Long Journeys with kids
Discussion
As a Londoner who doesn't really venture up north much, i'd like PH expert advice on tips for a long journey with young kids (toddlers). We'll be doing a London to Scotland trip and I think it's about 7.5 hours according to google maps. We'll be having frequent stops but i'm worried that the kids will get too cranky and not want to sit in their seats for that long. I think i've pretty much got entertainment sorted - books and a headrest mount for an ipad, but what else do I need to consider?
Cheers
Cheers
), you drive up and collect them at the airport (peaceful drive for you!).
We have DVD players and a selection of kids films and Peppa Pig and The Land Before Time. Kids will watch the same film over and over. My son has an iPad and an iPod but I find playing games tends to make him more prone to travel sickness.
Films to keep them engrossed are Kung Fu Panda, Disney's Dinosaur and stuff like that.
When I was a lad in the 60's, we regularly travelled from Cardiff to lancashire and entertained ourselves singing songs from the Sound of Music, spotting cars and so forth. Kids today can't seem to do that.
Films to keep them engrossed are Kung Fu Panda, Disney's Dinosaur and stuff like that.
When I was a lad in the 60's, we regularly travelled from Cardiff to lancashire and entertained ourselves singing songs from the Sound of Music, spotting cars and so forth. Kids today can't seem to do that.
LuS1fer said:
entertained ourselves singing songs from the Sound of Music, spotting cars and so forth. Kids today can't seem to do that.
Bloody lazy toddlers & their lack of knowledge of Sound of Music songs - it's everything that's wrong with this country... Makes me sick... /Sarcasm.
LuS1fer said:
We have DVD players and a selection of kids films and Peppa Pig and The Land Before Time. Kids will watch the same film over and over. My son has an iPad and an iPod but I find playing games tends to make him more prone to travel sickness.
Films to keep them engrossed are Kung Fu Panda, Disney's Dinosaur and stuff like that.
^^^^^^ This def! Had a recent holiday in Oz knocking around in a motorhome for 12 days. Lad (6 year old) was glued to the iPad, watch Hop about 100 times, and I say watched as he wouldn't wear headphones so could hardly hear a thing the nutter! I never realised how noisy motorhomes were!! You can rent films form iTunes and you get them for 48hours from first viewing, so we loaded a few on there for him. Would've been a nightmare otherwise as we did around 3500km.Films to keep them engrossed are Kung Fu Panda, Disney's Dinosaur and stuff like that.
Cheers,
Rob
calpol! sedate them a little!
Minimal sweets / suggary drinks and try to engage them with things you see etc
failing that, the plane / train idea!
Used to have it when with the ex, going to the arse end of Cornwall repeatedly through the year, in car dvd player and books seemed to work along with engaging the lil'un in sights / cars / conversation as much as possible
Minimal sweets / suggary drinks and try to engage them with things you see etc
failing that, the plane / train idea!
Used to have it when with the ex, going to the arse end of Cornwall repeatedly through the year, in car dvd player and books seemed to work along with engaging the lil'un in sights / cars / conversation as much as possible
Might not be the best time to Drive for you but this is what we did going to France this year.
Either get up very very early and leave so the kids sleep most of the way, or leave at their bed time and they sleep most of the way.
Roads are quieter for you to drive as well so you will shave some time off the trip with no traffic.
Our Daughter is only ten months so we didn't let her have an afternoon sleep, tea at normal time and at 16:30 and she was tired so we hit the road (with caravan hitched up) to portsmouth, arrived at 20:00. She woke and stayed awake till be boarded the Ferry at 2300hrs then straight back to sleep, we docked at 06:00, as soon as she was in the car she was back to sleep until we arrived at the site 5hrs later.
Did exactly the same coming home.
Either get up very very early and leave so the kids sleep most of the way, or leave at their bed time and they sleep most of the way.
Roads are quieter for you to drive as well so you will shave some time off the trip with no traffic.
Our Daughter is only ten months so we didn't let her have an afternoon sleep, tea at normal time and at 16:30 and she was tired so we hit the road (with caravan hitched up) to portsmouth, arrived at 20:00. She woke and stayed awake till be boarded the Ferry at 2300hrs then straight back to sleep, we docked at 06:00, as soon as she was in the car she was back to sleep until we arrived at the site 5hrs later.
Did exactly the same coming home.
Lizardking said:
Drive throught the night?
Thats what we normally do
Bingo. The sproggs won't know anything about it but just be confused that when they wake up in Scotland it'll be wet, cold and everyone will look like their granny.Thats what we normally do
If you have no choice but to drive during the day then the person not driving must be creative in running the car based games which keep them occupied. Not a great fan of giving them toys or TV as it's a good opportunity for them to learn ways to keep themselves occupied as well as improving conversational ability.
Kwelkids - travel sickness tablets. Says they are non-drowsy, but they are....!
Or maybe adult travel sickness stuff, which is stronger and more likely to knock them out for a good few hours. Wife recently did the 4 hour run to North Norfolk and a combination of iPods, noise cancelling headphones (who would have thought) and travel sickness tablets and the kids were busy for 80% of the journey. Ok, yours is longer, but might buy you some time on the boring bits - and then stop for an hour or so somewhere interesting and they can burn some energy off...
Or maybe adult travel sickness stuff, which is stronger and more likely to knock them out for a good few hours. Wife recently did the 4 hour run to North Norfolk and a combination of iPods, noise cancelling headphones (who would have thought) and travel sickness tablets and the kids were busy for 80% of the journey. Ok, yours is longer, but might buy you some time on the boring bits - and then stop for an hour or so somewhere interesting and they can burn some energy off...
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