Road Trips with Kids

You are here because you are more than likely traveling with kids, and that is scary to think of and do. Luckily, I have tons of experience traveling with kids, especially little ones. The first thing you want to do is to create a timeframe and see when you want to stop around potty breaks and sleeping schedules. My kids love buc ee's stops so i try to make sure they will be up when we hit a buc ee's. After you get abasic schedule planned out, I want you to realize that it most likely will not go that way but you can get a estime time difference on how far until the next stop. 

My next tip is if a kid is in a car seat put them in a pull up because you never know. My kid is one hundred percent potty trained and never had an accident but if it comes when we are nowhere near a gas station or rest stop we will be screwed trying to find the portable potty in a packed car. I will do anything to keep the mood of the ride as peaceful and fun as possible. 

Please have a snack and drink bag easy to grab. If you are doing the drive alone with kids I do not recommend getting food and drinks while driving. I bought lap trays from amazon and it is amazing to keep snacks set in the side pockets, so they can grab it themselves and i can rest for a little longer. I like using the snackle box for myself but my kids like to throw it down if they finish with one snack. #toddlerproblems .

I absolutely love Melissa and Doug water wow and sticker wow books. I will go to bat for these in the car. They keep the kids quiet and entertained for a while and plus they are reusable. Coloring books and playdough do great with the lap trays. I bring our tonie box so I can have music on while they listen to their stories or if they need bedtime music. I try to let them get out as much as possible to prevent leg cramps. If I get gas I will let them stand next to me and help so we can avoid a meltdown. Another fun game is ISPY and finding colors of cars for little ones. For older kids you can find different license plates.

I will say not everything will be fixed with these hacks but it has made my life easier on trips without using the tablet for as long as possible. I use it when the kids gte overwhelmed and we cannot calm down, then they can get it but I do not have a car charger for the tablets so once it dies it is dead. 

I always try to get their opinion on food places to stop or talk about where we will be going and that does help a lot. Also, finding things to tell their friends and teachers is fun and gets the kids excited.

This should help you have an easier trip as I have done like fifteen trips woth newborns to preschoolers so far. Book with me for more help and advice.