Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

We are taking a family vacation to Hilton Head soon and driving. We will be splitting it up over 2 days, but I'm just looking for suggestions on traveling with a 1 year old.

DH won't drive through the night.

Thanks!!

Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

I would never split the day. I prefer one bad day in the car to two.
I always leave at 4am. Drive, let them run around rest areas. They sleep. Eat. Run. Then we arrive by dinner. Bed is normal. We wake fresh for new day.
I always drove solo...but if I had someone with me, I 100% would have been in backseat for entertainment, singing, reading

Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

We just did a 5 hour drive with our 13 months old (should have been 2.5 hours so I wasn't quite prepared for 5) She stayed awake the WHOLE TIME. I had a big variety of toys including some new ones. I got the baby einstien take along tunes which she liked and I hoped it might help get her to sleep but it didn't. Lots of little soft toys. I let her have some teething biscuits and yogurt melts while we drove and just watched her carefully.

We also borrowed a portable dvd player and I got two dvds. We used packing tape to attach it to a cardboard box and seatbelted it next to her so she'd be able to see it. She hated one of the dvds and loved the other so we watched the same 30 minute elmo video FIVE times! It was a life saver but I wish I'd gotten a few more options.

Re: Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

Message edited 6/6/2013 11:49:58 AM.

Re: Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

We drove to hilton head every year of my life until I was 16 or 17. I know your DH said he won't drive through the night but I would at least strongly consider leaving at like 3am.

Re: Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

Don't split it up... it's a waste of a day. And with a 1yr old, so doable. Leave early in the morning and you'll get there by dinner time. Invest in a portable DVD player and some kiddie CDs and sit back and enjoy the trip.

We put DS in an overnight diaper and stopped every 3-4 hours (we drove to Char. NC when he was 1). Make sure you have a full pack of wipes, a clean set of clothes, one towel, and a plastic grocery bag inside of the car with you (all this in case of puke incident).

Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

We left at 5AM and made it to Santee SC with plenty of time for dinner. Stopped every few hours at a rest stop, let DD run around, had a DVD player, she slept. . . and when we got there we were able to eat dinner, relax and play and then go to sleep nice and early (we still had to drive to Naples FL the next day)

Re: Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

we just went to the outer banks with 12 month old twins and left around 4:30 AM. We stopped for all their meals, let them take their time to eat, explore etc. We had a bag of snacks and small toys and really only had to stop 1 additional time aside from breakfast and lunch since my DD was teething and needed some medicine.

Aside from the absurd wake up time for the grown ups, and the endless lists for packing, it was WAYYY easier and better than I could have hoped for!

Snack cups (to let them feed themselves some cheerios) and cozy blankets went a loooong way for their comfort and our sanity while strapped in and driving.

Re: Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

We drove to HH te past three years, first time DD was 10.5 months. We left around 730am, stopped every few hours, and drove to I think Fayetteville NC and stayed the night there. Then picked up the next day and drove the remaining 4-5 hours. On the way back we usually drive straight through and it is a disaster. However we stay at our time share and travel back on Saturday and for some reason we always hit traffic in the dc area. This year we are flying.

Re: Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

I.agree don't split it up, drive straight through taking turns with driving. Leave extremely early am like 2-3 & make several stops to allow for stretching & meals. Keep favorite toys, snacks, books in reach in case your LO gets cranky.

All our long drives we leave at bedtime allowing Tue trip to be smoother & we all get a fresh start the next day.

Re: Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

Thank you everyone!

I think we might have to split it up... I might have to work that morning until like noon . So DH and DS were going to pick me up at work and leave right from there.

But even if I get off and we leave at 4am, I keep thinking DS will end up wide awake at 4am! Did your DCs fall right back asleep?

But thank you so much for all the suggestions

Re: Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

We drive to nc often. We have left around 2 or 3pm. Drive till dinner and then stop and eat and put them in their pjs and finish the drive. It is about an 11 hour trip so we get there around 2 am and can get some sleep. We have also left at 5am. They usually stay awake till 8 or so and then nap and will nap again in the afternoon. Not bad at all.

We are driving to FL in a few weeks. I will have a 3 mo old and 2.5 year old twins. We are going to leave in the afternoon and then drive through the night so we don't have to stop every 3 hours to feed the baby.

Re: Road Trip with a one year old (14 hours)

We drive to HH every single year. We have been going for the last 22 years, every year. It is really more like 17+ hours from here with traffic and stopping, just FYI. We do it in one ride just to get it over with. We usually leave at bedtime the night before the day we arrive. That way the kids sleep for a huge bulk of the ride. We stop frequently, let them get out, walk around. We stop at restaurants to eat, just so they get a good break from the car. Bring a DVD player, it is a LIFE SAVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you do stop, Roanoke is a good midway point with lots of hotels to stop.

Really though, you can do one trip if you want. Between leaving at bedtime, the DVDs and naps in the car during the day, I promise you, it is not that bad!

Message edited 6/6/2013 10:12:44 PM.