles as well. Our most important thing is the blankies-- all our kids even the 15 yr old must have one of their blankets when traveling.

At rest stops we play tag w/ the kids-- even just 15 min of running helps. We always challenge Owen to stand on his head (something sensory he does when he's overstimulated, always works), If the rest stop has a hill we will roll down it. We also have our kids climb on and jump off of the picnic tables if there isn't a playground. We always have bubbles, jump rope and balls in the truck to stimulate activity when we stop. When the weather is ok, we always take a picnic and go somewhere to eat-- that way the kids don't have to deal w/ a crowded fast food place which will often send them into meltdown on a long trip.

We always drive it straight through (14-18 hrs depending on where we're going first). We leave at 4am and trade off driving until we get there. The kids usually take at least one nap. The kids think it's really cool to drive at night and they're usually silent but not asleep when we leave early.

best wishes on your move.

Betsy

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 9:04am

You've already gotten some excellent advice, so I only have one thing to add.


Long distance drives are about the only time

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com

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