T has been the queen of hating car rides since birth. So we have avoided them as much as possible since bringing her home from the hospital, but that's over 2 years now.
Home is in mama's arms. She is happiest and most comfortable while nursing or at least feeling my presence. This is how T sleeps and relaxes.
So trips are very difficult.
My parents lived 4 hours away and I was filled with a sense of dread every time we had to drive there. It ruined every trip just to know the drive we faced. I knew T would cry and I would feel anxiety and have to stay calm to drive. I would have to stop every 30 minutes just to hold her.
We've finally got things a little more manageable.
My parents now live less than 2 hours away.
And we have made a few 2.5 hour trips, but not further successfully. This is about the maximum range I feel comfortable with.
Daddy sits in the back with T, we have always alternated driving and sitting in the back with T, since birth.
T doesn't feel like she has to be held by daddy to enjoy spending time with him. We are now aware the secret is daddy. When I sat in the back with T she would get upset much faster to have me hold her.
T also appears to be much more comfortable in her Graco convertible car seat than her chicco seat. Even though the car seat is still in the same rear-facing position.
T has not fallen asleep in the car often.
Maybe 4 times in her whole life so far.
So we don't plan on getting the reprieve in the car. We plan to keep her distracted with videos, games, toys and singing.
T loves to watch videos with daddy.
T loves to eat snacks with daddy in the back seat. So we have to make sure to have goldfish and cheese crackers available, as well as water. These make the trip go by much quicker.
T also wants daddy to open and close the cover on the sunroof.
And lastly opening and closing the windows to have wind, no wind.
Unfortunately, my car doesn't have reliable air conditioning as I will have weeks of it working really well, followed by weeks of the air being hot, smelly and humid. This is wildly frustrating and uncomfortable for us all in my black car with all black leather interior. We just haven't found the fix yet, if you've ever had air conditioning issues in your car you can relate.
So we rely on windows.
T has gotten really easy to pack for because she hates to change clothes. I don't have to have layers and many outfits. We now use disposable diapers for travel.
We keep a few stuffed animals in the car for T and daddy.
These she says "come friend monkey" and daddy then brings the monkey out of hiding and T laughs.
T also received her first magic magnet board and has so much fun having daddy draw her a piggy to color.
T usually prefers me to listen to audiobooks while driving.
But if we do have music T and I frequently dance to each other in our mirrors. But if daddy is in the car he usually prefers the music barely on so T can't hear the same thing I'm listening to.
Do you have a toddler who hates car rides but have to take them?
What tips and tricks do you take to help with the pain of long car trips?
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