I can’t believe how late I am on this but for the record, WE MADE IT! I want to say I think ti went easier than I thought it would but I like to think that I planned a lot of things really good so that we were prepared for nearly any scenario that was possible. You can read all about the prep work we had done before the trip here and it will give you the base of where we were coming from and the goals we had set up!

We left at about 5am from my Uncle’s home. This was about 35 minutes from our home but we wanted to leave early so that we arrived semi decent time. Remember that Nova Scotia is an hour ahead of Quebec so we wanted to plan it so we were not driving in the night time (Which we made it so we arrived on time!). We also had everything out of the bedroom that needed to be packed in the morning in the hall and not in the bedroom so that way we could load the car up in order to let my son sleep a little bit longer before putting him in the car. While my boyfriend had started to pack the car I gathered out things and prepped the little cooler and things like the thermos we had for my son also too. This was the oatmeal and chicken soup for lunch so that we were able to not think so much about his foods. Once everything was set up the last thing we did was got my son up so that way he could go into the car seat. He also did not fall asleep again in it for a while.

As far as structure for naps, that was basically out the window. We aimed to stop every 2-3 hours to stretch out legs and let my dog out for a pee. The cat stayed in his carrier and was completely fine the entire time just as he was when we moved the 1st time to Quebec. The dog surprisingly never threw up which was honestly a blessing.

We would also stop more frequently to change out son’s diaper, stretch legs and have the dog out also. This was a great way to take a few moments for a snack or meal, or even a great time for us to reflect on how the drive was going. For the amount of time we did stop I think we also made good time. The weather was great everywhere, no rain. Some spots were a bit warmer than others but it was still great none the less in terms of weather, though we also had air conditioning in the car.

The only time that my son was really fussy I would say was once we arrived into Nova Scotia. About the last 2 hours it became a bit difficult for him because he had been sitting all day, things were getting boring, he had barely any sleep except for cat naps along the way, and as anyone especially a child would be, he probably wanted to be running around! He never really cried that much he just kind of whined. At this point I just reached around behind the seat and held/placed the tablet so that he could see blues clues and watched some of that for the remaining of the time. Which seemed to have helped. We did have a few new toys to give but at this point he was not interested in them and just wanted to kind of hang out I think and watch something. Once we arrived to my parents to grab the keys in order to go to our new home and isolate, he was beyond the point of no return. The dog was crying for my parents when he seen them through the door of the car so he was crying, my parents were saying hello to their newest grandson for the first time which he was now crying immensely from being tired and new people. So we obviously cut this short and took the keys and went.

My biggest surprise as far as toys I had gotten for him was the pop toys. You know the ones people use for anxiety or to keep their hands busy with things, I had no idea how these would work with my toddler and he loved them. He would sit and pop them for way longer than I thought that he would. And the mess they made was so minimal that I was very happy with the purchase. I may even buy a few more for his Christmas stocking as well since that seems like a toy he would enjoy!

Overall I think everything went as best as it could go. My boyfriend had stated he would probably do it in 2 days and stay over night somewhere, I disagreed. For the 14 hours plus the stops and him only fussing near the end track, I think it was a lot better. Not to mention one whole day in a vehicle as apposed to 2 days in one seemed to be the way to go. It was easier to just get it done and over with and be done than it would be to split the drive up in 2 days. I was super shocked at how well my son did, I can say I did not give him enough credit for the drive before hand. Maybe because with Covid and everything we never really traveled that far of a distance or even anything remotely long before. I am just glad that everything is over and we are sitting comfortably in our new home (After the long wait for our things which you can read here)

Have you traveled anywhere with a toddler before

What did you think helped to make the drive more bearable or things you wish you had thought of

let me know in the comments below!