I love me some vacation, but I don't love getting there. Whether we're flying or driving, the journey is the hardest part for my family. My 3 1/2-year-old gets bored easily. My 11-month-old doesn't sleep through the drives like he used to. They are sitting close enough to touch (pinch, prod, poke) each other. Four or five hours in the car with them can feel like FOREVER.
Here are a few dos and don'ts (things I've learned the hard way) to make your next road trip go a bit more smoothly:
Do: Give yourself extra time. Before kids, my husband and I would power through drives -- not stopping except for an emergency bathroom break. Now, we need to stop for multiple potty breaks, food breaks, and sanity breaks.
Don't: Forgo the adult music. Five hours of kids' music (even the good stuff like Dan Zanes) will "drive" you loony. (Pun intended.) Turning up the volume and playing some of your favorite tunes can be a good way to "recharge your batteries" after a few hours in the car. (Pun again intended.)
Do: Pack lots of snacks. I don't know about your 3-year-old, but mine never stops talking. A few hours of "Why?" and "What's that?" will have you grabbing for the snack bag ... because when they're eating, they're not talking.
Don't: Leave home without a full tank of gas. I'm not worried about running out of gas. I'm worried about having to stop to get gas once the kids FINALLY fall asleep -- huge bummer. When the kids go to bed, it's time to turn on talk radio, set the cruise control, and make up some time.
Do: Take the scenic route. Highways are B-O-R-I-N-G. Driving I-80 is about as interesting as watching water boil. No, actually watching water boil is more interesting -- at least something changes. Get off the highway -- even if it's just for a few exits to see some local sights.
Don't: Forget to put your suitcase in the car. Speaking from experience here. One time my husband and I packed up the car with the stroller, the pack ‘n play, and the kids' clothes, but forgot to put our suitcase in the car. When we got to our destination, we had to beeline it to the mall and buy all new clothes for our vacation. Rookie mistake.
How about you -- what tips do you have for parents preparing for a summer road trip?
Photo via Chovee/Flickr
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Comments 11
We still prefer to power through and take the fast way. Our 16 hour road trip with a 14 month old was overnight so he slept the majority of the way. When we went in for breakfast, he woke up, we took our time, and he was ready to nap right about the time we were ready to leave again. Worked out great.
How you handle road trips depends on a lot of variables, including age of the children and your own personal driving stamina.
I have a backpack filled with travel games like electronic Frogger, travel Pictionary Man, auto bingo cards (that have windows that you slide closed when you've found things like a train or an ambulance), a deck of cards, and a dry erase board and markers for tic-tac-toe and hangman. It also has a etch a sketch, aquadoodle, math flashcards, coloring books and crayons. It comes in handy not only in the car, but also when we reach our destination incase we have to stay in the hotel room, say if it's raining or something.
Great tips. I'm going on a road trip in August. Thanks!
In my experience, less is more. Aside from an extra change of clothes for each person and some emergency water, I bring only the bare minimum that we need to get through. Just got back from a trip to DC with my two 3-year-olds. Aside from their "loveys," the only "extra" we brought was a small bag of books, which were inadvertantly left in the trunk on the way there. Yet the trip went really well; the girls kept busy singing, laughing, looking around, and making up stuff. Didn't bring food because I don't let the kids eat in the car. We stopped every 2-3 hours for food/restroom.
I think if kids are encouraged to look around and also think beyond the here and now, driving isn't that boring. I think the habit of always having artificial stimulation is what takes away from kids' natural curiosity and creativity. I have never had such things in the car and my kids are good travelers.
The music that works best for us is family-friendly music that my kids are familiar with. The Sound of Music soundtrack is a favorite, for example. We also have a couple of CDs that I compiled, featuring a variety of ever-popular songs.
I do bring a little baby bjorn potty for emergencies. We have never actually used it on the road, but I feel better having it just in case.
I have driven cross country 4 different times with my two sets of twins. More tips: pack a potty chair and roll of toilet paper (and have easy access to it), I also get sticky backed velcro squares to put up blankets for shade as the sun moves through the day.
make sure you know where you are going if you don't have GPS!!! it happened to us one time, my husband didn't listen to me that he took a wrong exit and by the time he stoped to ask for directions it was 2 hours later. we have a GPS now =-D
PLAN you trip but don't OVERPLAN....allow time for those 'secret' finds!!!
Try to travel at night....I found there to be less traffic, less construction & less potty stops!
With 4 kids 11,9,4 and 3. We always take the dvd player if our trip is over 90 min from the house. The big two have electronic games but sometimes they do read or we give them a map and say tell us where we are. The little ones will "read" or sometimes color we have a lap table that is hard on one side and pillow for the legs. That has also been used for a table when card games come into play. Always have the potty chair and tiplet paper. If no TP put baby wipes in vehicle they work as well. My vehicle ALWAYS has wipes and a plastic bag or two in it along with a change of clothes for the two little ones. Getting ready to take a 5 hr trip with sis and her 16 yr old no hubby. He is worried about vehicle and I asked what about everything else and he laughed and commented that that is the last thing he is worriede about. OOOOOOO one other thing is if you got a sheet of what doses of meds the kids that throw that in as well.
Sorry about the book. Just got going.
We have to drive back and forth between exes every 2 weeks, and it's sometimes over 4 hours round trip, and all the tips on here are super. I know someone else already mentioned it, but I just wanted to stress the need for a potty and TP - it can make the difference between smooth sailing and up the creek ;)
A thermos of coffee can be a lifesaver, so you don't have to stop for a wake up, just when the kids have fallen asleep.
Oh, I almost forgot! We bought a number of books from Barefoot books that came with the story on a CD as well. The kids LOVE them, and since they are really well told classics, we (the adults) can listen to them without going crazy(er).