How far would you drive solo with two DC?

[pinkcardi]

Quick poll on if you would do this / if I should do this:

• a solo drive with two young DC (2 and 5)
• approx 8hrs driving, plus breaks
• across the UK

I can't decide if it's sensible or not, if I should do it.

We either drive or we don't go, it's my mum's birthday.

Part of me thinks it'll be fine and we can always stop overnight if we need to. The other part thinks it'll be hideous and I will be crying 2hrs in.

We've done long journeys before, down into Europe, and through the UK but always with two drivers. I'm confident enough driving, sometimes nervous but mostly ok, but this does feel like a big one.

What would you do?

I’ve done it but left mid afternoon - say 2 - then stopped for tea and put them in night clothes begore finishing the trip.

Yeah I’d do it - leave like others have said leave about 2/3 and stop for dinner and then get them in PJs. Take snacks and if they don’t get car sick then stickers and tablets etc. Take a bowl in case of sick accidents!

I live in the middle of nowhere in Canada. The nearest city is a 4.5 hour drive. Some people I know do that round trip just to go to Costco.

I think it’s just mindset. Canada is so big that no one bats an eyelid at a 12-14 hour drive. Some of my friends drive to the East Coast every summer. It takes 4 days.

Ok, so this gives me confidence. It's 8hrs each way but DH would be there for the return.

I was thinking to leave at 7am, stop for lunch, and then plough on through the finish. But perhaps 2pm would work, will give it some thought.

4.5hrs to Costco, well I certainly can't compare to that, although I expect roads in rural Canada are somewhat less busy than the A1 or Glasgow at rush hour

I’ve done it, you’ll be fine. As others have said, if you time it right, they’ll sleep for a good chunk of the journey.

Oh no don't go when they are asleep! What if you need a toilet break? How would you get two sleeping children into the service station with you? And you couldn't wait hours and hours for them to wake up. Well, I know I couldnt, anyway.

I would prioritise driving when suits you actually. I would.never start overnight or in the afternoon because I get tired and dislike driving more.than 3 hrs in one go without a break.

My feeling is that driving when you know you will be tired should be as punished as drink driving as it is even more likely to lead to accidents. So driving overnight or eay hrs of.rhe morning is a no for me

I would get up early and leave then. Have regular breaks every 2-3 hrs and use a dvd player and console games etc.

I wouldn't enjoy it though

South London to Aberdeen
3kids - 7, 4, 1
Have done it 5 or 6 times now
Only lost it once when the whole trip was delayed by traffic and road works and ended up taking 16hours arriving at 3 am

I did an 8 hour drive with my two severy times last year. It was fine, but they've always been good travellers.

I’ve done 4 hrs with 4 kids under 6 solo. That’s a bit nerve wreaking. I’d take two kids anywhere.

700miles was the furthest solo with two children under 10. I think after that even with regular stops it’s hard to concentrate

Tbh I usually set of at 5am if starting in uk with small children. That way they sleep for the first couple of hours and the roads were quieter.

What day of the week are you traveling op?

I would have done it, but mine were excellent travellers due to our fondness for long road trips (2000 mile ones!) A good trick is to leave mid morning, drive 2-3 hours, stop at a McDonald's with a play area (or services with one) wear out kids so they fall asleep, then drive as far as you are comfortable with, mine would stay asleep as long as we drove.

I'd do it. Have done 4hr plus ferry plus 1hr at other side pretty regularly with my 2.

Get up have breakfast, load car.
Take kids to park and run them.
Get in car and drive for an 1.5 hours

Picnic lunch and then straight back in car for iPad movie time.
Drive for 2.5 hours

Get out run in park/go to loo/see a sight/have costa
Toys out from the boot.
Drive for another 2.5 hours.

You are now an hour and a half from your destination. Change kids into PJs give them food, clean their teeth and give them blankets, put on some make up and brush your hair....drive to destination.

Work out a plan. Driving when the youngest naps for sure, nice places to stop even if it's a small detour. Nice tea rooms, somewhere to run around.

Download some new things to watch on an ipad or if you have DVD player, pop to the charity shop. A high set of Paddington bear saved me on a London to Yorkshire trip once but that was only 4.5 hours!!

Audio books maybe, though I think we were older when we started that.
Lots of food that they can access themselves.

Portable potty in case you have to come off at a junction that is not a service station for an emergency wee.

A long list of games to play in the car and a bucket full of patience!!!

I have done 600 miles with my 2 (and the dog) a few times. It's not fun but definitely doable. We are actually doing it today! We build in breaks and they have a dvd player and kindle fires. We also usually listen to an audiobook for at least some of the way. Good luck 😊

Did Aberdeen to York and back with a 3 & 7 year old, no screens just story cds. Worst bit was hitting Glasgow at rush hour, just pulled over and went to McDonald’s instead of sitting in traffic. Then when we did move again there was a car on fire on the opposite carriageway - guess what the 7 year old wrote about in his “what I did on holiday” when back at school.

The journey was fine but tiring for me, I know go by train when I can for long journeys.

I am another who starts at 5 am, I am an early riser.
By the time they wake for breakfast we are already 3-4 hours into the drive.
Plenty of water and snacks.
DVD’s and individual music/ tablets.
Plan to stop somewhere favourite for lunch and then you are there

It’s manageable but boring and tiring. I’ve done it a few times to the south of France, one stop in the middle for food and a proper hour of running around. 10 hours with my 3dc, though they have always been good in the car, hardly talk, mainly sleep. A few games of I-spy, some other car games, limited amounts of snacks so they don’t then get really thirsty and drink loads necessitating hundreds of toilet stops. We don’t do screens in the car because one of mine gets travel sick so none of them have ever used tablets or watched films in the car.
Don’t miss the party, schedule a fun stop just over halfway through so you know when you get back in the car that you’ve done the longest part!!

I'd do it and sell it to the DCs as a big adventure, I reckon you'll be fine. There's a lot of variety in that trip. I'm assuming they're fairly good in the car otherwise you wouldn't even be considering this. I'm excited for you, thinking of your DMs face when you three turn up!

Yes, I'd do it and have done it many times. The trick is not to over think it and make yourself stressed about it. Pack food that will fill them up and stuff to occupy them and just go.

I've done it with two under 3. It's doable, if not fun. I wasn't well prepared and had to stop half an hour in due to a catastrophic sneeze by ds1.

There's great advice further up about limiting snacks and water so you don't have to stop constantly, but my addition would be - don't drive to a deadline

I know it's hard with boats involved, but if you do "arrive when I get there" you can stop when it suits, traffic jams will make you shrug shoulders rather than cry and the inevitable "I need a poo" three minutes out of the service station is cause of wry laughter rather than homicidal intent.

When they were wee I used to get them up super early and have first breakfast before we left and second breakfast en route.

Hmm. I regularly do 4 hours but double that sounds hard work.
If I had to I’d leave very early-4 or 5 am and get a few hours in before stopping for breakfast and a leg stretch. Then another stop for lunch.
Hopefully they will sleep for the first bit, then story cd for a couple of hours, then dvd/tablets-I tend to save the ‘best’ entertainment for later on when they are fed up.
Sweet every half an hour/at key land marks.
Assuming the 2 yo still in nappies so hopefully you and 5 yo can manage to just do toilet stops at breakfast and lunch.
Good luck.

And if I’m driving alone then all aspirations of perfect parenting go out of the window as safety is paramount and I need to concentrate on the road. Ds once played on his Nintendo ds for 3 hours straight