10 hour car journey!

[~Emma~]

 So we are moving in just over a week. The plan was for me to fly with Brodie but DH got a transfer with his job so has to take his company car with him.

 A friend of ours is driving the van with all out stuff. I am taking my car with all the animals ( 4 x cats, 2 x dogs!). DH is taking DS in the car with him.

 He is spirited and does not like sitting still for any length of time. We last did the same trip when he was about 7 mos old and it was 10 hours of screaming with intermittent naps of 30 mins. I am so worried about it, it is consuming me.

 Any ideas on how to keep him amused? The problem is that no-one will be in the car with DH so DS will be in the back with no-one to entertain him. We dont have a DVD player in the car and cant really afford one.

 When we stop we will be letting him run about daft for the duration of the stop to let him stratch his legs.

[anna*]

I'd leave at 6.30pm and do theu the night on Proplus

[~Emma~]

 Not a chance we can do that. Its the 1st time I've ever driven more than 30 miles! DH is worried about me driving it as it is. ( I had suggested this, hence why DS is going in his car!)

 

[anna*]

But if you're going separately, does it matter if you set off at different times?

[~Emma~]

We would just rather go in convoy really. I am pretty nervous about the trip, not the most confident of drivers at the best of times! DH is a bit of a control freak too, would rather we did it as together as we could if we are driving.

 This is why DS is going in his car as I'm so nervous. He cant set the night before anyways as he needs to be here to help load up the van before we go. I just wish I could fly!

 We have done the night trip before with DS too, just as bad really. Less crying but not much sleep, we only stayed for 4 days hence why I tihnk the trip back was so bad. OT just built up, perhaps there will be less crying if we can think of some way to keep him semi-entertained.

 Not too sure about putting in the front, I know the airbags turn off but it is safe? Is it legal even?

[anna*]

Agree with Stacy. If you can't do it overnight, I would just accept that is going to suck, and just try to get through it and keep in mind that it's only 10 hours - even if it feels like forever!

Also to add, the 'Travelling Songs' CD from ELC is pretty great. Stan loves it, and it can turn him from meltdown into happy camper. No guarantees that any adults listening won't go totally insane.

[~Emma~]

Ugh......

 Just thought there might be some magical toy out there with 10 hours of solid entertainment for a 17 month old toddler in a car! No such joy. 

 Is it safe to give him a lollipop do you think? He never gets sweets, ever. Not because we're funny like that, we just dont eat them ourselves and he's never even tasted a sweet before. He does like biscuits though. Methinks herein lies the answer.....food!! 

 

[anna*]

personally I wouldn't give a lollipop if he's in the back and DH is in the front, just because of some scary story I read.

Oh just another thought, if you can't do it overnight maybe you could set off half an hour before nap time, so that at least he won't be spending ALL his day in the car, he can have the morning to run around and have a nice time, have (hopefully) a nice long nap in the car, be grumpy in the afternoon, nice long stop for tea, 30 mins run around, and change into pyjamas, and then (hopefully) go to sleep for the last part of the journey.

[Mashi]

Can the van that is driving your stuff tow your car for you and you can still fly with Brodie? Or could you fly a friend from Scotland down to drive your car back up and then you and Brodie can fly? Or if DH is taking his company car is there any odd chance that someone from the Scotland office will be down south around that point in time and will drive the car back up for him, leaving him to drive your car and you to fly?

Just trying to think of other options.....

[~Emma~]

 Anna - I suggested that to DH, he is just being unbearable about it though. Complete control freak. I think what I am going to do is just keep putting of leaving time in the morning. Get the van packed up then bascially put it off for as long as I can so we can get nearer to nap time. Sly move I know but there is just no talking to him about at the moment.

 He seems to think we will be leaving at 7am after an early brekkie. Hahahaha......I aint getting up at 5 to pack the remainder of the things thats for sure! So it will probably end up being closer to 9/10am. I'm hoping anyway. Its not even me thats got to go in the car with him. I am pretty sure after an hour of bored whinging crying he'll think differently but it'll be too late. We have had harsh words over it. I insisted that he take him, if he's going to dictate times then he can deal with the consequences....I digress, thats all completely another story!

 Mashi - Asked everyone and its just too short notice for anyone to come down and pick up DS/drive my car. Thanks for the thought though.  

 Ohhhhhhh, had a wee bit of a rant in there. More bothered than I thought I was!

 Thanks Ladies.  

 Posted at the same time Stacy, yep I think lollies may be part of the plan over here. 

[momtonb&ab]

if you go to a dollar store and find fun new little things and wrap lots of them, that would buy you lots of time.  also an etch-a-sketch (most dollar stores sell them here) is a HUGE time waster in the car for us - the kids love it.

i regularly do a 6.5 hour drive each way with the kids to see family for the weekend (so go on thurs or friday and leave on sunday).  we've been doing this for 18 months (since we moved here) and the key is to leave earlish in the morning, breakfast in the car (eating buys you  lots of time!!!) then a stop after about 1.5-2 hours for a diaper change and run (and toilet break for grown ups) ... then toys and seriously if you can find a way to afford it the DVD player (or a laptop with one of those car chargers - seasame street has great podcasts on iTunes for free if you don't already have DVD's to watch).  then we stop for lunch and a play (usually somewhere kid friendly like McDonalds - which we HATE but the kids love and it is the only time they get it) and it comes with a toy (another 20 minute time waster when you are back in the car, save the toy until then   ) then hopefully a nap because LO is now tired for afternoon nap.  by the time you have done all that you should be a good 6 hours in to you r car ride or more, and then you are giving toys out of the 'gift' bag. 

good luck to you - you would be surprised  how much better they can be when they are older.  at 7 months he was really small!

[okinawamama]

we just finished up a 1550 mile drive (which translated into 25 hours of driving) and I was a stress case so I totally understand what you're feeling My son is always on the go and never like his car seat, I thought I was going to loose my mind.....but it all went so much better than I thought it would!!

I was able to travel in the back with my son, so my situation will be different.

I'm normally not a tv person, but my son watched as many movies as he wanted (on the portable DVD player). He didn't watch for more than 20 minutes at a time, but it was a life saver. He also ate a TON. The snacks kept him happy. We also took brand new toys, and that worked to entertain him for short spells. We also stopped at Mac Donalds play yards to really get his energy out

Good luck!!
 

[Roseii]

Oh hun good luck!! Just got a recommendation for snacks, if you can order one pretty sharpish you could get it delivered in time:

http://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/detailfash.php?type=FASH&code=A7165&proddesc=Snack+Catcher&supercategory=BRN00042&branch=&wcategory=CAT00274&catdesc=&super=0030BRN00042~0010BRN00052~0040CAT00274&treecode=TRE00009

Great for giving snacks in the car, they can stick their little hands in it and get the snack without spilling *too* much I tend to put raisins/small bits of fruit in it. HTH.

xxx

[Me.and.my.two.boys]

I really like the idea of wrapping things, kills some time. also, i think food will play a big part in keeping Brodie occupied! lol!

it is legal and safe to have the carseat in the front of the car as long as the airbag is disabled!

[Jaime]

there are a few ideas over here that haven't made it into this thread yet:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=127529.0

i echo the SNACKS.... lots of stops w/ runaround time.  do not worry about ds eating at the places you stop; he can eat in the car while driving & it will give him something to do. 

however... i do actually agree with your dh on the leaving time... you are talking a 10-hr drive if you only take minimal stops for food & gas.  stopping every 2 hrs so that your ds can have run-around time can turn this into a 16+ hr drive, and if you aren't that confident, you'll want to make as much of that in the daylight as possible. 

*personally*, i wouldn't put him in the front seat, even if the airbag was turned off. 

[momtonb&ab]

*personally*, i wouldn't put him in the front seat, even if the airbag was turned off.

i would be worried about this too.  if it turns out he likes the front you are going to have a hard time convincing him to go back after teh road trip is done - and of course the safety concerns are paramount.

[Ryan&HollysMom]

any way you can break it up in two? drive half or two thirds, stay overnight, then drive the rest? or get the third guy to tow your car and you sit in the back with ds and entertain him?
i'm so with you, i'm entertaining the idea of doing a 13 hour drive with my two kids by myself to see a friend. and back again too. ugh...