# 14 hour drive with a 1 year old?



## yukookoo (Sep 23, 2007)

planning on doing this in a few weeks. Anyone have advice. I am really not looking forward to it.

DH thinks we can do it allin one day YEAH RIGHT she eats every 2-3 hours and nurses and hates the car.

She sleeps in the car maybe 2hours then what?

She HATES the car at night when she cant really see anything out, even if we leave the back light on she wants to see trees and views and gets upset that she cant.

DH says ok well we try and if it doesnt work we turn around and come home but how is that helpful when we are 7 hours down the road and she wont be in the car. We are not talking like fussing we are talking screaming bloody murder as soon as i put her back in the car seat. So many times we or Ihave been stuck on the side of the road for hours calming and nursing and trying over and over to put her back in her seat...

Im just dreading it. And now with her eating solids i have to pack her food not to mention that she wakes up every 3 hours or so still at night to nurse...

i dont mean to sound so horribly negative. We NEED to do this trip, its to see a dying relative and im trying to be positive about it I really am.

Any advice on how to make it?


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## dsaucone (Mar 16, 2008)

Have one of you sit in the back seat to keep her entertained. I know it's not ideal for navigating, but it's better than trying to reach back, turn around, and kill your back handing things back and forth. Also, order an extra set of harness straps for your carseat and be prepared to clean up puke. Our daughter vomited 4 times on our 13 hour journey. I strongly STRONGLY recommend stopping. That way you don't have to leave super early in the morning. You can get up, have breakfast, leave at nap time and stop for dinner/sleep. And do the same thing the next morning. Any time you cross state lines stop at welcome centers, get out, stretch your legs, go to the bathroom, change a diaper, grab a snack and then start again.

Hope that helps.

Oh, and good luck!!!!


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## echodonn (Jul 18, 2002)

Our 3 babies have a hard time on car trips. Here are my suggestions:
*drive through the night (eventhough our oldest cried all night one trip,
the younger ones made it sleeping 9pm till 6AM our last big car ride)
*bring you lap top or dvd player to watch a show
*stop as soon a little person wakes up so that you can change her and feed her and make her comfortable.
*try not to eat in the car, my kids are a huge mess and they do better eating at a table
*bring books, instruments, books on CD, music, load up your iPod with kiddy stuff
*don't fight with your partner
*HAve Fun!


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

I think that it absolutely needs to be AT LEAST a two day trip. That's too much for a car ride. At least in a plane you could get up and walk around during the trip. If it's a 14 hours drive, once you add in stops for food, gas, diapers, etc. that'll be probably 16-18 hours on the road with kid(s).


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## jocelyndale (Aug 28, 2006)

Fourteen hours is a two-day car trip when you have a baby. That's just how it is. Eight hours has been our limit and it turned into a 12 hour trip with construction, traffic delays, etc. The last three-hour stretch was murder, but we were in a remote area.









We're driving to Indiana soon. It's a 10 hour drive normally (one or two coffee breaks, nothing else). We're splitting it up into two days because our kiddo doesn't like the car. We'll camp halfway. I would love to do it in one day, but it's just not feasible. There are too many stops to stretch our legs.

Keep in mind that your child is in *one* position in the car seat. I can't sit in one position for more than an hour without pain. I'm abnormal in that respect, but I don't expect my child to be comfortable for very long, either.


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## Bromache (Jan 24, 2008)

I'm going to be doing the same thing with my one-year-old next month too. We plan to break it into two days. I really like the suggestion of leaving around naptime -- we'll have to do that! Keep up the suggestions and tips please.


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## Nolamom (Jan 29, 2008)

Over the years we have taken several long car trips with both dd and ds. I find that it takes us SIGNIFIGANTLY longer than any mapquest estimate. We find ourselves making many breaks to keep the kids happy.
We've had some success bringing new toys, special "treat" snacks, etc., but the one thing that has made things much easier is to ride at night. We will leave at 6 p.m., or 3 a.m., or something like that. It's so much easier with the kids sleeping that it's well worth it to be tired when we get to our destination!
Good luck!


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## yukookoo (Sep 23, 2007)

ive thought of leaving at night too although she still will wake to nurse and may not fall back asleep in the car...

I am most worried about safety, for some reason i feel safer in the day. I know we will need to stop to nurse even at night and stopping in a dark area off the road scares me. I feel so vulnerable doing that.

But since after reading these replies we will FOR SURE be stopping over night haha maybe we can try the first stretch at night because its pretty straight forward and the second which is mroe rural the next day?


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## mummyofan (Jun 25, 2008)

briefly - try to incorporate a playground or 2??? with picnic...


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## babytimeagain (Jun 16, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *echodonn* 
Our 3 babies have a hard time on car trips. Here are my suggestions:
*drive through the night (eventhough our oldest cried all night one trip,
the younger ones made it sleeping 9pm till 6AM our last big car ride)
*bring you lap top or dvd player to watch a show
*stop as soon a little person wakes up so that you can change her and feed her and make her comfortable.
*try not to eat in the car, my kids are a huge mess and they do better eating at a table
*bring books, instruments, books on CD, music, load up your iPod with kiddy stuff
*don't fight with your partner
*HAve Fun!

This is how we do it!


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## orangekoolaid (May 21, 2006)

my lifesaver on trips is nursing DD while she's still in the carseat. with a little practice you can do it while buckled up still even.

i agree also with traveling as much as you can at night. The humming from the road might keep her asleep for longer stretches.


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## sothisislove (Jun 29, 2007)

I'm going on a 6 hr drive in a week or so with my 15mo. There will be someone in the backseat, so that helps.

Can anyone add to this list of activities that will (hopefully) keep lo busy and occupied?! (obviously mess isn't an issue)

- stickers to stick to himself and everything
- he likes to unravel skeins of thread and yarn
- wooden spoons to swing around
- silk hankies
- small handheld mirror
- cd (fun to stick fingers in)
- magazine to shred...then shredded paper snow storm

anything else?


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## sothisislove (Jun 29, 2007)

thanks


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## sparkysgirl (Feb 29, 2008)

We have to drive 4 hrs to visit in laws, and thats terrible! I would say drive during the day so that everyone can get good sleep at night and be in a better mood. We bring a lot of snacks, toys, and interesting things she hasn't played with before. Take lots of breaks. I like the park/picnic idea. a rest stop would be good.


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## BethSLP (Mar 27, 2005)

My DD is 2 now, but I have to say as anti TV as we are as parents, a portable DVD player SAVES OUR LIVES on trips.

DD didnt watch anything until 2, but now she thinks its a treat to get to watch. IMO they are stuck sitting in a seat, so they might as well watch something. I admit, I don't know how a 1 yr old would do with that or if it would even be interesting.

I'd also go to Target and stock up on a few new toys to fiddle with. When she was younger that occupied her for a while. If you bring books and read to your LO, magnadoodle, etc. that can also help.

I agree that you should stop over for the night somewhere. That makes it very doable (2 seven hour trips vs. one 14 hr one).

DD can do 9 hrs. to grandma's, but I can't imagine another 5 tacked on. thats craziness.

Also, remember that it will be hard work for you. No one can be an entertainer for 14 freakin hours straight!

XOXO
B


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## gillibean (Nov 28, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *orangekoolaid* 
my lifesaver on trips is nursing DD while she's still in the carseat. with a little practice you can do it while buckled up still even.

i agree also with traveling as much as you can at night. The humming from the road might keep her asleep for longer stretches.










Last summer I found that nursing DD2 while she was in the carseat was much easier than I had imagined it would be. Also, traveling at night worked well for us. I actually prefer night driving. There's less traffic and the sun isn't so bright. My main concern is hitting a moose or something - that would not be good.


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## treemom2 (Oct 1, 2003)

We travelled cross country (like from Utah/Vegas to Florida, NC, and Indiana)several times with our DD when she was a year old. She hated the car, being in her carseat, so this is what we would do and have learned:
1. Driving during naptimes or at night was best for her, sure she would still wake to nurse but usually she would fall back to sleep. I felt safe nursing in gas station parking lots, rest stops, truck stops, etc. . . Sometimes I kept the doors locked though when DH went to the toilet
2. If driving overnight doesn't work for you, definately break the trip up. We try to stop every hour to get out of the car (for like 10-15 minutes) and have some playtime (rest stops usually have grassy areas, parks in small towns along the way. . .bring a ball to play with at these stops). However, if DD isn't awake, definately keep moving but stop as soon as she wakes up. Also, if we didn't drive at night, we would try to stop at hotels around 3pm to play, relax, eat, maybe swim in the pool.
3. Maybe take a couple children's cds. My DD loved listening to (please don't flame, we got it as a gift) Baby Bach in the car, usually calmed her right down even though we didn't watch it on TV she still liked the music. She also really liked techno music so we would make sure to take some along (Alice Deejay was her fav). I sang a lot in the car too, I think one trip I sang Twinkle Twinkle and ABCs sometimes mixing the two for at least 5 hours.
4. We always took a basket of toys and a basket of books on the trip with us. It almost always had a singing/light-up doll, noisy toys, magnadoodle, chalkboard/chalk (this could get messy, but keep my DD occupied).
5. Try not to feed high sugar/artificially colored treats on your trip (we learned this the hard way, they might keep the child calm for a little bit but then the rush hits--ugh). We have no problem eating in our car and will take cheesesticks, water, nuts, breads, cereals with us and during a stop will get some special lower sugar treats.

I will warn you, my DS cried for 12 hours straight when we had to drive to my brother's funeral. Nothing worked to calm him. We just tried to get there as quickly as possible since we didn't have the money to stop at a hotel along the way. It totally sucked, but once we got there he was okay after some leisurely milkies and some good rest.


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## dsaucone (Mar 16, 2008)

Be catious about driving at night. Highway hipnosis X10 there. All you can see is darkness and two bright reflective straight lines.

Unless someone is used to a schedule of staying up at night (for work or whatever reason) it's hard to switch up their schedule and be fully awake.

Keep in mind that while you may be alert other drivers may not be. I like the idea of leaving at 3 a.m. better than bedtime. At least all of the drunks will have left the bar and hopefully not so many will be out and about.


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## louloubean (Apr 25, 2006)

been there done that, twice. clearly i am a glutton for punishment.

i heartily agree with all the advice given, especially the computer with a video (or twenty) on it. god bless baby einstein and elmo for the car ride we took this past spring. 4 adults and a toddler in a mini-van from upstate NY to southern South Carolina in ONE DAY.


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## Cindy-Lou (Mar 7, 2007)

We did a 10 hour trip in one day and it wasn't too bad. We brought toys, books, snacks, cd's but what saved us was the portable DVD player. We only put it on when he got restless and it kept him entertained. We stopped a lot and that helped too.


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## MizLiz (Jan 23, 2005)

Do you have to drive in your own vehicle, or is it possible to get a train to where you are going? With the cost of gas, it might not be that much more expensive and at least you can get up and move around with the baby. This might also be faster than stopping a million times to calm down an unhappy little one.


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## dadinblue (Jun 17, 2007)

We make 2-4 trips per year with youngsters - always have and just came back from one with 14mo







:

We leave at supper time, so by the time they are tired of the car, it's bed time. Then they sleep for most of the trip and by morning, we're almost there.

We've done 10, 14, 18 and 30hr trips like this. We stop for food, fuel and exercise breaks.

DVDs, music, books and toys they haven't seen in days will stretch out any trip and make it tolerable for parents.

Good luck.


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## DaytonsMom (Aug 25, 2007)

we have to travel at night with ds!! (15 months) He also HATES the car, except to play in and pretend that he is driving. Even screams going to nana's 2 blocks away if we drive. That being said, I had to learn to nurse ds while he was in the car seat. It's been a lifesaver for us. And i have small breasts but it still works pretty well, can be painful on bumps though. We we traveled to grandma's. (6 hrs straight through) We left right after i'd put him down (8pm) and then drove till early morning, straight through. If someone had to pee the other one would drive around the block while they ran in. As long as the car didn't stop we were all good! You could drive 2 nights in a row and then hang out during the day and nap when she does. That way you'll be a little extra rested. Don't forget coffee!!! Best of luck!!


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## MotheringHeart (Dec 18, 2005)

We are currently in CO and we drove here a week and a half ago from DC. We spent three days in the car. It was a loooooong drive. The older three were pretty okay, but the babe (14 mths) got totally antsy and screamed bloody murder everytime we put her in the car seat by the third day. We stopped lots at rest stops. Ate our meals at sit down restaurants. Gave out lots of snacks (I let mine eat/drink in the car, it helps pass the time). Read a ton of stories. Sang lots of songs and brought fourty tons of toys to entertain. We leave for home this coming up Monday and while I'm not looking forward to three days in the car, I know that the kids can do it (and even w/out a ton of problems)! Good luck.


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## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

With my child, it would be impossible. Absolutely impossible. We would all be throwing each other out of windows by hour 5. But he absolutely HATES the car. If we make an hour drive, he screams through half of it.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

I am another one who would drive through the night. Heck, when we went to Disneyland my kids were 7 & 4 and I still opted to drive through the night.

We went on a 13 hour car-trip when DS was 1 (obviously not sleeping through the night, still nursing frequently). We left around 4pm. Did the common "car" things for kids, had dinner and then it was bedtime. We got to our desitnation by 7 am the next morning (so, only 15 hours for an almost 13 hour trip). DP & I were tired, but it was WAY better than fighting with the kids through the day.


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## alicia622 (May 8, 2005)

I would break the trip into two days. We just returned from a road trip with an almost 3 year old. On the way there we did the leave at night thing and at midnight DS woke up and screamed for so long we finally stopped at a rest area so I could hold him. We slept for a few hours and then carried on. The ride back we decided to leave during the day and he did amazingly well (thnks to dvd's and cd's on demand as well as a supply of fun new toys and activities to do) However, he woke up at midnight and screamed the rest of the way home. It wasn't too bad because we only had an hour of the ride left. Last spring we took the same trip but broke each drive into two days. We have been super lucky that DS is always sleeping during the terrible traffic.


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## bzmum (Feb 18, 2008)

We regularly do a 10-12 hour road trip to visit my parents...probably 4-5 times a year and it started when DS was just 3 weeks old. I always bring a ton of food...littlle snacky things, cheese and crackers, yogurts, juice boxes, fruit, etc. I sort of fall off the healthy train for these long trips, but, whatever helps the trip go well is what I'm gonna do. And I have my emergency bag of tricks that involves new and novel things...those books where you press the buttons and they make noise, new cars (he plays with them for hours), carseat toys, etc. We have always done the trip in one day and take stops every 2-3 hours for a stretch, snack and nursing. My favorite place to stop is Starbucks. They have the cleanest bathrooms and always a spot for diaper changing. And they often have a cushy chair to sit in for nursing. After 2.5 years of doing the same trip I know where every Starbucks is enroute to our destination.

Good luck with your road trip and have fun.


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