About to start an all night 12 hour drive w a 6 week old and 2.5 year old. Appreciate some positive vibes fellow fathers

[jesstheblessed]

@eva01 Man we tried he cried and cried that he wanted to be a big boy. We are proud we did it with out giving him any videos or anything like that. We found some busy books and a lED drawing pad.

 

[wickmac34]

@bellsmom Drive safe! Caffeinate, hydrate and eat well. Fingers crossed the kiddos stay asleep and you have an easy time.

 

[newlife27]

@wickmac34

Caffeinate, hydrate and eat well.

To add to this, every hour or so, pull over and do some jumping jacks or jog in place. It gets the blood pumping and keeps you alert.

 

[yoursweetestmemory]

@newlife27 Headphones! Music helps me stay awake and when everyone else is sleeping at 3am and you need a pick me up, turn those tunes on loud.

Safe travels!

Edit: learn something new everyday! With today's wireless earbud headphones I generally put in 1 ear so i can still hear whats going on but would have never thought it was illegal.

I'll leave it here so others can learn too. Thanks for the down votes!

 

[marcod]

@yoursweetestmemory Please do NOT do this, driving with headphones in is distracting, removes one of your senses that could alert you to danger, and poses other risks as well. Additionally, it is semi or outright illegal in many states: https://thenewswheel.com/is-it-illegal-to-drive-with-headphones-a-state-by-state-guide/

 

[darlenearina]

@marcod This! Ticketable, very ticketable.

 

[ronaldus]

@yoursweetestmemory This is well-meaning but dangerous advice. It’s easy to be a little lost in your own music and not hear another car horn. It’s also straight up illegal in some areas (California, Ohio, and Maryland, among other US states) to wear headphones while driving, so take this with a grain of salt OP.

 

[cowboy90]

@ronaldus It irks me to no end when I see people riding bikes with headphones on. I am like. You are a fucking idiot. I can't imagine a car ride.

 

[katrina2017]

@bellsmom Godspeed. I hope you have an adult copilot. We did a 13 Hour drive with 6 PM departure with kids two, four, and six. We also did a 3 AM departure on an 11 Hour drive. And the return version of each…

Two meal stops in each, one short, one long with a little playground time. They really weren’t bad. One behavioral rough patch in each at a pretty predictable time based on screwing up sleep schedules. Not much to do except be patient. It is pretty understandable that the kids would have some freak out moments. It’s a long drive even for adults.

In terms of tips, split up the driving. My wife does not like driving long distance at night or in weather, so she took significant chunks of the daytime, clear weather drives and I took the hard parts. Also, music puts me to sleep, but podcasts which are engaging and thought-provoking keep me very alert.

 

[rkjohnson2005]

@bellsmom Been there done that. No shame in getting a hotel room or pulling into a well lit spot for a 30mn nap.

 

[angeldoveparis]

@bellsmom 11 1/2 hour drive from NYC to Charlotte NC starting at 3 pm. 1 year old little girl. Every time she woke up she threw up all over herself. Fun times.

 

[alwaysquestioningmyself]

@bellsmom You mean a 16hr drive or more. This is coming from experience. It should be 12 even if you have added an hour or two, but it will be 16 at least. At the same time the nightime drive is the only way to attempt this.

 

[harrykeith]

@bellsmom It's a lot worse right up until you leave.

We do ~500 mile drive (one way) with our 3 boys (6, 4, and 2 now) about 2.5 times a year to see my family.

We've done this drive with kids at least 15 times, maybe more.

You have an urge to get there as quickly as possible, but it has to be tempered with driving safely and knowing that the kids need time to stretch and rest.

12 hours is a lot to do in one shot, but it goes by quickly. I know my own limits when driving, I know when I need water, caffeine, or a different audio source. Don't push yourself beyond your abilities and don't be ashamed to admit you need to take a break or split the drive.

Finally, make it fun! Queue up audio books, podcasts, or playlists you want to listen to. Talk to your SO about life stuff, work stuff, or stuff stuff. Long drives go faster when you're mentally engaged in something in addition to driving (unless there's bad weather - do not drive 12 hours in bad weather.)

 

[extramedium]

@bellsmom For other dads considering this, if you have slightly older kids also consider an early AM departure. I’d pack as much as I could in the afternoon, take a Unisom at 6 and wake up at 3AM to pack up the rest of the car and hit the road by 4. Normally the wife and kids would have stayed up much later and thus end up sleeping for over 1/2 the trip. I’d also have a good nights sleep and not have to worry about falling asleep at the wheel.
The family may not sleep the entire ride, but don’t forget sometimes the best parts of family road-trips are the actually the parts on the road.
Side-note: don’t forget what a PITA (also dangerous) it can be to have car trouble in the middle of the night vs. the daytime.

 

[jlo]

@bellsmom Break up the trip with lots of stops and lots of treats.

Good luck dude.

 

[embracelifee]

@bellsmom Frequent breaks. Only in well lit areas. Hydrate.

 

[crysteenleen777]

@bellsmom I took a 2.5 yo and a 10 week old from Chicagoland to Florida. Drove mostly overnight so they would sleep.

Worked perfectly, other than my sleep being messed up for days.

 

[jyounh]

@crysteenleen777 Recently did that same drive in reverse. We also drove through the night and it worked well.

 

[lynx3007]

@bellsmom It’s all gonna be fine. It’s an adventure and adventures with kids are always worth it.
Like, maybe not right now..but with time, it’ll be worth it.

 

[elpis81]

@bellsmom I’m doing the same with a 22 month old but two 12 hour days. God speed!