How To Survive 15 Hours in a Car with TWO Kids.

When we decided we were going to Disney World most people asked me, “You’re flying right?” and the expression on their face after my answer was always priceless. One lady even told me I lost my mind. Because we weren’t flying, we were in fact driving fifteen hours with two kids. There were multiple reasons we took on the crazy journey to drive. One, the trip was slightly booked last minute. Okay so it literally got booked a month before we were leaving, it’s fine. Flights for a family of four in that time frame, to Disney, ridiculous! Second, I really wanted us to have our own car seat for Rory and not have to worry about renting one or lugging one around in an airport. Lastly, I really wanted us to have the luxury of driving wherever we pleased without worrying about shuttles and Ubers with kids. So want to know how I survived?

1. MAKE A LIST. During my first week of trip planning/packing I opened the notes in my phone and I made a list. The first list was all the necessary items Rory (my now almost six month old) needed on a daily basis. Bottles, formula, food, spoons, bowls, cereal, bottle cleaner, bottle cleaning brush, bottle warmer, extra pair of clothes, diapers, wipes, butt cream, toys (ALL THE TOYS, especially teething ones), blankets, sunblock and books. I made sure to put all of that stuff in a bag that was accessible the whole drive. JUST IN CASE. For Hailey (my eight year old) it was a little more simple and she even packed her bag herself. She brought her iPAD (duh), a charger, books, paper,  pens, homework (muahahah), snacks, a blanket and a pillow.
2. EXPECT THE WORST. I know that sounds crazy, but if you go into the drive expecting your baby or child is going to be awful, you’ll have the biggest sense of relief when nothing happens. I was super worried the entire day before we left that the drive was going to be a nightmare and after we made it past twelve hours, I was completely relaxed, none of my fears came true. Even the small stuff, you take as small stuff and you don’t freak out as much. Like for instance, their diaper being wet for longer than anticipated but they aren’t freaking out, SO YOU SHOULDN’T. This happened to us a lot. There wasn’t always a stop when I wanted there to be, so I just had to roll with it. JUST GO WITH THE FLOW!
3. SIT IN THE BACK. I really squished myself in the backseat, I mean REALLY SQUISHED MYSELF. Between Rory’s carseat and Hailey the entire drive was crammed. As uncomfortable as I was during the ride, with seatbelt buckles up my rear (you’re welcome for the visual), IT WAS WORTH IT! Your baby (and even your pre teenager) has a huge sense of security and relief when you are near them. I mean after all, you are their mother. They also don’t get bored or impatient with being in the car for that long if you are still there play with them, talk to them and read to them. It really made the world of a difference to both them. Rory acted as if it was just another day in her activity chair because I was always right there with her. Hailey even enjoyed the couple times Rory napped and I got to play games with her. It means a lot to them. #itsthelittlethings
4. LEAVE AT NIGHT. Both Rory and Hailey have a pretty strict bed time, Eight PM, I know were lame parents. Knowing that the car ride was going to take fifteen hours I figured if a majority of that was in the middle of the night, the kids would sleep. BINGO! We fed Rory her last bottle at her normal time, 7:45pm and once she fell asleep we put her in the car. She woke up for a moment a little confused then immediately went back to sleep until 6:00am like she normally does! WHAT A RELIEF! Ten hours out of the way JUST LIKE THAT! Not only that but she went BACK TO SLEEP after that bottle for another two hours!!!! That meant only THREE HOURS with an awake baby! All those toys I packed really came in handy. 😉
5. LAST BUT NOT LEAST: REMEMBER TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.  Getting wrapped up in taking care of you kid/kids happens way too often. After all, you’ve adapted to this mindset of putting them and everyone else before yourself. However when traveling, especially in a car for that long (with kids), its important to remember YOUR ESSENTIALS. Head phones, a book, phone charger, snacks (deep down were twelve), mini wine bottles (judge me I wasn’t driving), a blanket, a pillow, a change of weather permitting clothes and make up remover wipes. They will all come in handy at some point during the ride, I promise. Especially the wine. Haha.

All in all we had a very EASY (WHEW) drive down to Florida. Rory even handled herself in Disney World like a true champ! It was everyones first time there and even though we were super overwhelmed, we had a really magical time and I couldn’t have asked for better kids during the whole experience. I am so happy we finally got to go. Shopping for both kids before we left was just as fun for me too! (OBVS) Who wants to see some of  the girls vacation outfits on my instagram story?