how do you keep 1yr old in the car

aydans mom · by **aydans mom** on Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:39 am

We are going across america in july and we will be driving with a 1yr old I would like to know how too keep a toddler busy in the car she hates being in the car long periods of time we want to have a good trip with no fussy toddler lol

CLCARR · by **CLCARR** on Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:58 am

We drove across Canada last summer with my DS and DD 18 months and 3 months and although there were times when the inside of our car sounded like a thrash metal concert mostly it was okay, DS had his favorite stuffie and a car as well as none choking hazard snacks. and we all made it in one piece on the average we stopped every 2-3 hours though for a snack a stretch and a clean diaper

MRM · by **MRM** on Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:08 am

Lots of snacks and lots of little toys. Mix it up a litle and sit with your DS in the back seat to play clapping games, read stories etc. They tend to sleep much of the time too.

rosamond · by **rosamond** on Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:32 am

I agree that if one of you can sit in the back with your child, they will be much happier!!

Samandemma · by **Samandemma** on Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:21 pm

Yes, we also found that sitting in the back seat with our child worked very well for making the trips (even short daily ones) much more pleasant for our child. Small toys (stuffies, finger puppets, quiet small shakers/rattles, and of course, reading books) all work well for entertaining. Singing songs and little rhymes are also good ways to pass the time. Good luck. (We flew from Asia to Canada on a 12 hour flight with our child when she was one. Lots of fun.... seriously though, it was all fine).

by **Guest** on Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:25 pm

My kids HATE long car rides. We just go to Powell River and it is about 5 hours in the car, with stops in between, and they still hate it.

What we bought was a portable DVD player that I tied between the two seats. It came with a power cord to plug into a lighter socket.

Your little one is pretty small though so that may not hold interest for as long.

Benjorsam · by **Benjorsam** on Fri Mar 25, 2011 4:09 pm

We drove from BC to Ontario and back when ds was 18 mths old, and honestly it was horrible. But I really think it depends on the child. We had snacks, movies, books, toys, you name it but he still screamed the majority of the trip when he wasn't sleeping. Its just such a long time for them to be stuck in a seat. We did make frequent stops and let him get out and run around and that helped for awhile. We also tried to limit our driving time to 5 hours a day. I do like the idea of riding in the back with baby. I don't know why we didn't think of that. I'm the only driver, since dh doesn't have a license, and he was my navigator so I don't think that option would have worked for us anyway. But since that time, we've done it two more times and it gets better each time. We will be doing it again in the summer when we move back to Victoria and I don't anticipate too many problems this time. Again, make frequent stops and don't drive for more than 5 or 6 hours a day.