Activities for long sports car ride next to a 16mth older?
We will be taking a two day car trip (and then support a week or so later) and just need ideas to try to keep hold of her entertained and happy while stuck in her form? We have bought her three toddler cds (both normal nursery rhymes and travel-related) and are planning to procure her a magnadoodle or something similar but im stumped as to what else i can do to keep her entertained any ideas? TIA :)
i think music CDs (classical like Baby Einstein series) is a very polite idea. Mine loved those and liked to hear them repeated far more often than expected.
small stuffed animals may be another assured, good item.
if you can take it, consider an inexpensive musical toy (piano, etc) nd allow them a few sessions of making some noise. Source(s): several sports car trips in your shoes.
take breaks and let them stretch their legs give or take a few once every 90 minutes. slows down the car; but improves the trip!
Don't dance for anything messy! If she gets grumpy or tired, she may start throwing things around. If you have a portable DVD player, play some movies, as they'll offer distraction.
Keep a container of bite-sized fruits or fruit bar, in an esky so they don't go off, to pass to her maybe every half hour, so she doesn't get hungry or bored. Kids tend to be happiest when they are putting stuff within their mouths!
Take lots of break and let her play for 5 to 10 minutes at each; sitting down for that amount of time can be murder for little bottoms, and our own!
Camera's are also fun, especially with a flash. So rob snaps of her if she's playing with her toys in the back.
Anything to extend distraction is great! Source(s): Lots of car trips with my neice, who will be 2 years old subsequent month.
Answers: Oh my, I'm contained by the same boat. I have a three year old and a 15 month hoary, will be 16 months, when we take a long trip in a few weeks. My three year old is great surrounded by the car but the younger one hates it and after about an hour or two is itching to obtain out. We took an 8 hour trip a few weeks back and the only way we get through it was by having one of us sit in the backbone with her and play with her for most of the trip, especially as she refuses to snooze in the car much.
Things that keep her populated...
Snacks and drinks. This is seriously the biggest thing that keeps my kids happy within the car. Makes a mess of the car and car form but totally worth it in the long run IMO if it keeps your baby from screaming for hours. I don't know what I would own done without a stash of blueberries and cheerios. Milk gets really nasty if they spill any so I'd stick to marine or juice if you can. Of course, two days is a long trip, so you probably need some milk in near somewhere. Other snacks that travel well are goldfish, pretzels, gogurt type tubes (if you use a cooler), etc.
Toys, toys, toys. We had everything from little people, to electronic doodle wad type things, to dolls, cars and toy frogs but since their attention spans don't last long, you have to switch them out often. The devout news is that you can usually switch them back into the rotation fairly regularly too. Anything small enough that you can pack easily is fair activity IMO. The key, at least for my daughter, is giving personal interaction with them. My son would be relieved playing with them on his own, but with my daughter, she wants you to play beside them with her. Same goes for the CDs -- great idea, but singing along near them makes a huge difference in how happy my kids are doing a tour.
If your daughter is into peek-a-boo, bring a small cloth/blanket. This kept my little one entertained for quite awhile. They say it's the little things, right?? :)
Again, if you can return with into the back seat with her, finger play is huge. Itsy Bitsy Spider, Five Little Ducks etc. I know it make for an extra exhausting trip for mom and dad to constantly have to entertain baby but if your daughter is anything close to mine, that is the only way we survive long motor rides. :)
Good luck and have a good trip!
ETA: Oh, and as others said, expect to make abundantly of extra stops so she can have a break. But, if she's sleeping, don't stop unless you absolutely have to. ;)
If you can get a DVD player that would be wonderful. They aren't very expensive anymore and i can assure you you will get plenty of use out of it! Maybe you can check with some friends and see if anyone have one they can lend you for the trip. Buy 2 or 3 new little books at the dollar store or something and don't let her see them til you need to use them, that opening she will be more interested. These are some things i did when we took a long trip with my daughter at that age. Luckily for us she slept most of the time! Good luck!
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i think music CDs (classical like Baby Einstein series) is a very polite idea. Mine loved those and liked to hear them repeated far more often than expected.
small stuffed animals may be another assured, good item.
if you can take it, consider an inexpensive musical toy (piano, etc) nd allow them a few sessions of making some noise. Source(s): several sports car trips in your shoes.
take breaks and let them stretch their legs give or take a few once every 90 minutes. slows down the car; but improves the trip!
Don't dance for anything messy! If she gets grumpy or tired, she may start throwing things around. If you have a portable DVD player, play some movies, as they'll offer distraction.
Keep a container of bite-sized fruits or fruit bar, in an esky so they don't go off, to pass to her maybe every half hour, so she doesn't get hungry or bored. Kids tend to be happiest when they are putting stuff within their mouths!
Take lots of break and let her play for 5 to 10 minutes at each; sitting down for that amount of time can be murder for little bottoms, and our own!
Camera's are also fun, especially with a flash. So rob snaps of her if she's playing with her toys in the back.
Anything to extend distraction is great! Source(s): Lots of car trips with my neice, who will be 2 years old subsequent month.
Answers: Oh my, I'm contained by the same boat. I have a three year old and a 15 month hoary, will be 16 months, when we take a long trip in a few weeks. My three year old is great surrounded by the car but the younger one hates it and after about an hour or two is itching to obtain out. We took an 8 hour trip a few weeks back and the only way we get through it was by having one of us sit in the backbone with her and play with her for most of the trip, especially as she refuses to snooze in the car much.
Things that keep her populated...
Snacks and drinks. This is seriously the biggest thing that keeps my kids happy within the car. Makes a mess of the car and car form but totally worth it in the long run IMO if it keeps your baby from screaming for hours. I don't know what I would own done without a stash of blueberries and cheerios. Milk gets really nasty if they spill any so I'd stick to marine or juice if you can. Of course, two days is a long trip, so you probably need some milk in near somewhere. Other snacks that travel well are goldfish, pretzels, gogurt type tubes (if you use a cooler), etc.
Toys, toys, toys. We had everything from little people, to electronic doodle wad type things, to dolls, cars and toy frogs but since their attention spans don't last long, you have to switch them out often. The devout news is that you can usually switch them back into the rotation fairly regularly too. Anything small enough that you can pack easily is fair activity IMO. The key, at least for my daughter, is giving personal interaction with them. My son would be relieved playing with them on his own, but with my daughter, she wants you to play beside them with her. Same goes for the CDs -- great idea, but singing along near them makes a huge difference in how happy my kids are doing a tour.
If your daughter is into peek-a-boo, bring a small cloth/blanket. This kept my little one entertained for quite awhile. They say it's the little things, right?? :)
Again, if you can return with into the back seat with her, finger play is huge. Itsy Bitsy Spider, Five Little Ducks etc. I know it make for an extra exhausting trip for mom and dad to constantly have to entertain baby but if your daughter is anything close to mine, that is the only way we survive long motor rides. :)
Good luck and have a good trip!
ETA: Oh, and as others said, expect to make abundantly of extra stops so she can have a break. But, if she's sleeping, don't stop unless you absolutely have to. ;)
If you can get a DVD player that would be wonderful. They aren't very expensive anymore and i can assure you you will get plenty of use out of it! Maybe you can check with some friends and see if anyone have one they can lend you for the trip. Buy 2 or 3 new little books at the dollar store or something and don't let her see them til you need to use them, that opening she will be more interested. These are some things i did when we took a long trip with my daughter at that age. Luckily for us she slept most of the time! Good luck!
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