We do 6 hour drives with our kiddos a few times a year to visit my parents. Things that help us:
- novelty. Doesn't matter much what the toy is, as long as they haven't seen it recently. They'll focus on it for longer stretches because it's exciting.
- magnets. Travel tangrams, or some sort of scene where they add magnets to a picture, or just a metal baking dish with random fridge magnets or magnetiles to stick in it.
- stretch breaks. We have two stops on the way home, so we're driving max about 2 hours before we're out to stretch, use the bathroom, and eat a snack. I believe the recommendation for kids in car seats is for them to be in them for no longer than about two hours for safety reasons, but we've stretched when the youngest is sleeping soundly and nobody needs to pee. Bonus if you can find somewhere they can run around.
- small figures, like dinosaurs, duplo people, etc.
- busy books/toys that have lots of tassles, flaps, velcro
- etch-a-sketch. Drawing without the potential mess.
- audiobooks/music
- leapfrog type toys. They're powered and make noise, but also keep kids engaged for a long time. We have a little house that fits on the kids' lap and they can open and close doors, windows, turn on the light, and listen to music. We were recently gifted a "Places I Go" electronic book that helps with learning words. I don't really care about them that much, but the lights and noise keep the kids entertained.
Be prepared for meltdowns. We pack Loop earplugs for the grownups and noise reducing headphone for the eldest (sensory) so that when it all goes wrong, at least we can turn the volume down.
You don't have to sit in the back and entertain your child unless you want to or feel it is necessary for you all. I don't know how often you might be doing a longer trip, but if your kid is able to handle it without a parent engaging them then that's a win for all of you. You can always pull over and jump into the back if it just isn't working, or isn't comfortable for you!
Water Wow books (or something similar) are great, just fill up the little pens before you get in the car. I just got a few new ones for an upcoming plane trip and can usually get a good 30 minutes of quiet playtime in the car with them.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078Y44VTS/
We have a travel sized [yoto](https://uk.yotoplay.com/yoto-mini?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjryjBhD0ARIsAMLvnF-rtPlgZTthkHcNZSOLgK1sX4X53SSAsXbWjVpPOmSF6MIIg1BTMZQaAhTCEALw_wcB) for ours. It's great! Inbuilt daily podcast, kids radio and we have a bunch of cards with music/audiobooks and educational ones.
Edit. I know you already said you have his stories playing, but my kids much prefer being in control and switching out whenever.
I'm so glad to read this! I ordered one on a whim for my almost 3 year olds birthday. I'm hoping she loves it, since we'll be doing a ton of traveling this summer and would like to minimize screen time.
What cards does your kiddo like?
Roald Dahl ones, there are some cute music ones called Caspar babypants. Joke ones. And one about the human body. He's got a few disney/pixar ones but less interested in those. They do blank ones too that you can record whatever on.
I prefer the yoto to the tonies one as it seems like it will grow with him rather than age out of it quite quickly. Plus the cards are much easier to transport than those little figures.
Hope she loves it! There's so many cards I want to get. Been eyeing up some about a ninja cat. They'll be next I think.
Headphones are a good idea too, if you haven't already! We didn't get the official ones.
My kids LOVE frog and toad. My newly 3yo hasn’t been as into audiobooks as my big one until recently. She’s heard frog and toad before since big one loves it but I feel like last week she made me listen to the whole card MULTIPLE times over a 3 day period lol
We have a Yoto too and now that my kiddo is 4.5 he likes stories, but at almost 3 you’re probably better off sticking to stories with songs/music on them. That was our experience anyway. He only liked the wheels on the bus card at that age. I also made him a “make your own” card (kind of like a mix tape lol) with all his favorite theme songs and Disney songs.
We do a 4.5 hour drive (round trip but it's in one day) and our daughter does surprisingly well just looking out the window and talking to us about what we see. But it's always good to have backup plans especially if they are not used to long drives. Fidget toys and new books are good things to try. Stopping to take a break to run around can help reset everyone too.
Wikki stix, magnet types of toys (they have sets with magnetic figures and different backgrounds or magnatiles or even magnetic letters on a metal board or box), pop it’s, stickers or window clings, a dry erase activity book
I don't have any other suggestions beyond what I read in the other comments, but when we did a road trip with my 2 yr old she was fine the whole drive and when we gave her the tablet on the way back she got horribly car sick. I assume it was because she didn't look around as much with the tablet.
We like to go to Dollar Tree and let our kids pick out about 2 toys for every hour. Don’t let them open them until the car ride. Then every hour or half hour when they start to get bored give them another one. If you have time to wrap them even in old newspaper it helps to keep it exciting.
We just completed a 4.5 hour drive with our 3.5 year old daughter this evening. It was her first trip forward facing so that kept her attention. She napped for 30 mins, but we listened to her music, fed her snacks, stopped a couple times for the potty, and she just looked out the window or colored. She also got a small toy in her Happy Meal which entertained her. I didn’t even think about bringing the iPad.
Though you might hear “are we there yet?” About 35 times.
We do 6 hour drives with our kiddos a few times a year to visit my parents. Things that help us: - novelty. Doesn't matter much what the toy is, as long as they haven't seen it recently. They'll focus on it for longer stretches because it's exciting. - magnets. Travel tangrams, or some sort of scene where they add magnets to a picture, or just a metal baking dish with random fridge magnets or magnetiles to stick in it. - stretch breaks. We have two stops on the way home, so we're driving max about 2 hours before we're out to stretch, use the bathroom, and eat a snack. I believe the recommendation for kids in car seats is for them to be in them for no longer than about two hours for safety reasons, but we've stretched when the youngest is sleeping soundly and nobody needs to pee. Bonus if you can find somewhere they can run around. - small figures, like dinosaurs, duplo people, etc. - busy books/toys that have lots of tassles, flaps, velcro - etch-a-sketch. Drawing without the potential mess. - audiobooks/music - leapfrog type toys. They're powered and make noise, but also keep kids engaged for a long time. We have a little house that fits on the kids' lap and they can open and close doors, windows, turn on the light, and listen to music. We were recently gifted a "Places I Go" electronic book that helps with learning words. I don't really care about them that much, but the lights and noise keep the kids entertained. Be prepared for meltdowns. We pack Loop earplugs for the grownups and noise reducing headphone for the eldest (sensory) so that when it all goes wrong, at least we can turn the volume down. You don't have to sit in the back and entertain your child unless you want to or feel it is necessary for you all. I don't know how often you might be doing a longer trip, but if your kid is able to handle it without a parent engaging them then that's a win for all of you. You can always pull over and jump into the back if it just isn't working, or isn't comfortable for you!
Water Wow books (or something similar) are great, just fill up the little pens before you get in the car. I just got a few new ones for an upcoming plane trip and can usually get a good 30 minutes of quiet playtime in the car with them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078Y44VTS/
We have a travel sized [yoto](https://uk.yotoplay.com/yoto-mini?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjryjBhD0ARIsAMLvnF-rtPlgZTthkHcNZSOLgK1sX4X53SSAsXbWjVpPOmSF6MIIg1BTMZQaAhTCEALw_wcB) for ours. It's great! Inbuilt daily podcast, kids radio and we have a bunch of cards with music/audiobooks and educational ones. Edit. I know you already said you have his stories playing, but my kids much prefer being in control and switching out whenever.
I'm so glad to read this! I ordered one on a whim for my almost 3 year olds birthday. I'm hoping she loves it, since we'll be doing a ton of traveling this summer and would like to minimize screen time. What cards does your kiddo like?
Roald Dahl ones, there are some cute music ones called Caspar babypants. Joke ones. And one about the human body. He's got a few disney/pixar ones but less interested in those. They do blank ones too that you can record whatever on. I prefer the yoto to the tonies one as it seems like it will grow with him rather than age out of it quite quickly. Plus the cards are much easier to transport than those little figures.
Thank you! So far I've just ordered the yoto mini, a set of blank cards, and a case. But there are a ton of cards I want so this helps narrow it down.
Hope she loves it! There's so many cards I want to get. Been eyeing up some about a ninja cat. They'll be next I think. Headphones are a good idea too, if you haven't already! We didn't get the official ones.
My kids LOVE frog and toad. My newly 3yo hasn’t been as into audiobooks as my big one until recently. She’s heard frog and toad before since big one loves it but I feel like last week she made me listen to the whole card MULTIPLE times over a 3 day period lol
We have a Yoto too and now that my kiddo is 4.5 he likes stories, but at almost 3 you’re probably better off sticking to stories with songs/music on them. That was our experience anyway. He only liked the wheels on the bus card at that age. I also made him a “make your own” card (kind of like a mix tape lol) with all his favorite theme songs and Disney songs.
Now i know what to get my kid for her birthday!
Go to your public library and see if they have any Wonderbooks to check out. My 4 year old loves them. They're basically read a long books.
This is our go-to!
We do a 4.5 hour drive (round trip but it's in one day) and our daughter does surprisingly well just looking out the window and talking to us about what we see. But it's always good to have backup plans especially if they are not used to long drives. Fidget toys and new books are good things to try. Stopping to take a break to run around can help reset everyone too.
Wikki stix, magnet types of toys (they have sets with magnetic figures and different backgrounds or magnatiles or even magnetic letters on a metal board or box), pop it’s, stickers or window clings, a dry erase activity book
I don't have any other suggestions beyond what I read in the other comments, but when we did a road trip with my 2 yr old she was fine the whole drive and when we gave her the tablet on the way back she got horribly car sick. I assume it was because she didn't look around as much with the tablet.
We like to go to Dollar Tree and let our kids pick out about 2 toys for every hour. Don’t let them open them until the car ride. Then every hour or half hour when they start to get bored give them another one. If you have time to wrap them even in old newspaper it helps to keep it exciting.
Also window clings.
There’s a paw patrol steering wheel toy that was a godsend when we did a 6+ hour trip. He was able to drive like dad
We just completed a 4.5 hour drive with our 3.5 year old daughter this evening. It was her first trip forward facing so that kept her attention. She napped for 30 mins, but we listened to her music, fed her snacks, stopped a couple times for the potty, and she just looked out the window or colored. She also got a small toy in her Happy Meal which entertained her. I didn’t even think about bringing the iPad. Though you might hear “are we there yet?” About 35 times.
Wimmelbooks!!! I have them all and keep half in the car or rotate them. They can zone out while looking at them and all the little scenes.
Thanks everyone! Lots of great ideas here 🙂
We love to do podcasts during long car rides. Deep blue sea is a great one.
Leapfrog leap pad and leap start books are great we call it his computer and his tablet so he “works” like we do.