Wow it's been a long time since I have posted! Sorry about that. As per usual, I will try to stay on top of it (look, here I am blogging on a Saturday. That's quite rare for me).
For Easter, we went to my parents' house. It's about a 6 hour drive, depending on how much you stop. However, this time, my husband was too sick to come with us so this was my first trip all by myself with our 14 month old. Now, I have taken her to the store, her other grandparents' house, the gym, etc. I think prior to this, the longest trip I did with her was about 45 minutes and that wasn't exactly pretty. She hates being in the car. She doesn't sleep in it (unless she's desperate), she can't see out the window very well because of the safety features of her car seat (those side head rest things in case of an accident), and she just gets tired of being in it. When my husband comes along, he drives and I get to sit in back and tend to her. It sort of helps but mostly it gives me piece of mind knowing I exhausted my options. Otherwise, I have to just wonder what she wants when I can't see her, if that makes sense.
We had set up a mirror on the head rest so I could see her in my rear view mirror. This was a LIFE SAVER. If you don't have one and are going anywhere by yourself, I highly highly highly recommend one. We got ours from a family friend so I don't know price or anything but they can't be much. If you google "infant car mirror", I'm sure you'll find what I'm talking about. With this, I could see her when I would give her a snack (to see if she dropped it, choked on it, needed more, etc). I could see when she would actually fall asleep (she did take one 40 minute nap on the way there and another on the way back) vs. just got quiet for a bit. I could see her shake her head yes and no for when I would ask her questions (she's such a good communicator if you ask the right questions). Basically, this was the best thing ever.
Then, I made sure to stop a lot. Normally, especially being pregnant, I have to stop about every two hours to stretch my legs. With baby, we stopped at every rest stop and then a couple gas stations (mostly to retrieve things she had thrown and wanted back). I made sure to stop long enough that she got to play a bit and roam around. She was very happy getting out of the car, not so happy getting back in. In fact, she would close the door if I got close enough for her to reach it when I would try to put her back in. It was bad but I do think the playing helped.
The last thing I can recommend (although I would hardly say I had a successful trip given that she screamed through much of it) is plenty of snacks and toys. I do spoil her and get snacks she doesn't normally get to eat, as well as healthier things to keep her full longer. I also recommend buying new toys, such as from the dollar store, to hold their attention for a few extra minutes before the screaming starts again.
Also, I will say that the way there went a lot better than the way home. I think on the way home she knew what she was in for because she started crying the second we pulled out of the driveway. Every time we go there (with or without my husband), she hates any car ride for MONTHS afterward. Even a quick trip to the store (literally 5 minutes) can seem like eternity to her. I feel so bad she doesn't understand but I suppose she will some day!
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