Are you excited or dreading about an upcoming road trip with your toddler or baby? Check out these helpful tips and products that can help you survive and have fun on a long road trip with your little ones!
Aren’t road trips one of the best parts about warmer weather? Mayank and I have always loved taking road trips for many reasons. First and foremost, they are cheaper than air travel, secondly, you can pick and choose your own travel timings and mostly have a way of transportation at the new destination and not to forget car trips are so much more fun. Although things quiet changed after our little daughter came along. One of the things I noticed before going on any long trip with my daughter was, I was already beyond exhausted with all the running around and trying not to miss anything, even before the road trip had started.
From the moment my daughter was six months old, we have tried to take road trips as much as possible. From our multiple trips to New York City to visit family and friends, trips to Chicago and many close-by destinations, I have over the course picked up a few tips and tricks that have worked well when my daughter was a baby and now when she is a toddler. Now that the weather has already started to warm up, as I was charting out our summer plans, I wanted to put together this blog post on road trip tips so that it can be helpful to new parents who are going to brave their long road trips with their little ones soon.
Related travel articles from the blog:
9 super useful travel gears for flying with a toddler
How I kept my toddler entertained on a 28-hour long international flight
How I organized my diaper bag for an international flight with a toddler
Traveling tips with an infant on an international flight
Hopefully, these road trip tips and resources can help you moms feel more prepared and you are able to enjoy your upcoming exciting and adventurous road trips with your families all the more!
Pin this post to keep it handy all the time!
ROAD TRIP TIPS FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS
1. Prepare your car for a road trip
Packing for all the stuff that you need for your travel destination is important, but it is equally important to make sure that your car is in the right shape for your long road trip. Think about unforeseen situations like what if your car breaks down on your way or you run out of gas, then what do you do? It is important to plan for these things beforehand so that you are not stuck in the middle of nowhere. Some things to thinks about prior to your road trip are.
- Carry your vehicle insurance cards with you
- Have your roadside assistance number handy in case of a puncture or you run out of gas or any car malfunction
- Check your windshields by rolling them up and down to make sure they are not stuck
- Always have a Stephanie and a car tool kit and the car technical booklet in your car for emergencies
- Don’t forget to carry your car registration papers in your car. In fact, you should always have a copy of it in your car
2. Get your toddler or baby car seat inspected prior to your travel
It is important to get your child’s car seat inspected prior to your travel. You can look for additional information here and have a child passenger safety technician inspect the car seat in your car for proper installation, seating position, visible damage, latching system, etc. Along with the inspection, you can also get a lot of safety tips and ideas for your long road trip from the technician.
3. Keep a first aid kit handy in your car
It’s always good to be prepared for the worst. Things like bruises, small cuts, allergies, sunburn can happen as you go. Prior to traveling upgrade your travel kit or better make a separate travel kit for your car to keep for all the time. If you are going on long trips, it is great to invest some time in taking an infant CPR class in case of an emergency. Some good options for first aid kits are.
4. Use backseat or car seat organizers for all the loose items
It is never a good idea to have loose items or moving parts in your car while driving. Hence, invest in these easy to organize back seat organizers or car seat organizers so that you can house all the baby stuff in one place and get to it as needed.
5. Pack fun snacks to distract your little ones on the long road trip
Snacking in the best way to keep your baby organized on long road trips. Think of ideas like juices, pretzels, cookies, fruits, etc. they can help keep your little one munching for long and full on the road trips. One great way to organize these snacks for your little one is via arranging them in bento boxes like these or pack them in individual Ziploc bags.
6. Stock up your car with all the additional requirements
Besides snacks, first aid kit, it is important not to forget a few additional things that your kid or you will require along the way.
Water bottle
Having a pack of water bottles always handy is a great idea. You can also buy a set of plastic water bottles and keep them in your car and keep restocking them in the cooler as needed.
Chillers and ice packs
Imagine if you are on a long road trip and it’s extremely hot, in those times having chilled water can come in very handy. We have this ice cooler that we always keep in our car and it always comes in super handy to house our water bottles, soda bottles, etc.
Baby wipes, tissues and towels
Never leave your home without baby wipes. They come in more use than just for cleaning up your baby. The wet wipes come in handy to clean the mess in the car many times. Also, keep facial tissues and towels in your car as they can come in handy too.
Blankets
Keep blankets in your car to create a cozy environment for your little one while they are sleeping. Also, make sure to not overheat your baby on a hot summer day in your car.
Pacifiers
If your kid uses a pacifier, make sure to carry them as they can help them relax when they are overtired or hungry.
Also, I have this entire blog post, on how you can keep your baby cool in the car on a hot summer day. It is very important to take care that your baby is comfortable and not overheated in the car. You can read more about this here.
Related: Tips to keep your baby cool in the car seat this summer
Tables/Phones along with the charger
Keep phones and tablets fully charged and handy in case you have to give your kids screen time for some time. This has come in super handy for us to pacify our daughter when she started to get really restless. Also, you can download free nursery rhymes on your tablets or phones so that you can play them during offline mode as it is difficult to catch signals in many places while on a highway.
Related: 15 healthy habits to teach your kids for a better life
7. Be prepared for potty emergencies
When traveling with a baby or a toddler, whether your toddler is potty trained or not, it is important to be prepared for all the diaper blowouts and potty emergencies. Keep baby wipes, additional diapers, garbage disposal bags, diaper rash cream and diaper changing mat always handy in your car while traveling. You never know when you might need them!
8. Keep garbage bags handy in your car to throw away stuff and clean your car regularly
The next and most important thing to have in your car while on a road trip are garbage bags. You might need them to throw away soiled diapers, dirty and used tissues, clean up the mess in the car or throw staled food.
9. Dress your little one in comfortable clothing
While on a road trip it is best to dress as comfortably as possible. You can leave tight-fitting jeans or knitted fancy dresses for later. Try to dress your kids in cotton clothing with loose pajamas, layer them so that you can dress them up or down depending upon the temperature in the car and opt for sandals or loafers as compared to closed shoes. As I have mentioned earlier, it is very important to take precautions to not try and overheat your child in the car as it can be very critical and sometimes fatal for them.
10. Rotate and spend time with your kids in the back seat
If you are two adults driving with the baby, then try and spend some time with your little one in the backseat. Make it fun by carrying some fun toys and storybooks to keep your little one entertained and not too bored.
11. Create a fun music playlist with nursery rhymes to have fun and pass time in the car
Another great way on how we kept our little baby entertained on our long road trips for ~10 hours was by creating a playlist of her favorite nursery rhymes and lullabies. We sang them together in the car that helped her keep busy and entertained. You can either create a playlist for your car on iTunes, Spotify or store it on a flash drive.
12. Take multiple breaks and plan them ahead of time
It is important to realize that road trips are for fun and hence don’t try and overdo it. Prior to traveling it is best to plan your stops as per your baby’s schedule so that you as well as your little one enjoy the trip and it does not get overwhelming for anyone.
13. Avoid nighttime driving
Nighttime driving are the worst and most accident-prone and hence avoid them as much as you can. It is always better to start your road trip in the early hours probably when your little one is still sleeping rather than starting late and driving through the night hours.
14. Never leave your child alone in the car for even a second
Make sure to never ever leave your child alone in a car for even a small second no matter how tempted you are to run into the gas station to buy something while your child is comfortably playing in the car or napping. It just takes a few seconds for accidents to happen and hence it is best to never give them a chance to occur.
15. Don’t lose patience over tears
Finally, it is very important to keep your patience while driving with your baby. Not all times things will go as planned. Your kid will get cranky at times or hungry or cry for longer hours, in those times try and not create panic by taking your child out of the car seat. Your child is safest in the car while you are driving. Hence to manage these situations better it is best to take regular stops, keep phones and tablets charged in case you need to give your kids screen time to control the situation and try to complete your major driving during your child’s nap times.
I hope that these tips were helpful to you and you found them useful for planning your next road trip with your kids. Road trips with babies or toddlers are not that easy and it requires planning and organization well in advance so that you can enjoy a stress-free and happy road trip with your family!
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