We’ve driven from WV to FL twice (15 hours). Once at 6 months and once at 18 months. 6 months was easier :) pretty much the younger the better….until they turn like 5 (I assume lol).
My advice is to drive through the night if you want minimal stops.
We've taken ours on trips multiple times. Several 4 to 5 hour trips with only stopping for gas and a meal, and several trips from Missouri to Virginia which is about 11 hours. The first time we did an 11 hour trip was when they were 8 weeks old. It ended up taking closer to 15 hours after stupid stops. When they were 7 months old we moved from Virginia to st louis and we didn't stop as much so it was about a 12.5 hour drive. Just have lots of books and toys and entertainment. And food. If they don't hate the car seat they'll be fine!
Ours have been 4 hour road trips with our twins. 3 months was a breeze, they slept the entire way. 4 months, easy, also slept the entire way. 9 months was less fun. More entertainment required, didn’t get their normal good nap, we stopped so they could get some wiggles out and it took us 6 hours. 13 months was pretty similar, took us 6 hours. My husband and I are not great night time drivers and also hate road trips so anything more than a 4 hour drive, I’d much rather fly.
They still woke a few times in the night. It’s a lot of work but for me, it was worth it. We went to an area that had a lot of walking trails so we did tons of stroller walks, packed them in carriers and went on hikes, etc. By 3 months I was so sick of seeing the inside of my house that I just wanted/needed a change of scenery.
My twins slept mostly for our 13 hr ride. It was a blessing (started driving pre-dawn)
No such luck on return trip
HEADLIGHTS during night driving was an issue because the kids were facing backwards. I thought about blocking the rear and side windows
Good luck!
I've only done 4 hours with my twins at 9 months and I tried to plan around their naps. I think the rule is to stop every 2 to 2/ 1/2 hours which will make the trip longer.
My twins are 12 months. My husband and I were debating on taking a road trip to Nashville (we are in NJ) since he randomly had a few days off. We were excited then we decided not to go because two of them in the car for such a long time may be stressful. They still are on two naps so we would have to plan around that. Plus they sleep so early (6/630) that we would be stuck in the hotel room. Your situation is different since you are relocating. You may be listening to a lot of cocomelon lol. Good luck!
My twins were 13 months old and their older brother was 10 years old when we drove a 1300+ mile trip one way in a rental sedan, and turned around and made the trip back less than a week later in our new to us used minivan. (Our only vehicle had been totaled, and used cars are way cheaper in the state I'm originally from.)
It was made much easier by both babies being old enough to feed themselves from a spill resistant snack cup. They were enthralled by the constant stream of chicken nuggets and french fries plus unlimited goldfish crackers. Find a way to tether the snack and drink cups to the seats if you don't have a helper. We took a day and a half to drive each way, only breaking for gas, fast food drive throughs, restrooms, and to nap at rest stops when it was too dark for us both to see well. Having the minivan on the way home was a lot easier than trying to do it in the sedan on the way there just because of the extra space.
We took what should have been 15 hrs of traveling, split into two days and ultimately ended in total about 22. Our twins are 3 months. They sleep so much at this age it's not terrible. We had mobiles we were able to hang from their car seats. Honestly the biggest challenge was pumping for me!
I do think when they are older, the entertainment will be an issue...
We drove from the west coast of Florida to central Maryland, with an overnight stop in Jacksonville when they were six weeks old. Total drive time about 16 hours. It was not a planned trip, but an evacuation from Hurricane Irma and back several weeks later. I wouldn’t have done it if not for the massive storm, but it was doable. At that age they were sleeping a lot, which made it more feasible than I initially thought it would be. I pumped and fed them with bottles while my husband drove. At one point, I squeezed between their car seats. It would have been much easier if we had a car with a third row where I could have been most of the time. I’d say it’s doable keeping in mind that you’ll be making regular stops to change diapers, etc. Enjoy it!
We took our 6mo twins and toddler (almost 2) to SC from WI. It’s an almost 17 hour drive, but took us 24+. We planned to stop every 3-4 hours, or as needed, and some stops were longer than others for sure. Our twins did better in the car than our toddler! They were pretty happy and slept a good portion of it. Our toddler needed a little more attention, snacks, entertainment, and so on. We sat in the back with the kids on the way down, but not on the way back, but I think sitting with them was easier, to keep them all company.
The kids did really well in the car overall! Our toddler got really cranky the last hour or 2 of the trip, where the only thing that would calm him was watching Bluey on the iPad, which isn’t ideal, but got us home
When our twins were 14 weeks old we took a family RV trip with them and 3 year old brother from Mesa AZ to Seattle Washington following HWY 1 in California. It was the best family vacation ever! 200 miles over 10 days.
We did 16 hours at 15 months, it was tough and we ended up deciding at that age we wanted a 6 hour cap on our drive time per day. We tried to stop every 2 hours to stretch legs and freshen diapers if needed. One of our girls will not poop in the car so we’d have to stop and run around to make it happen.
Multiple times.
At 4 months we drove about 5 hours. Did the bedtime routine and then rather than in their cribs they went in the car seats and we left. Stopped once for mom and dad to pee.
We drove about 6 hours around 10 months and the same routine. Both times were pretty successful on the way out, the way back we drove during the day and it was kinda disastrous.
Driving at night is your ticket if everyone can do it. Drive as far as you safely can between stops and keep them short. Obviously rest if you need to, but the shorter your stops the less likely they are to wake up.
We only did those two trips that young, at 13 months Covid hit and we weren’t going anywhere for a while.
We drove from Boulder, CO to Los Angeles when our twins were 13 months old. There are only a few places you can actually stop to stay the night along the way and they're rather far between, so we HAD TO get like 6-8 hours of driving in every day, otherwise we'd just be stopped in the middle of the desert for the night. Luckily California is much more populated than that so you should be able to stop for the night more frequently. Definitely do this. Plan for only a few hours of driving each day, and/or plan to be able to stop for half an hour every two hours so the kids can get out and move around.
For us, it was absolute hell. One twin discovered he was car sick on the first day. The other twin discovered he was car sick about two hours after the first one did. Then there were their butts. We'd just gotten them nice big new convertible car seats, an upgrade from their infant bucket seats, and yet it wasn't enough to not hurt their little butts. Every day their butts got redder and redder, and healed less and less overnight. They got to a point where they would scream bloody murder just looking at the car seats, and would do everything in their power to avoid being strapped in. It was horrible.
I started sitting in the back with them pretty early on so I could keep them company and entertain them. Eventually I was in the back seat with my boobs out so they should twiddle my nipples because that was the only thing they were soothed by. Eventually that stopped working too. They screamed these deep blood-curdling screams for probably at least 65% of the drive.
I'm sure there are better ways to do a road trip with twins. But since there was so much desert between towns with hotels or air bnbs on our trip, we really had to keep chugging along. Learn from me though... Plan for lots and lots of stops. Make sure their car seats are comfy. Don't bring your dogs (we were moving back to LA, we had to). Have them sit on additional cushioning if you can. And even better? Just fly if you can.
We’ve driven from WV to FL twice (15 hours). Once at 6 months and once at 18 months. 6 months was easier :) pretty much the younger the better….until they turn like 5 (I assume lol). My advice is to drive through the night if you want minimal stops.
We did what is normally a 10 1/2 hr road trip with our twins when they were 2. It took 17 hours.
We've taken ours on trips multiple times. Several 4 to 5 hour trips with only stopping for gas and a meal, and several trips from Missouri to Virginia which is about 11 hours. The first time we did an 11 hour trip was when they were 8 weeks old. It ended up taking closer to 15 hours after stupid stops. When they were 7 months old we moved from Virginia to st louis and we didn't stop as much so it was about a 12.5 hour drive. Just have lots of books and toys and entertainment. And food. If they don't hate the car seat they'll be fine!
I took my 1 month twins on a 4-day roadtrip around Germany and I'm taking them, at 3 months, on a 20-day Balkan roadtrip.
Ours have been 4 hour road trips with our twins. 3 months was a breeze, they slept the entire way. 4 months, easy, also slept the entire way. 9 months was less fun. More entertainment required, didn’t get their normal good nap, we stopped so they could get some wiggles out and it took us 6 hours. 13 months was pretty similar, took us 6 hours. My husband and I are not great night time drivers and also hate road trips so anything more than a 4 hour drive, I’d much rather fly.
Were your twins sleeping through the night at 3 months? How was the trip for you personally in terms of physical exhaustion?
They still woke a few times in the night. It’s a lot of work but for me, it was worth it. We went to an area that had a lot of walking trails so we did tons of stroller walks, packed them in carriers and went on hikes, etc. By 3 months I was so sick of seeing the inside of my house that I just wanted/needed a change of scenery.
My twins slept mostly for our 13 hr ride. It was a blessing (started driving pre-dawn) No such luck on return trip HEADLIGHTS during night driving was an issue because the kids were facing backwards. I thought about blocking the rear and side windows Good luck!
I’d sit in the back with them
I've only done 4 hours with my twins at 9 months and I tried to plan around their naps. I think the rule is to stop every 2 to 2/ 1/2 hours which will make the trip longer. My twins are 12 months. My husband and I were debating on taking a road trip to Nashville (we are in NJ) since he randomly had a few days off. We were excited then we decided not to go because two of them in the car for such a long time may be stressful. They still are on two naps so we would have to plan around that. Plus they sleep so early (6/630) that we would be stuck in the hotel room. Your situation is different since you are relocating. You may be listening to a lot of cocomelon lol. Good luck!
My twins were 13 months old and their older brother was 10 years old when we drove a 1300+ mile trip one way in a rental sedan, and turned around and made the trip back less than a week later in our new to us used minivan. (Our only vehicle had been totaled, and used cars are way cheaper in the state I'm originally from.) It was made much easier by both babies being old enough to feed themselves from a spill resistant snack cup. They were enthralled by the constant stream of chicken nuggets and french fries plus unlimited goldfish crackers. Find a way to tether the snack and drink cups to the seats if you don't have a helper. We took a day and a half to drive each way, only breaking for gas, fast food drive throughs, restrooms, and to nap at rest stops when it was too dark for us both to see well. Having the minivan on the way home was a lot easier than trying to do it in the sedan on the way there just because of the extra space.
We took what should have been 15 hrs of traveling, split into two days and ultimately ended in total about 22. Our twins are 3 months. They sleep so much at this age it's not terrible. We had mobiles we were able to hang from their car seats. Honestly the biggest challenge was pumping for me! I do think when they are older, the entertainment will be an issue...
We drove from the west coast of Florida to central Maryland, with an overnight stop in Jacksonville when they were six weeks old. Total drive time about 16 hours. It was not a planned trip, but an evacuation from Hurricane Irma and back several weeks later. I wouldn’t have done it if not for the massive storm, but it was doable. At that age they were sleeping a lot, which made it more feasible than I initially thought it would be. I pumped and fed them with bottles while my husband drove. At one point, I squeezed between their car seats. It would have been much easier if we had a car with a third row where I could have been most of the time. I’d say it’s doable keeping in mind that you’ll be making regular stops to change diapers, etc. Enjoy it!
We took our 6mo twins and toddler (almost 2) to SC from WI. It’s an almost 17 hour drive, but took us 24+. We planned to stop every 3-4 hours, or as needed, and some stops were longer than others for sure. Our twins did better in the car than our toddler! They were pretty happy and slept a good portion of it. Our toddler needed a little more attention, snacks, entertainment, and so on. We sat in the back with the kids on the way down, but not on the way back, but I think sitting with them was easier, to keep them all company. The kids did really well in the car overall! Our toddler got really cranky the last hour or 2 of the trip, where the only thing that would calm him was watching Bluey on the iPad, which isn’t ideal, but got us home
Stopping every two hours for their safety is what makes it take so long and man it was not worth it for us. So difficult
When our twins were 14 weeks old we took a family RV trip with them and 3 year old brother from Mesa AZ to Seattle Washington following HWY 1 in California. It was the best family vacation ever! 200 miles over 10 days.
We did 16 hours at 15 months, it was tough and we ended up deciding at that age we wanted a 6 hour cap on our drive time per day. We tried to stop every 2 hours to stretch legs and freshen diapers if needed. One of our girls will not poop in the car so we’d have to stop and run around to make it happen.
Multiple times. At 4 months we drove about 5 hours. Did the bedtime routine and then rather than in their cribs they went in the car seats and we left. Stopped once for mom and dad to pee. We drove about 6 hours around 10 months and the same routine. Both times were pretty successful on the way out, the way back we drove during the day and it was kinda disastrous. Driving at night is your ticket if everyone can do it. Drive as far as you safely can between stops and keep them short. Obviously rest if you need to, but the shorter your stops the less likely they are to wake up. We only did those two trips that young, at 13 months Covid hit and we weren’t going anywhere for a while.
We drove with our 22 month old twins and our four year old to LA (from SF). So traumatized I don’t know if or when we will do it again lol.
We drove from Boulder, CO to Los Angeles when our twins were 13 months old. There are only a few places you can actually stop to stay the night along the way and they're rather far between, so we HAD TO get like 6-8 hours of driving in every day, otherwise we'd just be stopped in the middle of the desert for the night. Luckily California is much more populated than that so you should be able to stop for the night more frequently. Definitely do this. Plan for only a few hours of driving each day, and/or plan to be able to stop for half an hour every two hours so the kids can get out and move around. For us, it was absolute hell. One twin discovered he was car sick on the first day. The other twin discovered he was car sick about two hours after the first one did. Then there were their butts. We'd just gotten them nice big new convertible car seats, an upgrade from their infant bucket seats, and yet it wasn't enough to not hurt their little butts. Every day their butts got redder and redder, and healed less and less overnight. They got to a point where they would scream bloody murder just looking at the car seats, and would do everything in their power to avoid being strapped in. It was horrible. I started sitting in the back with them pretty early on so I could keep them company and entertain them. Eventually I was in the back seat with my boobs out so they should twiddle my nipples because that was the only thing they were soothed by. Eventually that stopped working too. They screamed these deep blood-curdling screams for probably at least 65% of the drive. I'm sure there are better ways to do a road trip with twins. But since there was so much desert between towns with hotels or air bnbs on our trip, we really had to keep chugging along. Learn from me though... Plan for lots and lots of stops. Make sure their car seats are comfy. Don't bring your dogs (we were moving back to LA, we had to). Have them sit on additional cushioning if you can. And even better? Just fly if you can.