On preparing for and executing a single-parent, million-hour road trip with a 2-year-old. And surviving.

I would shorten the title to something snappier, but it would lose something in the process, I think.

We've done long road trips with Claire before...but it's always be a "we." Not an "I." So, to say that I was focused, nay fixated, on achieving optimal driving/riding conditions would be such an understatement. I gathered information and supplies for weeks. I even spent a naptime one afternoon sitting in the car and figuring out where things needed to be situated so that I could reach them and where things needed to be situated so Claire could reach them. Yes, I did.

I read blog posts like this one. I researched various and sundry products that would make roadtripping easier. I bought a few new things so that Claire would have a few surprises along the way. I talked poor Brad to death about my ideas/strategies/plans. It was my job, y'all (a little bit literally, seeing as how I'm a stay-at-home mom). *I should note that I'm not actually a crazy, over-stimulated mom; I just know that Claire is a delicate car traveler. She doesn't sleep in the car, and she hates just sitting and watching the trees fly by. The thought of driving for ten hours with a fussy/whiny/crying/screaming toddler was just more than I could deal with.

I developed a multi-level system of arranging Claire stuff. First up: this travel tray. I cannot possibly say enough fabulous things about this tray. It was a game changer. Best $20 I've spent in a long time. I may start buying it for people having babies and just say, "Trust me. You'll thank me profusely one day." It has two mesh pockets on each side, which I filled with small board books, a zipper pouch full of these twist up crayons, and a mini-clipboard holding a pad of paper for coloring (of course, I had to leave the zipper pouch partially unzipped so she could maneuver it). This set up worked out really well; she caught on quickly and made good use of everything.

Second level: bag of books. I filled a large, sturdy bag with all manner of books and propped it up in the seat next to her so that she could reach everything. She read the same 4 (of about 12) of those books over the course of the trip, but they kept her occupied for 10-minute stretches at a time. I'll take it.

Third level: I filled a tote bag with toys that I could control the release of/pass back to her at intervals throughout the trip. I put this bag in the front passenger seat, within arm's reach of my seat. It included some matchbox cars (she loves them), fuzzy craft pom poms and small cups for sorting, a magnetic "paper doll" and her clothing, sticker pads, coloring books, and a few other small things that I thought she'd like. I only spent a couple dollars for this trip (craft pom poms and coloring book), as I already had everything else and had just been holding on to them for just such a special occasion. The slow-release plan worked out famously. About every half hour, she would start getting restless; I would pass something back to her and buy myself a little more quiet/contented time.

I also had a second bag full of additional (in-case-of-emergency) toys. Toys I didn't really want her to play with but would resort to, if necessary (i.e. noise-making toys. So not my thing.). Thankfully, I never had to use any of them. Woo!

Fourth level: snacks. This is a vitally important level for Claire. She requires refueling more than the average bear. I filled a little basket with supplies and kept it in the console between the front seats of the car. It had two snack cups full and waiting (Cheerios, Goldfish), two ziplock bags ready and waiting (pretzel sticks and graham crackers), a banana, a few boxes of raisins, two sippy cups full of water, and a fruit/veggie pouch (and occasionally a cheese quesadilla). This was carefully designed to last for one 5-hour leg (there were four legs, total). Are you starting to think I'm obsessive? Maybe. But I'm pretty sure it saved my sanity.

I also had back-up bags (the bag full of additional diaper-changing paraphernalia, snack re-fills). Do what ya gotta do, folks.

At Granddaddy's house, I collected a few small toys and a mini-magna doodle that Claire hadn't ever played with before and stuck them in some ziplock bags to hand back at intervals on the trip home. This was great because she was totally intrigued by "new toys." I'm hanging onto them, too, until after some trips we have planned for the summer.

And that is how I survived the car time with Claire, darling that she is. She had a few patches of fussy and cranky, but on the whole, life was bearable and the trip passed without incident. That makes all the crazy planning worthwhile, I think.