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Mums of 2 year olds - your help please!

20 replies

Weegle · 09/01/2008 09:07

I am anticipating an 8 hour car/train journey with 2 just two year olds later in the year. I was thinking of doing them both goodie bags to help alleviate the boredom. What would keep your two year olds entertained? I was hoping to nip out to the dregs of the sales for some things but need ideas! I was thinking things like mini-sketchers etc but am open to ideas. One boy, one girl, not that I'm sure that matters.

I'm already working on persuading DH to get an in car DVD player!

Thanks!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
chocoholic · 09/01/2008 09:10

Aqua draw mini mats
Tub of play doh if you are on a train

chocoholic · 09/01/2008 09:10

food!!

chocoholic · 09/01/2008 09:10

Sticker books

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chocoholic · 09/01/2008 09:11

Sorry, my brain is working in slow motion today.

Marne · 09/01/2008 09:14

Dd1 in a nightmare in the car, we always take

Plenty of food
drinks
Megnadoodle/mini mega sketch thing
Books
childrens cd's
Travel aqua draw Dora thing

We have a DVD player but we hav'nt used it in the car yet but i can see it being a hit.

mistlethrush · 09/01/2008 09:16

Why don't you book tickets in the quiet carriage and find some of those lovely Disney books that have out-of-tune music that they can get at the press of a button (and restart the tune or a different one without waiting for the end) - and have all the wrong words to sing to them in the book....

Sorry, being slightly more positive, you could even try things like doing collage using magazines (which involves going through and tearing out pictures or colours they like) and pritt stick - not too messy and this can use up quite a long time. Take some spare carrier bags with you for rubbish so that you can get rid of half full bags and start a new one regularly to keep down mess etc.

Good luck

Weegle · 09/01/2008 09:28

these are great, thank you, keep them coming!

OP posts:
ChirpyGirl · 09/01/2008 09:31

I have done train journeys with DD loads since she was 6 months, I always have
Loads of raisin boxes filled with different thigns, ie raisins, cheerios, yoghurt raisin.
Don't worry about a set meal, just give them lots of snacks, the fiddlier for them the better as it passes the time.
Always have crayons and paper
CHEAP stickers so you can peel them off the windows/chairs/other passengers
aqua draw
mini sketch
drinks
Lift the flap books

Wrap everything up loosely in cheap paper and put it in a bag, that way you get an extra 5 minutes of unwrapping with each thing.

Good luck!

nailpolish · 09/01/2008 09:34

an incar dvd player is a godsend, particularly when you suspect they are getting gurmpy and tired. jsut dont put it on at the start of the journey, wait til you have exhausted all toys/crayons/snacks

helenhismadwife · 09/01/2008 11:41

we travel a lot between the uk and france its a 5 hour drive, a 6 hour ferry then either a 3 or 6 hour drive depending on where we are going, it does depend as well on how you are travelling train, plane, car or ferry.

for the car I find it more difficult even with a play tray on the car seats we tend to loose crayons etc so we have the mini sketchers, books, and we have a portable dvd which is worth its weight in gold, for the ferry we take the same on and have colouring books as well we are lucky on the ferry we use there is a childrens play area and cinema (our girls are a bit young for this though)

we also have a changing bag that I have things like, bananas, grapes, cheese biscuits, rice cakes, biscuits and drinks in bottles with sports lids and in our case nappies and portable potty and of course the essential wet wipes.

The thought of the journey is sometimes worse than the actual journey, if possible try to travel when your dc will have a sleep anyway

Weegle · 09/01/2008 19:51

It's hour drive to folkestone, eurotunnel, 5 hour drive other side. I think the first leg is fine. Then reckon the train will be interesting enough in itself? So it's only really the 5 hour stretch on the continent that'll be the long haul. I'm hoping we can time our crossing so they are ready to sleep on the other side shortening the entertainment needed to 3/4 hours I guess.

OP posts:
mrsgboring · 11/01/2008 20:13

IIRC, with Eurotunnel, you'll basically be in the car, though there is the opportunity to get out. It's not super interesting, though, as there's nowhere to go!

Have you got room for an adult in the back with them. I would definitely do this for at least some of the time, as even drawing is hard in a carseat when you're little and they can't reach stuff they've dropped on the floor.

Doctor's kit is great, as is some toy tools. You can fix everything in the car. Playdough is definitely worth the possible mess associated with it. As are all the other suggestions made by the previous posters.

Magazines, some for reading some for shredding (we bought DS a bus enthusiast's mag which he chose himself and he adores it. He read it for three hours on and off of a 7 hour train journey)

Singalong - all occupants of car must join in. Bring favourite tapes/CDs. Make up new actions to well loved songs.

Those little icing pens for decorating biscuits. (and squeezing direct into the mouth) Saw this done on a train and it was fab.

Time as much journey as you can at sleep time and let them sleep. If it were me, I'd probably spend the afternoon mooching about Calais with kiddos and then head off on the long leg of the journey straight after tea, so you'd only have 2 hours to go before they slept. But it depends on what other constraints you may have.

handlemecarefully · 11/01/2008 20:14

Yes I can vouch for the in car dvd player

handlemecarefully · 11/01/2008 20:15

Wouldn't be without it for the 275 mile oop north trip to see my parents. Without it I would be cutting my throat

Dropdeadfred · 11/01/2008 20:16

We got a dvd player for dd3 who's 2. Perfect...she is entranced and watches Ping, Peppe Pig and Thomas the Tank Enfine.You hardly get a word out of her on long car journeys now. They are also not very expensive now. Try argos...

Upsidedowncake · 11/01/2008 20:22

We did a nine-hour car journey to Scotland over new year without any activities at all as ds (2 years 2) gets horribly travel sick.

We left at 4 in the morning. ds was so excited he didn't sleep until 5.45 without a need for anything to do. he then slept on and off for most of the morning. And he wasn't even sick!

If you can bear it, and haven't booked your Eurotunnel yet, I would do as much of the journey as possible during sleeptime.

Ds gets very excited about vehicles and animals out of the window, and I am always pointing out tractors etc (sometimes, to my shame, when there isn't one, just to make the whole thing more inetresting !)

handlemecarefully · 11/01/2008 22:00

or alternatively, get a dvd player....

let me think - set alarm for 03.00 in the morning or get a dvd player. Ermmm??

gigglewitch · 11/01/2008 22:09

OMG in response to op....

travel all night (has this already been said?)
mine wouldnt do it without killing each other, goodie bag or not. they are now 7,4&2. two year old poss easier cos they will sleep for a good while (hopefully) but will presumably become nocturnal if you travel during the day

i think the train and duplo, paper, crayons, doll and toy cars (each!) would prob do it for mine, plus massive bag of snacks, spill proof drinks (or with straws)
we recently drove for 6hrs with 'charlie and the chocolate factory' and 'enormous crocodile' on cd, plus 'room on the broom' and the most annoying cd ever made the "In the night garden" tunes. yes, all 45 mins of it. you will be headless after listening to that lot. we were.

S1ur · 11/01/2008 22:13

Wow, I like your courage! I would allow much more time so you don't mind stopping asd often as needed.

Good god they're not out of nappies are they!!!
I would recommend an etch a sketch jobby. cheap from (whispers) tesco

mrsgboring · 13/01/2008 14:12

Oh forgot to add, think about the activities around the edges of the journey. If you're travelling in the day and can possibly spare the time, go and do something active before you go. Children need to move around lots in a day otherwise they feel hideous and fidgety.

We have actually a couple of times gone swimming en route to the motorway before a long journey with our 2yo DS and it works really well (provided you wash all the chlorine off thoroughly so they don't itch). They start off tired and happy and keen to eat snacks (food bribery being the easiest entertainment for folk of all ages)

Plan plenty of rest breaks too with the opportunity for a proper run/jump around with lots of fresh air.

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