We'll soon be going South to visit our families in KY and TN. I'm really looking forward to spending time with family. This will be the first time that many of my relatives will meet my kids!! I'm also homesick to see the beautiful Smoky Mountains. The mountain range was visible from my childhood home's front doorstep, so I want to stand on my Mom's front porch to see that view again. My heart longs to see everyone! It's been 4 years since our last visit when I was 5 months pregnant with my daughter.
I am a bit concerned about the long road trip for our kids. I want this to be comfortable and fun for them. I'm beginning to think about staying in a hotel on the way there. We would have to pay the extra money, but maybe it would be worth it. I'm trying to figure out which of these two options would be better for us.
OPTION #1
Get the kids up at 5 AM and let them sleep a few more hours while we begin our road trip. Then we would travel all morning and into the early afternoon to get to KY in one day. By that time, it would be the kids' nap time and there's the potential for major grumpiness when we reach our destination. It might not be that bad, but it does seem to go against their normal routine.
OPTION#2
Leave one day ahead of time after lunch & after the kids have had a chance to play. They would get drowsy and take their naps during the majority of the trip to the midway point where we would stop at the hotel and stay overnight. Then we would get up in the morning and have breakfast and an early lunch before leaving for the remainder of the trip.
As you can probably guess, I'm leaning towards OPTION#2. It really seems more natural to the kids' normal schedule. Plus, MG will only take a nap in the car now. I think that they would both feel better and be less tired if we did this. We'd probably feel better too. My hubby and I have been debating about this because of the extra $ that it would cost. I have a few days to think it over. :)
3 comments:
I am all about option #2. We are driving down to Disney World next year and we plan to make a stop overnight on the way down and on the way back. Since they don't often travel for more than a few hours, it might be a more comfortable option for them. I can also lend you our portable DVD player for the ride. A nice happy movie can go a long way to making a toddler and preschooler happy. I would also suggest snacks and drinks to minimize those sort of stops and also make sure that any favorite blankies or stuffed animals ride up with the kids.
Option #2 is a good one but we always go for option #1 due to financial constraints. We just have to make many stops so that they don't feel too stressed up and also for feeds, diaper changes..etc. It has been like that since many years ago..tiring yes, and sometimes all of us got irritated but we live thru it. Plenty of snacks, toys, simple books will help. And you have to play the 'fun traveller' role yourself..try playing "I Spy" to entertain them..and be a good companion to the easily agitated driver too..that's what I always do. Tiring, but that minimize the stress. Good luck!
Linda and Hliza, Thanks for your suggestions! I think that we are going to do both things. On the way down to KY, we'll get up early & do it in one day..to save on money. Since the kids are young, I think that they'll sleep for the first few hours & we could stop for breakfast and restrooms then. After that, we would have a four hour drive left to keep them entertained. :) Our trip back from Tennessee will be longer, however, so we will stay in a hotel overnight then.
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