I am currently living in San Angelo as my husband is in training for the Air Force. We are a couple of weeks away from being transferred to Maryland. The problem? I have a nine month old beautiful little girl who is INCREDIBLY active. She hates being tied down for any length of time and a road trip from Texas to Maryland with a slight detour through Florida is going to be simply awful (not to mention the two cats and big dog that will ALSO be in the car). Any suggestions as to what could help with the baby? I'd rather not resort to medication (but will if nothing else works)and placating her with food is something I'm not crazy about either and only lasts so long.
I know your baby is now two years older than when you asked the question but I thought your question deserved an answer. Road trips are incredibly difficult for youngsters with a short attention span. Preparing for the inevitable boredom helps a lot. I have invested in great children's music that is very entertaining. One of my favorite artists for children is Maria Maldaur. Take along a variety of lap games like the ones played in file folders http://www.dealwisemommy.net/2010/08/free-file-folder-games/
hand puppets, magnetic puzzles and books of mazes or crossword puzzles. Periodically allow snacks and stop at parks or playgrounds along the way. A few of the nicer rest stops have playgrounds. Kids can survive the long drive, mine have. They whine during the first two hours and then they get used to the rhythm of things. I wish you the best if you have a summer road trip planned this year!