Road Trip and Small Kids

[Elizabeth86]

DH and I are planning a trip for next year to visit family. The kids will be 7, 5 and 3 next fall. Online driving directions has the trip estimatef to be 12 hours and 25 minutes. Dh thinks we can get there in 1 day, I think he is nuts. What do you think?

[regentrude]

I think it is  a bit long. When our kids were these ages, we tried not to drive more than 8 hours a day.

However, if you have to fit it in one day, you could try to start very early in the morning, like 4am, and hope for the kids to sleep a few hours. Breaking the drive into smaller portions by taking a few longer breaks may help. And finishing the drive in the evening with sleeping kids could, too.

But if at all possible, I would prefer to split it in a day and a half with young kids.

[marbel]

That trip in one day would never have worked for my kids.  With bathroom, eating, and leg-stretching stops, it would be at least 15 hours and everyone would be crabby.  We did much better when we broke the trip up; bonus if we stayed in a motel with a pool so the kids could swim before bed.  YMMV of course.  I know people who do those sorts of drives routinely and it seems to work for them.  

[EMS83]

I agree with the PPs, but do sympathize with your DH. I hate having multiple travel days on each end when I could have one. And it's cheaper. I'm the driver and budgeter. But everyone arriving miserable sooner and for less money does make one wonder if the savings are really worth it. :D

Edited June 7, 2017 by CES2005

[Ottakee]

It can be done but I agree it would.be much easier to break it into 2 days. Some families though leave at 8-9pm and drive through the night and the kids (ideally) sleep more. We never did though.

 

One thing we did when ours were very young was stop at parks or McDonald's playlands etc and NOT expect the kids to eat there. We left them play the entire time and run around etc. Then once they were back in the car we fed them. This only works if you allow eating in the car.

[creekland]

The absolute longest we cared to do when roadtripping (even without young kids) is 10 hours of driving time.  Traffic often slows things down - as does eating and stretch breaks.  Travel is far more enjoyable when it can be fun - stopping along the way for a nice break (to see something) and then spending the night somewhere and arriving earlier at your destination.

 

Also... when we did long hours in the car with young kids we always stopped somewhere where they could play while we adults ate.  This could be fast food with a play area or it could be a local park.  That was all weather and area dependent.  It's very important that kids get to really stretch.  We got their food to go and they ate in the car after stretching a bit.  That helped with time too.

 

The longer we (adults) spend in the car the longer our stretch breaks are too.  It's better for your health that way (mental and physical in our case)!  It wasn't uncommon that we would walk around the park a bit while the kids played - we just ate more quickly or switched drivers so we could also eat in the car.  I think my all time favorite stretch break was hiking around Devil's Tower (far longer than any stretch break needs to be, but definitely memorable as fun ;)  ).

[bettyandbob]

My neighbors did this regularly for a few years. They packed the day before, fully. They got up at 3:30 and put the kids in the car in pajamas. They drove the longest without a significant stop before breakfast. They dressed at breakfast. After that they stopped and did a good run around rest areas every 2 hours.

 

It will take longer than 12 hours, but can be done.

[Ravin]

With 2 drivers? Piece of cake.

 

The trick is, leave EARLY in the morning. Think 3AM. The kids will sleep the first leg of the trip.

 

Chewable children's dramamine is a must-have. Also enough snacks to feed an army, and activities to keep them occupied in the car once they wake up. Coloring books, puzzles, audio books, travel bingo, sing along songa, etc. We usually plan at least one stop for a picnic at a park so everyone can stretch their legs (and in my case, take a cat nap as I make a similar drive with just the kids, no adult company), and offer potty breaks at every rest stop and gas stop. We add maybe 2 hours to the actual drive time for stops.

[marbel]

Just another thought.  We have family we need to visit periodically, 11.5 hours away by google maps, 14 minimum for us.  When we have driven it in one day, we are so tired that everyone sleeps very late the next day and no one wants to do anything till the afternoon.  The drivers especially, who had to be alert for all those hours.  But even the kids would be tired and out of sorts the whole next day. So we didn't really save time by not stopping the night.  Of course there's no denying we saved money since at our destination we stay with family.  

 

On the way home sometimes we'd push through and do it in a day.  But again the next day would be pretty wasted. 

 

ETA: my dad was a big one for driving straight through, stopping as little as possible.  This was on our annual family camping trips which were supposed to be fun.  But getting there wasn't fun at all, so we started the trip off badly.  

Edited June 7, 2017 by marbel

[medawyn]

It wouldn't be possible for us, but my oldest doesn't sleep at all in the car and my middle gets car sick, so we stop every two hours at a minimum to "reset" her. Eight hours usually takes us twelve.

 

I would definitely weigh how miserable you will be the end of the travel day as well as the next day.

[mom31257]

Our kids have had to travel long distances their whole lives due to distance from family, but the first time we took dd on the longest trip she had been on I did do some extra things. It turned out well. 

 

I made paper bags with small toys and treats. I gave them to her periodically so that she had something new to enjoy often along the way.

 

We got a dvd player for the car so that she could watch some while traveling. 

 

We did stop as often as we could to get out and stretch our legs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

DH and I are planning a trip for next year to visit family. The kids will be 7, 5 and 3 next fall. Online driving directions has the trip estimatef to be 12 hours and 25 minutes. Dh thinks we can get there in 1 day, I think he is nuts. What do you think?

With little kids you have to calculate travel time, not driving time. 12.5 hours would pan out to at least 15 minutes on the road . . . with traffic or a longer meal stop you're looking at more. If they two sleep in the car, you risk them being up all night when you arrive exhausted.

 

What's the longest trip you've done with them? I've had the 5 hour trip to my mom's take 7 with little kids.

[Tree Frog]

It can be done but I agree it would.be much easier to break it into 2 days. Some families though leave at 8-9pm and drive through the night and the kids (ideally) sleep more. We never did though.

 

One thing we did when ours were very young was stop at parks or McDonald's playlands etc and NOT expect the kids to eat there. We left them play the entire time and run around etc. Then once they were back in the car we fed them. This only works if you allow eating in the car.

We travelled once or twice a year with long road trips with our 3 kids, beginning when they were babies. I agree with both of these suggestions.

 

We left very early (1 am) to drive through the night only once. All it did for us was ensure the kids had lots of energy when we arrived, while dh and I arrived exhausted and ready to crawl into bed. It wasn't worth it.

 

We also stopped at fast food places for the kids to play while we ate and they ate in the car after we left. They expended a bit of energy, then had something to do once they were back in the vehicle. We didn't give them the toy until after they finished eating so they had something else to look forward to. We did that every time we travelled. Worked very well!

 

I think it's possible for young kids to travel that long if they're used to very long car trips, but if they don't travel regularly, it would take a couple of days to recover from the travel.

 

Have fun! Our family has very fond memories of all the driving we did!

[Zinnia]

We leave pretty early. For us, a 10 hour Google maps trip takes 12.

 

A 5.5 hour trip to my inlaws takes 6. We leave by 5, stopping for breakfast, running around when we get there.

[MEmama]

We did trips that long with DS at those ages. He didn't mind and we always had fun, but he doesn't have siblings to make it harder.

 

We often planned stops for running around and wearing out. Depending on where we were going, it might be to a zoo or Niagara Falls, planned in advance to coordinate with lunch and nap time after (when he was very young). We'd stop at rest areas too, to play some ball or chase or whatever.

 

It was always worth taking extra time to do those things--we opted to leave earlier rather than drive later, in order to be able to have some fun at our destination when we got in (again, both for enjoyment and to physically wear him out).

[Rachel]

My kids are just a couple years older and we have done several road trips. Stops take way longer and you tend to need more of them. If google says 13 hours, it will take us at least 16.

 

We have done it all in one day, but it's way more enjoyable if you split it up. We prefer to drive longer the first day, get to a hotel in time for the kids' normal bedtime. So if google says 13 hours, we would leave around 8, drive until 7 or 8, then start again at 8 the next day. If for some reason stops didn't take us as long and we actually were within an hour of our destination at bedtime then we would push ahead.

 

We like to take picnic foods and eat at a rest stop. I make my kids run loops around the shelter, or race short distances to help burn off some energy from sitting so much. The other thing about planning to split it up is that if you see something interesting along the way, you can actually stop to see it.

[scrapbookbuzz]

Husbands tend to have the mindset when it comes to trips like that to just "get 'er done."

And I think it's because they are capable of driving that in one day, most of the time, so that's what

they're focused on. Have you sat him down and asked if he's thought of the mood the kids will be in,

or anyone will be in, if you tried to do that in one foul swoop? Guaranteed it won't be a pretty picture!

 

I agree with a previous poster that I wouldn't plan on driving for more than 8 hours in one day. When my 

own kids were  9 and 3, the three of us did a cross country trip that took about 3 and a half days to get from 

AZ to Illinois. I really pushed the driving each day to about 10 hours. While we survivied, I was the only driver and

by the time we'd reach a hotel, I was exhausted! AND I still had two small children to take care of. I was impressed

with how well my children did on that trip but it would have been kinder to all of us if I hadn't pushed to drive so long

each day.

 

All that to say, I really recommend ONLY driving for 8 hours, MAX. You'll all be better off for it!

[Lady Florida.]

We used to make the 12 hour trip to dh's hometown in one day before ds was born. After he came along we stopped overnight until he was around 10, when we went back to driving straight through.

[Starr]

We find the longer the trip the more time we need to stop. A 12 1/2 hour drive time is not a 12 1/2 hour day. 

[bettyandbob]

Husbands tend to have the mindset when it comes to trips like that to just "get 'er done."

And I think it's because they are capable of driving that in one day, most of the time, so that's what

they're focused on. Have you sat him down and asked if he's thought of the mood the kids will be in,

or anyone will be in, if you tried to do that in one foul swoop? Guaranteed it won't be a pretty picture!

 

I'm not going to say you can't do it, but you need to be clear the pace is going to be dependent on the kids.

 

Alone my dh might only stop long enough to pump gas use the restroom, and buy another cup of coffee at the same service station.

 

It's healthier to actually run around every two hours and the running around helps you be more alert than caffeinated beverages. That's why neighbors (and also me) start early with a longer block before the kids are fully awake (4hours) then plan on stops every two hours.

 

Fast food inhibits my driving alertness. So I pack food. If it's possible stop at highway rest areas with picnic tables and actually eat breakfast and lunch. And run in the grass areas before jumping in the car again.

 

In the car we had a great selection of audiobooks. We'd pick those out at the library before the trip. I suppose some people do movies too, but audiobooks kept my kids entertained very well for hours (my otherwise jumpy, need something to do, pick a fight to make life interesting kids).

 

So accepting that rest stops will actually involve moving is important. Accepting that swinging through a drive thru and throwing french fries at the backseat might not have good results is important. Ultimately, accepting it will take longer than 12 hours. I would plan on 15.

 

Yes the first day at the destination will be a waste. For me the first day is always a waste whether I do the drive in one day or two. So I do save time by driving straight through.

 

Once I did plan a long drive by splitting it and that was actually to save on hotel costs or at least get more value out of the hotel at the destination. I was driving to universal studios and we were staying in a universal resort. It made more sense to me for that trip to stay in a dump with 2 hours of driving left. I arrived at the resort in the morning and recovered all day in a very pleasant setting, actually enjoying the resort. I saw no reason to pay for a resort room arriving late at night and not actually enjoying the place. That's not your issue since you are staying for free with family.

[tdbates78]

We drive from NC to my hometown of St. Louis several times a year and have since my girls were 6 months old. It's 800 miles, or roughly 13 hours with stops. We can do it in a day, but it's a LONG day. We usually break it up and stop for a night going over and do the drive back all in one day as hotels can also be hectic with littles. But as I said we are used to the drive, have been doing it for over 10 years, so making it in one day is doable.  

 

As much as I despise McDonald's, we know where each of the McDonald's with play areas are along our route. Sometimes just letting the kids get out to burn off some energy can make a huge difference, even if its only for 30 minutes. Rest stops (nice, clean ones...use your best judgement) are great for picnics and letting the kids run around if the weather cooperates. We are fortunate to have a few very nice, clean rest stops along our route. And we make ice cream or dessert stops at least once. 

 

 

[thessa516]

We've done it and we'll do it again. Last year we did a 16 hr Google map trip in 19 hours. DH and I go to bed early and tell the kids they get to stay up all night long. Then, DH and I wake up at 2:00, load the mostly-still-awake kids in the car, and take off. The kids then fall asleep and we get a really good solid chunk of drive time in before they're ready to wake up. I wrap presents for the kids and they get to open a new present every few hours. The presents are things like books, puzzles, origami instructions and paper, etc. I also make vacation journals, and part of it includes a map. They color along the map as we go through major cities. Also, like someone mentioned above, we'd make a food stop but let the kids play instead of eating. They would eat in the car after we got back on the road. For bathroom breaks, we like the roadside visitor centers best. They almost always have a small patch of grass for the kids to run and play.

 

We only do this for the start of the vacation! On the way back home, we break the trip up as much as possible. The excitement of getting to our vacation destination helps with the drive, but doing that kind of drive on the way back home would not work for us. We also talk quite a bit about the expectations of being in the car for such a long time. They know that it's not all that much fun, but we'll try to make it as fun as we can. They also know that they will get to swim in the pool when we arrive at the hotel. We also plan for lots of walking/activity time for the first day at our vacation spot. My youngest was five and he handled the trip nicely. The whole staying-up-all-night right before a big trip has sort of become a family tradition for us. 

[melbotoast]

We're another 8 hour max per day family.

[prairiewindmomma]

--

Edited June 8, 2017 by kbeal

[wendy not in HI]

We've been doing 12 hour road trips since our oldest was a baby. It is doable. Not great fun, but not horrible (Usually). My kids are older now, but I have done the 12 hour drive as the only driver many many times, even back in the dark ages before iPads and paying at the pump (no fun waking up and dragging your 3 toddlers in to pay for gas)

 

When I'm the only driver, I like to have the car fully packed and ready to go before I go to bed. Then I wake up at 4am and put the kids in the car in their pjs, and go. They sleep a couple hours and we stop for breakfast (and get dressed) at 9am. And we're almost halfway there!!

 

Arriving at grandma and grandpas house before dinner is awesome! There's still time to have fun before bed!

 

I like audio books. I like singing along to Oklahoma. I require sunflower seeds and diet Dr Pepper. Car crafts are too messy. Movies are great. I try to keep all stops short. I let the kids buy junk food at gas stations (sour watermelons are the current favorite). Be careful pushing drinks. There are some stretches of Wyoming with no bathrooms for hours!

 

I've got the 12 hour drive to my parents house coming up in a couple weeks. I'm excited!

[My4arrows]

We've done trips like this. As others have said, the key is finding a long time period you can drive without interruptions. DH is a night person, so we typically leave by 7 or 8 in the morning, eat breakfast in the car and drive until 12 ish for lunch. Take potty breaks, eat, stretch our legs and then drive another 2-3 hours until another potty break and then again until dinner. After dinner they are typically more relaxed, put a movie on and we drive as much as we can without stopping. It's a long day, but we've done it several times, often two days in a row since we'll be driving a trip that takes 20 hours. We just make sure the hotel is ok with late check ins so we can stop as needed. We've been doing this since our oldest was 18 months and did it last with a 8, 7, 4 and 2 yo. Also if your youngest is potty trained but not able to hold it, use pull ups in the car for the time you may not make it in time. We also have the car packed the night before and I have fun boxes packed for the kids so they have lots of new and fun things to do in the car. I typically don't pull the movies out until later in the trip when they are more bored.

Edited June 7, 2017 by My4arrows

[Maus]

It can be done, especially if the kids will sleep part of the way.  But what your kids will remember years from now is the time trapped in the car, and not the visit to the relatives.

 

I know this because my dad used to travel this way.  I don't remember much about the actual visiting with the relatives, but have lots of memories of getting car sick, or falling asleep and waking up with a stiff neck, or singing hours worth of endlessly repeating songs like "Rabbit ain't got no tail at all" and "John Jacob Jingleheimer Scmidt."

 

A thing to keep in mind is that, while the driver and front seat passenger have a clear view out the wide front window and therefore a sense of being out in the wide world having an adventure, the kids in the back see is mostly the back of your heads and telephone poles.  Even seated at the window in a booster, they have a pretty limited view.

 

I've been traveling with my kids since they were infants, but the only time I've gone that long was on the way back from my mom's, which is a nine hour drive.  I had planned to stop for the day at about the fifth hour, but they'd both fallen asleep about four and a half hours in.  (My older two were 5 and 3 then, and I only had the two.) I decided to keep driving until one of them woke up and they never did, so I pushed all the way home 'cause I missed my husband.

[Arcadia]

My kids are used to non-stop for 8 hours if my husband starts driving at 2am. We actually reach the destination faster than Google maps can estimate. However my kids were in Britax Frontier booster car seat until they were 10 years old so they use the car seat head rest as pillows.

 

We do a breakfast stop when they wake up which is usually after 8am. Mine are used to sleeping on car rides since they were under 2. Usually we stop at a gas station which is next to a fast food chain. That way my husband can top up the gasoline and we can all have some food and a restroom break.

 

My kids don't mind since they can play once they reach the destination since they are well rested and well fed. We allow eating in the car.

[bettyandbob]

Side note: I did long car rides as a kid. I trained myself to sleep so well that I always got sleepy in the car. When I got my driver's license I had to train myself not to fall asleep driving.

[catz]

At those ages we would have done 1 long, 1 shorter day to get there with a nice long hotel break overnight.  You could do it but it sounds pretty miserable to me.

[gardenmom5]

we did 15 hour drives in one day with four kids.

snacks in the car.

stop at parks for them to run around.

games for the car.

or read alouds, etc.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I've found with my kids, 700 miles is about their max for one day.  We leave 5:30-6:00 am for road trips. We used to leave around 10 and we either didn't make it the whole way in, or the last hour or two was lots of crying.

 

For an 1,100 mile trip we do annually, we take two days. 700 miles the first day, 500 the second. 

 

ETA: I just checked google maps and it says our 700 mile trip should take 10 hours. In reality it's 12-13. The kids usually need to stop every 1.5-2 hours. 

Edited June 7, 2017 by Whovian10

[marbel]

Another thing to take into consideration is how long the adults/drivers can drive without getting too sleepy, and if the drivers can sleep in the car and wake up refreshed.

 

My husband and I trade off every few hours on a long drive.  But neither of us can sleep in the car.  If we do fall asleep, we wake up feeling groggy and horrible, and not fit for driving.    I don't think either of us would be able to manage getting up at 3am and being fit to drive a long distance.  

 

Some people can drive for hours without any ill effects.  Two of my  nieces drove from Los Angeles to Atlanta without stopping overnight.  They stopped for gas/bathroom breaks, and took turns sleeping. They were college age at the time and had no kids with them.  :-)

 

There's lots of variation in abilities. 

[eternalsummer]

That's no problem, ime.

[Terabith]

I couldn't do that, even without small children.  But definitely with small kids, I'd plan on two days, frequent stops at places with playlands or interesting stops of things to see on the way.  But even at 12 and 13, I feel like the perk of driving places is that we have the opportunity to stop and see interesting things that we wouldn't make the trip for specifically.  Like we loved the Knoxville zoo, but wouldn't have driven the five hours to see it if we weren't already passing through anyway.

[JustEm]

I've done 15 hrs with kids those ages, plus an infant, in one day. We've done it multiple times. It all depends on the kids. My kids handle it very well. Some of my nieces and nephews do not so their parents take 2 days for that trip.

[liber]

yes it can be done.  I drive to NS every year and it is at least three 12+ hours a day in the car.  We have done the the trip with kids of various ages.  from infant up to teens.  We don't have electric devices to entertain them, just audio books and a few toys.  Some snacks.  Pee breaks when we stop for gas or meals.  I personally don't try and entertain my kids.  They can look at the window if they are bored.  Did one trip where the baby at the time, about a year old cried the entire time unless she was sleeping.  We eventually discovered a music cd that she liked and listened to that on the way back for three days straight.  It can be done.  If you are expecting that the kids won't complain, they probably will and once you are sure all their needs are met, you will have to tune out the complaining.  It eventually stops.  I find the complaining worsens if I am trying to entertain and cater to them. 

 

YMMV

[chicagoshannon]

We do it all the time.  When my kids were under 5 we would start at about 7pm (bedtime) and drive through the night.  Now that they're older (and so are we) we can't drive through the night anymore (we get way too sleepy) so we leave really early 4-5am and drive straight through if it's about the amount of driving you'll be doing.  When we drive to Florida (an 18+ hour drive from us) we now stop, about 4 hours away from our destination, at a hotel and arrive the next day by noon.

[heartlikealion]

Dh hates it if I sleep in the car next to him. And there's no way I'd want us driving if neither of us could sleep. Plus, we can't take turns driving anyway because of the carseat configuration and his height. He just cannot sit in the passenger seat. We've moved the carseats before and they are in his preferred configuration.

 

So, unless you can take turns sleeping/driving, I don't see how it's even physically possible. That's not counting the stops. You will end up stopping lol.

[rainbowmama]

We've done this and longer driving through the night. He's a morning person. I'm a night owl. We'll load up the kids. I'll drive until I'm too tired, around 2AM or 3AM, and my husband will take over. 

[SKL]

We did it when my kids were 2yo (and not in diapers).  Now that was interesting.  We did it without stopping to sleep.  We tried to stop every 2-3 hours to eat and use the restroom.  It actually went quite smoothly.

[KatieJ]

We drove this time frame many times with small children. We either left after work and drive thrumthe night or left at 4 am and drive all day. Both worked, both had very tired parents whe. We arrived. However, we were much younger then and we had great travelers.

[eternalsummer]

Dh hates it if I sleep in the car next to him. And there's no way I'd want us driving if neither of us could sleep. Plus, we can't take turns driving anyway because of the carseat configuration and his height. He just cannot sit in the passenger seat. We've moved the carseats before and they are in his preferred configuration.

 

So, unless you can take turns sleeping/driving, I don't see how it's even physically possible. That's not counting the stops. You will end up stopping lol.

 

It's 14 hours, right?

 

I am awake 14 hours at a time.  I am actually awake 16-18 hours at a time, normally.

[Ottakee]

For travel in the car with young ones I suggest an "emergency bucket".

 

Take a 5 qt ice cream pail with lid. Line the bucket with 2-3 plastic shopping bags and then out several layers of paper towels or napkins in the bottom. Pack a small bag with some TP, extra plastic bags, napkins, etc.

 

This emergency bucket is great as an emergency potty of you get stuck in traffic or on a stretch of road with no facilities. It also works as a puke pail, etc.

 

If it is needed, you just put on the lid and then at the next stop tie up the bags and toss in the next trashcan.

[cintinative]

When we did long trips with kids those ages, we would start early (like 6 or 7) and plan on stopping every 2-3 hours at a rest stop to run the kids.  We would bring a ball, frisbee, bat, etc. and stop and exercise them as much as we could for at least 20 minutes before we got back in the car. Like someone else mentioned, we would also eat our meals in the car to save time. But even with that, we never were on the road more than 12 hours in one day.  To be honest, the older I get the less my body tolerates sitting for that long.  We still drive long distances but strive to not have a longer than 12 hour day. Now that the boys are older we don't have to stop as often to run off energy but we still do stop to stretch legs and still bring a ball to toss, etc.  

 

ETA: we never did the drive overnight thing because my kids never sleep in the car. We drove 21 hours to Denver and my then three year old slept a total of 45 minutes.  LOL.

Edited June 7, 2017 by cintinative

[vonfirmath]

DH and I are planning a trip for next year to visit family. The kids will be 7, 5 and 3 next fall. Online driving directions has the trip estimatef to be 12 hours and 25 minutes. Dh thinks we can get there in 1 day, I think he is nuts. What do you think?

 

We regularly (every 18 months or so) drive to the inlaws -- 13H and a half away.  I would -not- want to do that drive in one day.  We stop at the end of the first day and get there midway through the second.

 

Notably: My in-laws drove it straight through ONCE coming back.  After that, they stop to sleep everytime.

[Alicia64]

I wouldn't do a 12-hour drive straight. Even w/ quick pottie breaks. . . it'll likely stretch into a 13-hour drive. I can't see asking that of little kids (or me: and I'm old).

 

I like to see the journey as part of the fun. I think just putting pedal to the metal takes creativity and fun out of the getting-there and getting-home.

 

I'd break it up.

 

Alley

[MeaganS]

I've done up to a Google predicted 15 hours with my 4 young kids in one day, but that's not the norm. I regularly take them on long car trips on my own and my rule of thumb is to add at least an extra hour to every 4 or 5 hours predicted. I do have to say though, I'd push through with the 12 hour trip. I'd leave very early, like others have said. I can drive very early but once the sun goes down at night I get iffy.

 

We do movies and junk food. Every stop they get a small snack. Those window cling sets from Melissa and Doug are fun too. We have a DVD player in the car and I just put in movie after movie. It works and my kids didn't even bat an eye at the 2.5 day trip we took last week. They're used to it by now.

[HTRMom]

I've done 10 hours with a 3, 1.5 and 6 month old. It was easy. We only got out once. We left at 8 am, arrived at 7 pm. Another two hours would be trying, but so is staying in a hotel.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[heartlikealion]

It's 14 hours, right?

 

I am awake 14 hours at a time.  I am actually awake 16-18 hours at a time, normally.

 

I'd have to be operating on a full night's sleep and allow time for other things. Loading the car, eating breakfast, packing last minute things, unloading the car, bedtime routine where ever we stop at the end of the destination, etc. I would potentially get very groggy. Well, I think I need more sleep to feel fully rested compare to the average adult. I went to pick up a vehicle this weekend, actually. Dh drove one car and I drove the other. The trip was 3-4 hours. I didn't get enough sleep (which was my fault, I mixed up the Mass times on Saturday so I got up to go to Mass on Sunday). Long story short, I have trouble functioning on little sleep and I find traveling with kids difficult even for shorter drives lol. I was just glad this time we didn't have the cat.