To want help for an 8 hour drive with toddler

[EasterRobin]

Oh lawks! What have I let myself in for? I'm visiting my parents 8 hours away so DD (20 months) can have a few days with her grandparents. Then another 8 hours drive back.

How do I do this?

We've long distances a lot with kids. Never 8 hours straight I would look on the map and find a decent halfway point and then look up a premier inn there, midweek if booked in advance can be £35 and Google the area to see if there's a nice park/softplay. Your baby will go nuts if they can't stretch out and exercise and you can't really drive through the night as it's a danger to you both and you might go insane from tiredness!! Many many scheduled stops. Manyyyyy

Don't do it at night, if you do need to make an unplanned stop it's unsafer. Start early in the morning 4am etc and then take regular stops. Some serv stations do offer day rates etc.

You'll be fine. I've done it with two kids. Research your route and find somewhere to stop with a play area. Don't be in a rush, stop whenever you feel a bit tired for a break. DVDs or iPads are good. But I did it with a child who gets carsick when watching a screen (even back of seat screens so looking straight ahead) and managed. CBeebies podcasts are good if you can download them and hook your phone up to the car speaker. Or audio CDs or just good music if not.

I know people say go at night but the one time I tried that I arrived a wreck. Turns out I really hate driving at night on motorways. I would now much rather go during the day.

The idea of this fills me with horror but I think cakes suggestion is a good one. Set off 4 pm, break for dinner after a couple of hours then hope she sleeps the rest of the way. Otherwise I would Def be doing it over two days.

When we do Edinburgh to London we leave at 2-3am after an early night, stop at 6.30/7ish for breakfast and a leg stretch, stop again at 10ish and are there by 12pm.

We once drove overnight, leaving at 9pm-ish and it was hell, so don't do that. Driving while the sun rises is quite nice, driving when it's pitch black is not.

I'd also say only leave early if you are confident you can hack the early start. Leaving early when there are 2 people driving is one thing, the non-driver can rest and then swap. If it is just you then you don't get that luxury. I prefer not to do late night or very early driving as I am sure I would just be knackered and therefore not the best driver. You have to think about how you personally would feel setting off at 5am. If you are naturally an early riser and sleep well than fine. If, like me, you consider 5am the middle of the night and sleep terribly if you know you have to be up early the next day, go for later!

Is your 8 hours with or without stops actually? If with, that is definitely fine. If without, expect it to actually take you at least 2 hours longer. I did the 8 hour drive without stops and actually it was more like 11 hours because of the breaks I needed.

I used to do long trip on my own with my DC when they were little (e.g. 11 hour flights with 4 kids under 6) but I'd balk at an 8 hour trip with a 20 month old. That's a bad age Are you sure you can't bus or train it. There are some amazing deals on megabus.

If you have to drive then I'd do the really, really early morning thing and see how it goes.

I do this often, and longer trip. I go at night because it's quieter and dc both sleep or watch films. But I have occasionally stopped off at a premiere inn or similar. I found it much easier when they were smaller.

We regularly do 6 hours to visit my parents. My recommendation would be to leave aft lunch, which is about an hour before lunchtime nap for us, the do 2.5-3 hours. Stop for a couple of hours and have dinner and a decent stretch then the rest from bedtime into the night. DD would often be awake for our 8pm break then sleep the rest.

We've done a similarish drive wuth DD, and no screens! Set off early (5/6 am) so asleep for first 2/3 hours. Stop at services for breakfast, getting washed and dressed. Part two - have a big bag of small toys, colouring stuff (Actuvity Village has loads you can print out), picture books etc. CDs as well.

I regularly do 5-6 hour journey solo with my 2. We leave at 4/5pm already in pjs (them not me) and take a picnic for the car, and magazines, Lego, colouring, stickers, etch a sketch type toys . Unless anyone needs a wee we don't stop. They fall asleep after an hour or two and I drive the rest of the way. I've tried the many stops method and I found that it prolonged the journey massively and didn't make it any more bearable.

Thanks everyone! I've now arranged a place to stay overnight midway on both out and return journeys. And ordered a back-of-car-seat iPad holder. I'll stop off once per trip for a meal and find another place to stop each trip for DD to have a run around.

If you're using the M42 at all, Hopwood Park Services has a playground.

I got some really good suggestions for places to stop on a long journey by asking on here. Proper parks, cafes, country parks and castles, all a few mins off my route.

I drive south 6 hours with a toddler and 5yr old. I leave about 4 and drive unyil 5.30ish stop for tea, stretch of the legs. Get the kids changed into jammies then drive the next 4hours straight. They are awake longer but so much more chilled out as they are tired