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Helpful Tips to Make Road Trips Fun & Stress Free
We all remember those long car trips we took as kids - stuck in the backseat of the car with nothing to do and all the energy in the world. Chances are, our parents remember them even less fondly. But don’t worry! We’ve got all the tips you need to help your family enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
Following our series last week, this article will delve into creating fun road trips for your family, focusing on how to keep your children entertained & comfortable and meeting their physical needs while in the car. We’ve broken it down by:
Age Groups: Infants, Toddlers, & School Aged
Planning: Food, Entertainment, Comfort, Stops
Navigating the unusual circumstances with expectations, autonomy, & schedule
Proper planning & packing across each of our categories is key to a successful journey.
Unusual Circumstances
No matter your child’s age, road trips, and traveling in general, represent a very different set of circumstances from what they consider “normal.” They are unusually physically constrained - by car seats & seat belts, as well as the size of the car itself. They do not have access to all of their toys, comfort corners, snacks, and the other things that help them at home. Even bathroom breaks are limited. In these situations, the themes & guidelines of our approach to discipline become even more important.
Expectations
Setting the proper expectations for behavior is a key step on any adventure with your child. Discuss how to behave in the car and walk them through what happens on a road trip, including what they will have to feel entertained & comfortable, so they know how to act & are not surprised by the experience. As always, have your child fill in the blank or repeat expectations so you know they have understood - and so they know it as well.
Autonomy
As children are already extra constrained, their desire for autonomy & the ability to make decisions increases accordingly. Involving them in packing and providing them with choices before & during the road trip will go a long way towards reaffirming their sense of control.
Schedule
To whatever extent possible, try to keep your children on their normal schedule with respect to naps, meals, playtime, and physical activity. Your schedule should be aligned with their physical needs so it will help with behavior and it will also make the experience feel more normal to them.
Infants
Because of their developmental stage, babies are probably the easiest children to create the most “normal” experience in the car. They should be on their normal diet and feeding schedule. However, make sure to plan stops for feeding, especially if you are breastfeeding, as feeding in a moving car can upset your baby’s stomach. We also highly recommend making stops for diaper changes, but you probably could have guessed that one.
Calming music or white noise, window shades, blankets, lovies, pacifiers, and any other item that helps your baby feel comfortable will all help them nap and that will be easiest for you. Be sure to follow proper car seat safety practices. Make sure everything is secured in the car and dress your baby in thin clothing so the straps are as close to them as possible. Any blankets or warming items can go on top. Remember that you might not be able to pay your normal amount of attention to your child so leave any items that make you anxious at home.
Toddlers
Keep your toddler entertained with interactive toys & games that they can play with in their car seat. We love water pens, busy books, LCD tablets, and magnetic puzzles. Bring a variety so they have choices. Store these in a seat back organizer to keep everything within reach & organized. Audio stories provide a great channel for their attention & singing songs helps to keep them entertained & active.
Plan ahead to meet their physical needs. Pack their favorite snacks in spill-proof containers and sippy cups so they can help themselves without making a mess. As always, a variety here is a good way to provide your child with choices & autonomy on the trip. Look for rest stops with areas where they can run & play to get some of their energy out & break up the trip.
School Aged
Your school aged children should be able to tell you a lot more about what they want and they should be more accustomed to car trips and, if not car trips, new experiences in general so this should be a little easier. You can keep the trip fun for you & your child with classic car games like “I Spy” or “License Plate Bingo”. Involve them in the packing process to put together their own personalized travel kit with coloring books, small crafts, puzzle games, and other car-appropriate activities. You can also surprise them with new books & games to provide some novelty and help mark milestones on the trip. And, of course, there are screens.
We will be doing a much deeper dive into screen time & digital wellbeing (you can see an abbreviated version on our Facebook & Instagram), but the short story is that screens are fine for travel. Set expectations appropriately, remind them that it is a special treat for a special situation, and talk with them about what they are watching to help them relate it to their lives. Create a selection of movies & TV shows so they have choices and download them ahead of time so there are no loading issues.
Take a variety of healthy snacks so they have options. School aged children might need more stimulation from a stop than just a play area so visit landmarks & museums along the way to keep them engaged. Plan ahead or pay attention to road signs & go with the flow. These interesting locations will break up the monotony, keep them engaged, and help them develop an appreciation for travel. Make sure they’ve used the bathroom before you leave!
Happy Travels!
We hope these tips help you navigate the often bumpy road that is car trips with young children. Keep in mind that the more joy you can take in the trip & your activities, the more your children will enjoy it as well. Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the open road!
These planning & packing tips are just for the journey, not the destination - stay tuned for a piece on that coming up!