Parents in towable RVs, how do you keep young kids occupied in the truck for hours?

[New England Weekender]

I have 2 kids under 4. We're planning some fun stuff for them in neighboring states. The issue is many of the destinations are 3 or 4 hrs away and even more are 5 and 6 hrs from home. Just focusing on the 3-4 hr destinations, that's a significant truck ride for a 3.5 yr old and a 2 yr old, both still in car seats.

When I was a kid in the 80s/early 90s, my parents had used Class A's. We would lay on their Queen bed and watch VHS movies, or play cards/games at the dinette, or even one time Dad set up our N64 to work while we commuted...good times! Lol.

I think of how easily we passed the time on a 5 hr trip and I'm honestly not sure how we do this in a truck. The longest they've done to date is about 75 mins, and it's not a frequent time length.

The obvious answer is tablets for each kid but my wife is adamant about limiting screentime when the kids are this young.

Do any of you have any tips/tricks on how to handle the travel days with young kids?

 

[jkwilson]

Audio books for kids. Lap desks that fit their car seats with some kind of drawing/coloring/tracing activity.

 

[camp-n-couple]

We used portable dvd players with Baby Einstein videos. Nowadays I would use iPads with downloaded games and movies.

 

[Toy4Rick]

When my kids were young, our daughter got car sick going to the grocery store so for trips we gave her Dramamine, slept for hours

Our son has a cast iron stomach so we had to get creative, before electronics.... books, card games, counting white cars, birds...

Good luck

 

[pilotpip]

We don't let the kids play on electronics a lot when at home. When traveling we'll let them download movies to watch and books to read on their iPad and it keeps them entertained for hours.

 

[SGT ROC]

Our grandkids, now ages 12, 8, (Sister and younger brother) and 6 (their cousin) the last 3 years traveled quite well. All trips with them have been at least 3 hours. They have their tablets available, or books. Most times that are playing Eye Spy or counting whatever the Granddaughter comes up with. The 8-year-old and 6-year-old frequently sleep 2 of the 3 or so hours. Because the youngest sits in the middle the brother and sister don't fight with each other. This year may be a bit different as the 12-year-old is not wanting to be around the boys as much which is fine with them.

 

[FT4NOW]

We mix it up, sometimes tablets or Nintendo Switch, audio books that we all listen over the truck speakers, coloring books or school activity books.

 

[WhittleBurner]

We used to do frequent 5 hr trips, all before electronics...how did we survive ! We spent many road hours looking out the window trying to spot the little goblins that lived in the trees on the side of all roads and many of the other non electronic things mentioned. Somehow one got named GiggleSnort so that became the one we looked for...over and over

It's also a good time for fun interaction with your kids creating made up stories about thing you see while traveling.. good lesson on using your and their developing imagination.
Or you can drive at night and they'll sleep most of the way

 

[Brainzino]

Haven't seen any reply from a grumpy old man so I shall volunteer
When my family and our friends families would caravan for hours and hours all over California in the 50's and 60's us kids would sit and stare out the window and be quiet doing it in cars that mostly didn't have air conditioning
Sorry but kids now can't sit in church for 45 minutes without games books coloring books water bottles and snacks
I we weren't good we would get the wooden spoon

 

[robmcqueen]

Try a extra dose of benadryl

 

[SGT ROC]

Haven't seen any reply from a grumpy old man so I shall volunteer
When my family and our friends families would caravan for hours and hours all over California in the 50's and 60's us kids would sit and stare out the window and be quiet doing it in cars that mostly didn't have air conditioning
Sorry but kids now can't sit in church for 45 minutes without games books coloring books water bottles and snacks
I we weren't good we would get the wooden spoon

My Kids learned the hard way. We were on a 2.5 mile trip to their aunts house for thanksgiving in our Chevy Astro Van. They were warned several times to behave (12 year old identical twin boys). I then told them that if they didn't, I would pull the van over to the side of the road (4 lane interstate). They apparently didn't believe me. I pulled over, took care of business and the rest of the trip was VERY quiet. So was the trip home the next day. When they were younger, they just fell asleep.

 

[ocbizman1]

Back when we travelled with our son we would get books on CD. Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket. Listen to them for hours. Sometimes we'd be so engaged in a story that we'd be sad when we got to our campground. Would often stay in the car and finish the chapter we were on before we'd set up camp.

 

[poohbear]

For one, don't drive 4 hours straight thru.