Survival Guide For A Long Road Trip with Kids
Do you have a long road trip with kids coming up? Over the past few weeks, we spent 3 full days in the car with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, so I feel your pain.
The best advice I can give is to always remember, “This too shall pass.” It might be a long day, but it’s only 1 day (or maybe 2). But either way, it will pass. It’s a short time, and you can all do it.
If you’re looking for a little help along the way, though, these are the products that kept our family organized (and sane…) during our long days in the car.
Must-Have Products for A Long Road Trip with Kids
Snacks
First and foremost: SNACKS! Food what the main thing that kept our kids happy through the road trip. I pulled lots of ideas from my Minimal-Mess Snack Ideas list. But in the end, simple was best. Whatever was available at each rest stop usually became the envied snack of choice, so it was easiest to just go with the flow and have the tools in place to prevent and/or clean up any messes.
Snack Cups — We love these for snacks in the car, especially for kids under age 3. They allow kids to access what they need while preventing spills.
Silicone Bibs — I keep these in the car or diaper bag (which is also in the car) for both use in the car AND for taking into restaurants. Very helpful to have on hand, and extra helpful during a road trip. Sometimes I even just serve the food item to my toddler by putting it in the bib! Haha.
My Travel Tray — These snack trays sit in the cup holder of the car seat and provide an easy-to-access plate to the kid. And they can go in the dishwasher! (Dishwasher-friendly is always a must-have for me.)
GoBe Snack Spinner — This means of dispensing snacks also acts as a toy, which makes for great entertainment! And it slows down the snacking process. (Anything to pass the time, right?!) I have also heard that large pill boxes work well for novelty snack dispensing.
Baby Face Wipes — Great for cleaning up food, dirt, boogers, etc. I kept one pack on the door by each kid and another with me.
Well-Being
Beyond the snacks, we loved these products for our overall well-being, both emotional and physical.
Visual Timer — We set this timer when we were within an hour of the next stop or end of the trip. This was so helpful for our 3-year-old to help visualize and understand the concept of time, which is so abstract to him still. By the end of the trip he was asking, “How much green is left?”
Frida Mom Anti-Nausea Bands — I get car sick very easily, but these bands really helped! There are other types of acupressure bands, but I like these the most because they are subtle and adjustable, so I could get the sizing just right. Fair warning: for the acupressure to work, they have to be tight. There might be moments of discomfort, but the bands quickly become forgettable if they are fitting correctly. And it’s worth it to avoid feeling nauseous.
Kids’ Dramamine — A must-have (if your kid is over age 2) for a road trip with kids. I can’t imagine anything worse than having to deal with a sick kid on a long road trip.
Entertainment
For entertainment, we used a mix of intentional toys and screen time. I am not against screen time in the car whatsoever, because what’s the alternative? Staring at a blank headrest or boring window? I don’t think that’s much of a loss. Might as well keep everyone happy and embrace the screens. My main reason for the intentional toys and alternative options is simply for variety and to extend the entertainment factor. At some point screens become boring. So it worked best for us to start with toys and music, then move on to audiobooks/podcasts, and then finish with screen time.
Kids’ Travel Desk Tray — This is great because it’s somewhat of a distraction/novelty in and of itself, and then it keeps all of the toys contained. It’s no fun for anyone when the beloved toy drops on the wrong side of the car seat!
Buckle Toys Buster Square — This toy was a hit with both of our kids, ages 1 and 3. And then I used it as a pillow when I had an opportunity to nap. What a win for everyone.
Whatz It Fidget Toy — This toy was also a hit with both of our kids… so much so that I’m going to go buy another one! Sometimes simple is better. And this one is so little, so it’s easy to travel with.
Car Headrest Mount — I love these mounts for a phone or a tablet. They fit discreetly in a headrest, so they barely take up any room at all, and they make it so easy to play a movie or show. They also keep the kids’ eyes looking up, so there is less chance of car sickness. Plus, it’s great for little kids to keep the device out of their hands, so that they don’t mess with what is playing on the screen.
Amazon Fire Kids’ Tablet — This is our kids’ tablet. It’s a pretty nice price for a tablet, but it does take some playing around with prior to the trip in order to get the hang of how everything works. It’s not quite as intuitive as other tablets, in my opinion.
Toniebox — Our boys LOVE their Toniebox, so we obviously had to bring it on the trip. We also got a couple of new Tonies and surprised them with stories while in the car! This was beloved by everyone. (But please note: playing a Tonie for the first time does require wi-fi connection, so be sure to play out the story in full at home before the car ride. We learned the hard way! #MobileHotspot to the rescue…but it wasn’t easy.)
How do you survive a long road trip with kids? I’d love to hear more ideas in the comments!
For more like this, check out my other blog posts about traveling with kids, linked here: Round Up: Traveling with Kids.
