I am going to look for activity sets/ books that do not have any small pieces that could be lost.
I was wondering what is your opinion on portable DVD player -- should I even consider having it on the ride? How often/how long would you let the 23 mos watch it?

Thanks

My daughter found a portable DVD player a real life saver on their cross country trip to her in-laws. It made a huge difference enroute and in the many restaurants they went to. I would also have some music that would be good to keep her happy or help her nap. Lots of little pieces of things to eat to keep her busy--dry Cheerios, grapes cut up, etc. Be sure to buy a shade for the window next to the car seat to avoid sun in the baby's face. I really don't like to use wipes a lot on a baby's face, so I would fill a plastic baggie with dampened paper towels. Wipes are good for cleaning bottoms and dirty fingers.

Buy several small toys to give the baby at intervals to surprise and keep her/him entertained. Have a change of clothes at the ready for spills in the car. Also pack some favorites to help the strange new place not be so scarey. Bring story books too.

Thank you. I was offered to use someone's DVD player so I don't have to buy it for this trip.

A large rubber mat to catch fallen food, snacks, drinks. Only half kidding. I drove our 20 mo old twins roundtrip to NC twice last summer. I can not say it was the most enjoyable trip ever and since I was the only adult, even bathroom breaks for me were difficult but the majority of the trips were overall good. Worst was sitting for over 3 hrs in traffic. We went a whopping 1.2 miles in those 3 hours of which the twins screamed most of the time.

I had a cooler that I could reach with pre-filled sippy cups, additional bottles of water, juice to refill when we stopped. I also had made little cloth bags for cheerios and crackers and that sort of snack. I can't trust them with plastic bags but the cloth bags worked out well. I made sure the sippy cups fit into their car seat cup holders and bought extras of that type.

We do not usually eat fast food but for the trip, I stopped at fast food places that had a place for them to run around a little and stretch their legs.

Take toys but watch for how big or hard it is for holding in the carseat. Also, larger, hard toys hurt if they are thrown and hit you. Expect some protests at some point. Our one twin doesn't use a pacie but I took extras and she did use it for a few minutes before falling asleep in her seat.

I left at 0 dark early first trip and I thought the kids would go back to sleep but they really didn't. Next trip I left after rush hour traffic and that was better except for the traffic jam. The trips home we left after 6 pm. That was actually the best time for the twins because we ate dinner, then left and by 8 pm they were asleep in their seats.

We have traveled as far away as 34 hours with babies, toddlers, kids. Have your plan but also be flexible as to when you stop and where.

Thank you, Laura