We need even more of your surviving-long-car-journeys-with-children tips, please

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Ford has chosen five Mumsnetters to test-drive some of its models. They've also asked us to garner your tried-and-tested tips for keeping children from driving you to distraction on long journeys.

We've already collated some here but the more the merrier, it being Christmas and the season of long family car journeys.

So please post 'em here.

Thanks
MNHQ

Pack a change of clothes, a tuppaware pot which has a tight fitting lid and pop a plastic bag under the seat because at some point someone will hurl

Oh and take your most hated relative to a trip to the motorway services, and leave them there!

DVD player, snacks, change of clothes. end of.

sick bags / tissues / dvd player / food & drink

Small toys - (cars, small figures), books, tissues, calpol, drinks, snacks, change of clothes, sick bag, dvd player and plenty of dvds....lol thats just for a day trip!!!

lap trays - you know the ones with a beanbag attached - great for colouring books and crayons/pens to go on

Zopiclone.

Or midazolam, but you'll have to keep topping-up.

We always travel in the evening - our journey to grandparents is normally about 4 hours and this works well.

A light dinner then off we go - the kids normally fall asleep at some point, DS has managed before the end of our road before - DD normally a bit longer.

Make the journey much more peaceful with them asleep! And i have to admit I sometimes join them, leaving DH to drive....

live near your parents?

Sew up a shirt at the bottom, fill with parcels and hang on door. Allow them to open one per hour.

For babies keep a selction of toys that hand on the car seat that you only get out for journeys.

Use the DVD player for at least an hour before getting it out.

my son is 9yrs now and I have to say that beyond a drink and some snacks, I've never had a huge issue with any distances we have travelled.
At the first tantrum he tried at the age of 2 ish ... a firm warning about consequences given before hand ... that we can't go any further if you are going to behave this way ... expecting this to be ignored of course ... watching for a good break in any traffic ... I stood on the brakes suddenly but safely to a stop ... Oh dear, we are stuck here now ... we can go when you stop making this fuss ... the car doesn't like the noise and won't work!!! I'm telling you..it took seconds to stop the wriggling and screaming!!

He got a short, sharp, shock and that cured any further nonsense from happening!! This from a mother who cannot listen to too much whinning and unreasonable behaviour.
My son has ADHD and Autism and is so much easier in some ways, than alot of children I know!!! Simple but effective practices .. thats all .. no negotiations

Stop every 3 hrs to let them out for a run around in the fresh air. A portable DVD or iPod loaded with favourite movies has also been successful.

Phenergan!!!!! only joking!

We've done some huge journeys with our two and emerged fairly unscathed! This summer we did a drive which was about 15 hours either way. The children survived with lots of Abba (ds not so happy about this) a great deal of dsing, a couple of movies and some books. We have done a lot of long drives though, so our children are quite inured to it.