Keeping a Toddler Entertained on a Road trip...ideas?

Get a dvd player, i have a 2yr olds as well as 4 other kids if it wasn't for my dvd players i know we would of wrecked on several occasions. they are faily inexpensive now. I saw one a walmart i could of got with a 10 inch screen and headphones for 99 i just bought another one thats 8 inches for 130 from dell. so good luck
B.

If you don't have a dvd player I would suggest getting that crayola colorwonder stuff that she can draw with but will only appear on the paper, so you don't have to worry about her coloring on the car. Also, bring books and have some cds with kids music and sing some songs with her.

I know it seems corny, but i sing. ABC's, Christmas songs, twinkle twinkle, and all the other songs they can get involved with. Snacks are important too, just make sure they are car friendly.

hi V.,I renmember the time thats rough.i also have 3 older children but we went on plenty of road trips when they were young. if possible keep the toddler awake longer befor you leave fed and comfy. better if you can to travel at night they will sleep alot of the way if diring the day? ah toys ,treats hidden for emergency crying haha! keep a new toy hidden until you have to give itetc i hope that advice helps a little good luck and GOD BLESS.

We have a portable dvd player but it was broken when we went on our last trip. I bought some of the Colorwonder books and had my girls do that. Then when that got old I had Cds that they liked for us to listen to. I also brought a few toys but that cause problems because they fought over them unless they had the same thing. Snacks and drinks help but that leads to more stops for diaper changes. Good luck and I hope yall have a safe trip and a wonderful Christmas.

if you can afford it/borrow it. those dvd players work wonders.

I'm agreeing with the previous ladies ... we finally broke down and bought one of those portable DVD players for our car before our last road trip with our little guy (he was about 19-months-old at the time). He loved it ... and it made our 7 hour trip (one way) a lot more enjoyable for all of us! We also tried to stop every 2-3 hours to let him get out and run around a bit -- he doesn't like sitting in one place for too long (and neither do we really!). Hope that helps! Have a safe trip -- and hopefully a good one, too!

You might consider making a stop, at certain interveils, like every hour or two (that would give her something to look forward to),...counting signs on the highway, or cars...we live in the south, so we count cow fields...lol also, sorting toys, pencils and paper, books, etc. Also pack a brand new toy she has not seen before,like a doodle pad, or something similiar. I hope you can use a couple of these suggestions. I know they've come in handy for me lots of times . Good luck on your trip..

I didn't want to do it, but my husband insisted... we bought a portable dvd player. And I have to say, we took a 9 hour road trip with an eighteen month old right before Thanksgiving and it was GREAT! She didn't even begin to get fussy until about hour number eight of the trip! I don't use it daily, but for road trips, it's a must have! We bought a no-name brand at Target that came with an adapter to attached it to the front seat headrest, it cost a little over $100, but again, it was well worth it!

Good luck!
D. R.

My husband and I have family in southern PA. . . driving there takes us about 16 hours. At the time when we left we didn't have the extra money for a portable DVD player. I packed a small box with a few of my son's favorite toys and books and honestly it entertained him for hours. He would sit and just look at the books.
A second suggestion is to stop and let them play at an indoor park (like MCDonalds) for a half hour. don't make them sit to eat just let them play. Chicken nuggets in the car don't make a huge mess.
C.

I agree, a dvd player is a must! Here are a few other ideas though:
1. a lap desk or clipboard that opens up to store non-messy art supplies and toys.
2. Color Wonder markers and coloring books. They only work on the special paper so the kids can't write on anything else.
3. Magnet toys such as "paper dolls". Just make sure the pieces aren't too small as to be a choking hazard. Might be better for the older kids.
4. Bingo. Go to nickjr.com and print copies of Dora Car Bingo. Get them laminated. Then you can use a crayon, dry erase marker, or sticker to mark off the items as you find them. the first person to find all the items wins.
5. Save Happy meal toys and pull them out on the car trip.
6. Brain Quest questions. They have questions for different ages. My just-turned 3 yr old could answer a lot of the 4-5 yr old questions. They also have 2-3 yr old questions.
7. Magna Doodle or Etch a Sketch
8. I Spy books (the board books are especially nice). You can also play the traditional I spy car game where the kids have to guess what you see.
9. Magic pen books. You use a pen with invisible ink to color the pages and the ink appears. Usually available at book stores such as Books-a-million.
10. Fisher Price FP3 Player (may be better for older kids). Download stories and songs from fisher-price. Has headphones.

When we go on trips, I pack a small backpack for each kid with some favoite travel toys plus a few new surprises. Then, I pull them out as needed along the way. The dvd player is definately the best though!

Hope this helps.

if they like to watch tv or movies i have found the best thing is a dvd player for the car they come with headphones works great

I agree with the ladies about the DVD player. We bought one for a 16 hour trip and it was GREAT! I don't use it around town so it isn't really an issue. it kept her interest for a couple hours at a time and then she'd either nap or we'd sing songs, we also brought her portable magna doodle toy! She loved that!
*also - I went to the dollar store and bought a few barbie dolls that were new to her and took them out on the road! That was a huge hit! Something new is always exciting!
I bought one of those tables that attaches to her car seat so that she can draw and color too!
*LOL* I don't know if this will be OK for your little ones but we do odd things in desperate times *LOL* But we'd play the "windy!!!!" game and roll the windows down for a second and get really loud and act like the wind was blowing us all around!!! It was a great way to let off steam and break the boredom of a long trip!

These things pretty much kept her busy the whole trip!
I would also recommend taking frequent breaks! They will get tired of sitting for so long!

Good luck!

We used road signs as a good way to practice shapes and colors. Of course, I never realized how many yellow diamonds we actually pass each day on the road until now! My son (2 1/2) now has to yell out "I find a yellow diamond" EVERY time he sees one :)
Portable DVD players have come in real handy too on long trips. They don't even care if there is no volume (because I personally don't want to listen to them if I don't have to)

Our latest road trip was the best yet when we used the Taby Tray. It kept our daughter busy for hours. She was able to use it for snacks as well as having a surface to play on. I love the cupholder and crayon holders, as I am not having to pick these up from the floor anymore. She even drew on it with crayon and we could wash it off with soap/water. Great for short trips also.

The tray is sturdy and very simple to attach. It works great on our stroller as well --- we use it at the mall --- makes shopping/eating there enjoyable!!!

I will be buying another when when we have our next one, as I will have 2 kids close in age to contend with!

You can get them at www.kidscornershop.com for the cheapest online. Hope this helps.

Ny-Quil....just kidding..LOL No I'm not.... but seriously we travel at night as well but only if you are not doing it alone. That would be to dangerous if you have to stop and get gas or something. Leave so that you will reach your destination by midnight. This will allow for you to drive halfway with them awake then make a pitstop before they fall asleep for the night.

Travel at night. Dont let the little turkey sleep b4 yall leave. I have done this lots of times. I am not in a posistion to buy portable DVD players and such. This always seemed to work for me. Could also be some good alone time for you and your hubby. Will give yall a chance to talk while the kids sleep.

Hi V., try to travel at night after they have been up during the day. They will sleep most of the way and you won't have to worry about keeping them entertained. With one that young, it's hard to find something that will work for any real amount of time. They don't want to be in a car seat that long but you can't let them out....it can get pretty crazy. If you can't travel at night, plan to make frequent stops at places they can get out and stretch and play for a little bit. Good luck.

a portable dvd player will keep them all entertained...
you can get a cd of toddler songs to listen to also
colorwonder products so the kids don't color on anything else...We love these

we travel mostly at night or early in the morning so the kids are more likely to fall back to sleep or you could keep them up late the night before

good luck
T.