How to occupy a 1 yr old in car for seven hours

amother

Thu, May 28 2020, 3:38 pm

Any ideas? He hates hates the car. I can't figure out why. I think he's also just really bored
.....
We're going on a seven hour car ride the day after y"t and I'm so nervous he's just gonna yell the whole time
I'm so desperate I would even let him watch videos but he doesn't even seem to want to.
Pls help!
Also for the record, we are traveling for a medical appointment for this child ( not for a vacation) and will be completely secluding ourselves besides that ... in case anyone was nervous about us traveling in carona times . Thanks!

amother

Orchid

Thu, May 28 2020, 3:43 pm

Hardest age to travel . No advice.my daughter sounds the same. And she refused to sleep. YOU have my sympathies

amother

Jetblack

Thu, May 28 2020, 3:44 pm

You should Try travel when he is supposed to be sleeping. Maybe leave the eve befor like 5-12 and sleep in a hotel

Zehava

Thu, May 28 2020, 3:45 pm

Yep your best bet is doing it overnight

Last edited by Zehava on Thu, May 28 2020, 3:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Lawngreen

Thu, May 28 2020, 3:53 pm

We were out of town in March before Covid hit and then we had to drive 12.5 hours home with our 2 yo and 4 month old. We made sure to drive through the night so that they would sleep for the bulk of it. We gave my 2 yo dramamime because he usually throws up in the car and it had the added benefit of knocking him out. I highly recommend it. We also preloaded some shows onto his iPad and he watched those when he woke up. 1 is maybe a little young for that but may be worth a shot. We also played music because he loves that. It was much better then I expected it to be.

amother

Royalblue

Thu, May 28 2020, 4:06 pm

You have my sympathies, such a hard age. I brought books, a magnetic drawing board, a pop up you and a TON of snacks. We made it, just barely.

amother

Thu, May 28 2020, 4:13 pm

amother [ Aquamarine ] wrote:

Benadryl?
And drive through the night

Thanks. Bc of my baby's medical situation ( he has an airway disorder that can affect his breathing during sleep) I can't give him Benadryl . And he wakes up multiple times at night to nurse . I'm worried that he won't fall back asleep and then he'll be even more miserable bc he'll be tired 😬🤔

amother

Thu, May 28 2020, 4:14 pm

amother [ Royalblue ] wrote:

You have my sympathies, such a hard age. I brought books, a magnetic drawing board, a pop up you and a TON of snacks. We made it, just barely.

Thanks for the suggestions. What's a pop up you ?

amother

Royalblue

Thu, May 28 2020, 4:23 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. What's a pop up you ?

Sorry! Autocorrect. A pop up toy like this https://www.target.com/p/fishe.....91547

amother

Pewter

Thu, May 28 2020, 6:01 pm

Is it possible for you to sit in the back with him? For some of my kids that's the only thing that quieted them down Sad

amother

Ecru

Thu, May 28 2020, 6:08 pm

Agreed for you to sit in the back if possible. I would think about using music and/or white noise, something with rhythm.

Honestly, I had a couple kids who were really difficult until I could turn them forward facing. You sitting next to him doing things, reading/showing books can help with the boredom. But if he doesn't like how it feels, we can't change that.

Stars

Thu, May 28 2020, 6:30 pm

That might be his way of expressing that he is carsick. Can you ask a doctor about dramamine? Also travel at night if you can, the movement of the car might keep him asleep for longer than his usual, and when he does wake up stop to nurse him and hopefully he'll go right back to sleep.
If you absolutely must go by day, take lots and lots of snacks and activities. Stickers are fun and time consuming, maybe see if you can get some that he can stick on the car window. You will probably have to sit next to him for at least a part of the way, are you traveling with your husband or another adult?

amother

Peach

Thu, May 28 2020, 6:52 pm

amother [ Pewter ] wrote:

Is it possible for you to sit in the back with him? For some of my kids that's the only thing that quieted them down Sad

At times I find that helpful and at times I find my babies get more frustrated when I’m there cuz they just want me to take them out of their car seat!

amother

Ecru

Thu, May 28 2020, 7:05 pm

Also, if he doesn't already have a mirror, get him one.

Weird thought. You said he has an airway disorder. Is it possible that the angle of the carseat is bothering him? Could that be adjusted a bit to see if it helps? I imagine that may be a doctor question, but I don't know.

mammale

Thu, May 28 2020, 7:56 pm

I'll preface, that my kids are really good in the car, so I don't really have advice for a kid who can't handle it...but here is what I do regarding entertaining them.

When I traveled with one year olds, I took along metal jelly roll pans to use as tables, and all kinds of toys (cars, blocks etc). I found it worked better with magnetic toys. ( Magna tiles, magnets) also used it for coloring. Magnet a paper to the cookie sheet.
Lots of snacks ( exciting stuff, and treats)
Videos, music
Music toys
Magna doodle
Someone mentioned a mirror - such a smart idea!
I guess each kid is different, but I found that driving through the night, esp with a rightwing nursing baby, they don't sleep well, and are hard to entertain. Day works much better for me.

Ora in town

Sat, May 30 2020, 7:47 pm

If he hates the car, it might be that resonance frequency of the car just does not do him good and he does not feel well... in this case, best tipp would be to change car and to test for compatibility before buying...

amother

Seashell

Sat, May 30 2020, 10:43 pm

Check the car seat. Have you ever felt how little padding they have and the leg position. The angle the seats are at isn’t where babies are usually sitting. I traveled early in the morning and could make 12-14 hour trips if I left by 4 ish. He may wake up but he would do that anyway.