First time driving on my own for 5-6 hourswith dd, any tips?

[piratecat]

Hi, only been driving 2 yrs, and have never driven longer than an hour. Bestest friend is visiting the the UK for a few days and staying in Kent, i am in Devon.

Train will involve getting into Paddington, then i have to get me andd dd to Victoria to get down to Kent.

I used to live in london ten yrs back, but am finding myslef being a total wuss about getting on the tube lol!!

Coach---far too long and dull?

Car, too stressfull ?? But much more freedom.

Oh, i need to get to Chatham!! So any tips, or am i being mad.

brum brum

Hello piratecat. I can sympathise with you regarding driving. Im not too keen on it since having dd, think I have lost alot of confidence as I had a crash when I was expecting.

Can I ask how old your little one is? Is she old enough to watch a dvd in the back? If you take the car she will more than likely sleep for most of the journey.

i can see this adding up, how mcuh are dvd players!!

i could fly, but it's £260 return!!

dd is nearly 7, and doesn't sleep much. I am sorry you had such an awful experience

It takes 5/6 hours to get from Devon to Kent???? Blardy hell!

maybe not i looked at one of those route planners. does that sound too long?

We travel quite a bit with our 3 year old and when its just me and her i stock the front seat up wwith bits of stuff and keep handing them back to her one at a time. Stack of books, raisins, chocolate bars, drinks, sandwiches, babybel, tiny chalkboard, etch a sketch, a kazoo etc.

We do have DVD players in the car but she gets bored after one film. What about some storys on CD for you both to listen to?

I regularly go to Devon (Little Torrington) from Kent (nr Tunbridge Wells) and it takes me around 5 hours including a stop. But I have been driving since God was a boy.

I can see why you are nervous, but at 6 your DD can surely entertain herself for some of this time?

My DD used to listen to story tapes on an ELC personal stereo - now I download them onto an ipod for her (reading makes her sick) or we play spotting games simple ones for younger Dc (car colours, birds, cows etc) numberplate ones for older. Or we just chat and sing along to music.

I cannot comprehend that we believe that our children cannot make a journey in the car without needing to watch TV/films.

Piratecat - I did this journey, Plymouth to Rochester when I had been driving 3 months, with my DD, aged 3 months up to 6 months, and then a 12 hours drive (as I got stuck in traffic) to Durham.

It is not a bad drive really. Pretty straightforward. I much prefered to drive that train. Really, it is a faff.

Tips for driving:

Don't drive at night, if you break down, or need to stop at services, it is safer (or I felt it safer), to drive in the day.

Leave really early so that you avoid rush hour traffic on the M25.

Plan regular 30 min stops every 2 hours to stretch your legs/eyes and give the kids a chance to move around - ideally stop at Reading services before you hit the M25 for a decent stop.

How old are your children? - you need lots of music, games to play (eye spy can get a bit boring!) snacks to eat (services are expensive), flask of coffee, or prepare to buy coffee on the way (we always did that ).

Make sure you have full break-down cover, that will tow you to your destination if you break down.

Allow for delays, give yourself 2 hours leeway in case of accidents/M25 trouble.

DO NOT go on the A303. If you get stuck behind a tractor for miles or there is an accident you are screwed!

No, 5/6 hours sounds about right, depending which bit of Devon. Def allow plenty of time for stops en route if you drive. And try not to do all motorway or you risk falling asleep at the wheel.

Oh, and I am sure you won't need a DVD player, really, books and toys, music will be plenty. It will only be for 2 or so hours at a time.

(only just saw you have one DD) - take a picnic, and look forward to this as part of the journey. DH and I on occasion used to find some-where nice off route to stop and eat sarnies whenwe did this journey (every 2 weeks for 8 months).

It was just a suggestion Marmadukescarlet. Its a long drive to play eye spy all the way. Cd stories are a good idea though. good luck!

Ditto what Marmaduke says, one 7yr old is great company too. It's not like you have the hassle of pushchairs, nappy changes, bottles, other children.

Build a pack of fun goodies to produce gradually over the journey. Take an audio book for you too.

Try and embrace the freedom, make a day of it, stop wherever you fancy for a ladies' lunch, maybe checkout a market town and stop for afternoon tea, buy your host a gift etc. Find some interesting touristy things en route, any ancient earthworks, castles, animal sanctuaries?

Can you tell I'm jealous?

I wasn't having a go Dee , I just think sometimes we should encourage our DC to entertain themselves a little - it is a dying art.

Although after my upcoming trip to Devon with the DC I may change my mind - my 4.5 yr old DS has severe SN, I have done this trip on my own every year since he was a few months old.

He is now better equipped to vocalise his displeasure at having to sit still.

Pirate Cat - we used to borrow talking books from the library, they usually have a good choice. In advance draw up a list of things to spot - obviously nothing too easy like a red car, but maybe a red car with certain letters in it's numberplate, etc. We also used to count the number of roundabouts (sad, but effective), all sorts of random stuff.

Can you do a list of the towns you pass and ask her to tick them off as you go past. A bit of planning will make it much quicker, also save things up to talk to her about, ask her to make you up a story.....It'll be fine, honestly!

I'll just put another point of view across: the train might be more fun: more freedom to move around, negotiate the changes together, you can do activities together rather than you having to drive.

I would think cost would be a factor, and as you will have to pay for her train ticket, I'm not sure whether train or car will be cheaper. Depends how far in advance you book.

Either way, crafty/sticker puzzle type stuff aand cd stories are the way to go.

Please don't be nervous about London: millions of us live there and get on the tube with our much littler children all the time: it'll be fun for a 7 year old I imagine!

I tend to think that driving turns out to be more stressful than public transport usually, but that's from the point of view of someone who does trains and tubes much more often than cars.

As other people have said, either journey will easier with one 7 year old dd, than a toddler or multiple kids.

hiya,
thanks for the recent messages. i have decide i am going on the train!!

If i have to get across london, i have also remembered it's dead eay to get form Paddington to Victoria on the bus, and far less stressful!!!

Can't belive i lived and worked there for yrs!!! Just havent returned for yrs, andit wil be a big thing for me, cos since then have had dd and got divorced. Lots of good memeories of London.

train wil not cost too much, and will save my sanity, i think i just wanted to have a go at the driving, but maybe another time.!!