Road Trip Activities for Toddlers

So, we are planning a 9 day cross country trip from NC to CA with myself, my husband, and my two little girls who are 1yr and 2yrs old. Sounds fun, right? Thankfully, the girls are good little travelers and I have planed the trip with lots of activities and stops that should entertain the babes.   I have confidence that it will go well. But, you never can be TOO prepared, right? Right? RIGHT? Right. 

So, I decided to start the search for good road trip activities. I realized that most things I found were not really geared towards the early-toddler aged kids (maybe because we are the only crazy parents willing to try a road trip with this young of kids). 

Anyway, I compiled some of my favorite ideas along with some of my own. They are super easy to make! They do take a little bit of time, but not much. Maybe two evenings sitting in front of the TV drinking wine...yeah, that should be enough time. :)

Here it is:

-The Box I originally started storing everything in an accordion folder. That didn't work out all that well because it was a bit to small (even though it was one of those monster folders!). So, my husband made a Wal*Mart run and bought me this. He is estimating that it cost him about $20...maybe $25.

-Supplies I filled the top with Crayons, Sticky Notes, a Sharpie, a whiteboard marker (white board inside) and Kleenex to wipe the board off...after all, who likes using their hands? All that blank gunk? Yuck.

-File Folders Inside, I used filing folders which I already had. I used sticky notes to create "Tabs"

-Flash Cards These are leap frog flash cards. They are the kind that you can use with the little green dog (whats his name? Scout? That's it)  I didn't want to bring the dog, it takes up to much space. So we just brought the flash cards.

-ABC/123 These are foam letters that I made. You can buy adhesive, pre-cut letters at Wal*Mart (or any craft store). I took the letters and stuck them to a piece of flat black foam board and cut around them. Then, I took adhesive magnets strips, cut them to size, and stuck them to the back. Voila! (The metal cookware is from the Dollar Tree)

-Pipe Cleaners from the Dollar Store. I don't recommend cutting them at all. The little wires poke out. Not good for the little ones.

-Books Books I already had. Little ones with pretty colors and fun pictures.

-Stickers These are stickers from the Dollar Tree. We kind of went all out and a little crazy, but oh well. I stuck them to foam board of various colors, cut them out, and stuck a magnet to the back. I separated sticker sets so I could keep the variety and not overwhelm the little ones with too many themes at once.

-String Shapes I cut of these shapes from foam board and used a single hole-punch to punch holes all around the shape. We got shoe string at the Dollar Tree, but John got excited when he saw the colorful fuzzy string and thought it may be more interesting for the girls to use as opposed to shoe string.

-Popsicle Sticks We got these colorful popsicle sticks at the Dollar Tree. Again- stuck on magnets and Voila!

-Fishing These were a bit of an adventure to make! We were limited on supplies since the packers are in the middle of boxing our stuff. I cute out these little fishies from foam board and labeled them 1-10 (not necessary, of course...but how much of this post is ACTUALLY necessary?!) Then, I found a straw in our bare cupboards, used some left over 550 cord (string will work fine, I just didn't have much available). I strung the string through the straw and tied a knot at the end to keep it in place. On the other end, I used Krazy Glue to glue the cord to a larger magnet. Each fish has small metal clips on them (my husband bought them at Wal*Mart, I think they were in the jewelry making section). I learned that you cannot use a magnet for the fish because they will stick to the pan and the game will be pointless. Sounds obvious, I know, but I still tried it.

-Balloons and Buggies Dollar Tree goodies. Little Balloon something-or-others. John got them. I wouldn't recommend them for toddlers because the solution is toxic. But, adult supervised would be fine. And we also have puff balls! Adrianna calls these "buggies".

-Coloring White board and coloring book.

-Necklaces The girls love these. We used to have some purple ones that they wouldn't go anywhere without.

-Glow Sticks These are the best! Got these from the Dollar Tree also! We cleared the rack. The girls call these "glows" and they adore them! Plenty for the trip.

How to be me..? Right.

So, I was sitting down writing a "guidebook" for the girls (+dog) and the house. I am going out of town  for a couple weeks and we flew my wonderful and lovely mother out to care for the kiddos, the house, and (I suppose) to feed my husband ;) . After I finished writing, I thought it was rather interesting how easy it was to write down all the little details about the average day. Thought it might make for an interesting blog post...not to mention I am watching Adrianna purposely fling herself off the couch, crashing onto the ground, and laughing hysterically. Or maybe she is doing that weird laugh where she should probably be crying but instead she is laughing like she is clinically insane..This started a couple days ago and, to be honest, it kind of freaks me out.

Anyway...the day (and a couple funny videos). Sidebar: I kind of think that telling someone else how to care for your children is like asking your mother how she makes "that one dish". Mom does her best to write down every important detail..but there is something about a mother's touch...Lets be honest though, after reading the directions, it doesn't sound that hard, does it?

Poppy

Food: Fill bowl in the morning. That should last all day.

Water: Normally I fill it fresh every morning

Crate: Fully crate trained. Feel free to put her in her crate for any reason. I have had her in there for about 8 hrs (other than sleep) if I am out of the house.

Bathroom: First thing in the morning, two more times during the day, and right before bed. I just let her out and, ALMOST always, she will come back to the door within 5 min or less. In the mornings, I will usually let her out before I get the girls. I will get the girls changed and dressed and then let Poppy back in the house to eat.



Rebecca

Food: 8oz 3x a day (usually first thing in the morning, after her morning nap, and around 6pm). 1-2 jars of food a day. Feed whenever. She can eat fruits through her “fruit mesh feeder” and some are soft enough to eat without it. She will also gnaw on soft veggies or bread.

Drink: She can have water or VERY watered down juice

Sleep: Wakes up between 0730-0830. Goes down for a nap between 1030-1130 and sleeps for a couple hours and down at about 1600 for another nap. She goes to bed between  1930-2000

Bathroom: She doesn’t poop every day. She wears “nighttime diapers” (in the closet) for overnight (heavy wetter)

Hygiene: Bathe every day or every other. Clean ears often (she gets lots of wax) and brush teeth. It is MUCH easier to bathe her in the sink. She has a lot of trouble with water going over her face and head and she thinks she is choking. So I find it easier when I can control the strength of the stream.

Behavior Notes: She has been having trouble falling asleep so I have been giving her some cuddle time before I put her down. I think she might be teething. She loves her jumper. Also, if she is upset, the dog usually makes her happy right away.



Adrianna                                                                                                                                    

Food: Eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes she skips lunch because of a nap so I just give her a snack before dinner.

Drink: Milk for breakfast and juice/water throughout the day.

Sleep: Wakes between 0830-0930 and naps at the same times as Rebecca. Naps are not required, but they are suggested.

Bathroom: She poops at least once a day and is learning to notify when she is about to or is going poop. Take her to the potty seat if you want to!

Hygiene: Bath daily or every other. She LOVES to brush her teeth throughout the day. She also loves to clean her ears. She likes to bathe in the sink, too. But it really doesn’t matter. Whatever is easier for you.

Behavior Notes: Pacifier is only if she is lying down or going to sleep. She sits in a normal chair and should ask permission to be excused before she gets up. She likes to ask for a napkin and will clean her hands, face, and table. If you are cooking or prepping, she shouldn’t be in the kitchen. She can normally clean up after herself and can clean up her own room (more or less). If you tell her something is “rubbish” she will throw it away. She will also put dishes in the sink. Sometimes she gets confused between the sink and the trash, so keep an eye out for things in that trash that shouldn’t be there. She will probably follow you everywhere and shut all the doors in the house. I have little kid movies you can put on for her if you want to. She doesn’t like veggies but she will eat the mixed veggie baby food that I give Rebecca. She will eat green beans, corn, and sometimes broccoli and cauliflower. She LOVES: fruit, eggs, goldfish, string-cheese, milk, juice, raspberries, blueberries, popcorn, and toast.



The House

Will be clean upon your arrival

Trash goes out on Tuesdays

Turn AC off if unneeded

Baby Sleep Advice...Thank you Andrea

This essay deserves its own post...And some entertaining sleeping baby photos at the end. Enjoy!

Like many exhausted new moms, Ava Neyer read stacks of books about baby sleep. But nothing seemed to work for her twins, now 5 months, one a night owl and one an early bird. Every new expert offered a different solution -- and what's worse, they all seemed to contradict each other.


"Don’t let your baby sleep too long, except when they’ve been napping too much, then you should wake them. Never wake a sleeping baby." Does "expert" baby sleep advice make your head spin?
Neyer poured out her frustrations to friends in her mom's group in a hilarious rant, one that will strike a chord with any mother who has ever paced the floor at 3 a.m. with a wide-awake baby, thinking "WHY WON'T YOU SLEEP?!" Posted on a friend's Tumblr, Neyer's essay went viral on Reddit and has been making waves in the mom-blog world.

"I didn't expect people to like it as much as they did!" said Neyer, 31, who lives in Fort Bragg, N.C. She's still struggling with sleep issues, but her experience has taught her to take all advice with a grain of salt. "A lot of it is learning to read your children," Neyer said, rather than reading books.

Neyer's brilliant take on expert sleep advice:

"You shouldn’t sleep train at all, before a year, before 6 months, or before 4 months, but if you wait too late, your baby will never be able to sleep without you. College-aged children never need to be nursed, rocked, helped to sleep, so don’t worry about any bad habits. Nursing, rocking, singing, swaddling, etc to sleep are all bad habits and should be stopped immediately.

Naps should only be taken in the bed, never in a swing, car seat, stroller, or when worn. Letting them sleep in the car seat or swing will damage their skulls. If your baby has trouble falling asleep in the bed, put them in a swing, car seat, stroller, or wear them. Use the crib only for sleep and keep it free of distractions. If the baby is having trouble adjusting to the crib, have them play in it first. If the baby wakes up at night and wants to play, put fun toys in the crib to distract them.

Put the baby in a nursery, bed in your room, in your bed. Co-sleeping is the best way to get sleep, except that it can kill your baby, so never, ever do it. If your baby doesn't die, you will need to bed-share until college.

Keep the room warm, but not too warm. Swaddle the baby tightly, but not too tightly. Put them on their backs to sleep, but don't let them be on their backs too long or they will be developmentally delayed. Give them a pacifier to reduce SIDS. Be careful about pacifiers because they can cause nursing problems and stop your baby from sleeping soundly. If your baby sleeps too soundly, they’ll die of SIDS.

Don’t let your baby sleep too long, except when they’ve been napping too much, then you should wake them. Never wake a sleeping baby. Any baby problem can be solved by putting them to bed earlier, even if they are waking up too early. If your baby wakes up too early, put them to bed later or cut out a nap. Don’t let them nap after 5 p.m. Sleep begets sleep, so try to get your child to sleep as much as possible. Put the baby to bed awake but drowsy. Don't wake the baby if it fell asleep while nursing.

You should start a routine and keep track of everything. Don’t watch the clock. Put them on a schedule. Scheduling will make your life impossible because they will constantly be thrown off of it and you will become a prisoner in your home.

Using the "Cry It Out" method (CIO) will make them think they’ve been abandoned and will be eaten by a lion shortly. It also causes brain damage. Not getting enough sleep will cause behavior and mental problems, so be sure to put them to sleep by any means necessary, especially CIO, which is the most effective form. CIO is cruel beyond belief and the only thing that truly works because parents are a distraction.

Formula and solid foods will help the baby sleep longer. Solid foods shouldn’t be given at night because they might wake the baby. Don't stop the baby from nursing when asleep. Be wary of night feeds. If you respond too quickly with food or comfort, your baby is manipulating you. Babies can’t manipulate. Babies older than six months can manipulate.

Sleep when the baby sleeps. Clean when the baby cleans. Don’t worry. Stress causes your baby stress and a stressed baby won't sleep."

Did you lose sleep trying to figure out all the expert sleep advice when your child was a baby?