The Best Ways to Survive on the Road With Young Children
As more of us get vaccinated and start hoping for a more normal summer, you may be thinking that this takes an old-fashioned journey. It is also possible that after being locked up for a year, you forgot how to survive by being in a vehicle with young children for several hours at a time. Whether you’re traveling to the beach, a national park, or visiting a family in another state, car travel is almost as important as its destination.
Preparing for departure
As someone who has made a lot of road trips as a parent – and as a parent who is usually ‘in charge’ of making sure we are ready to go – I find it important to point out that planning your trip and gathering what we need will need you efficient and effective. efficient, critical and time-consuming. I start packing up for our annual weeklong beach vacation literally a week before we leave, with all the clothes, bedding, food, and beach gear I have to remember. (And I still forgot my swimsuit for one year.)
But there are several ways to simplify the process, get the rest of the family involved, and make it easier to find what you need, both during your trip and upon arrival. Here’s how to do it – with links to more information and tips for each tip:
Make one person responsible for each task
When it’s time to plan your trip, there are many tasks to tackle, from booking Airbnb and planning a route to caring for pets and charging all the electronics you need. Delegate each task to one person – usually sharing them between you and your partner, but also involve the children if they are old enough to handle it.
Delivery of baby goods to the destination
If you have small children, you will be at your destination for a significant amount of time, and this is logistically possible, delivering things like diapers or formula in advance can save you precious trunk space, which will quickly fill up all your gear. that they will need while you are away. If you are visiting family this is a bad option, but some hotels also accept packages for guests in advance – just call to be sure and alert.
Pack these items you might not have thought of
You will probably remember the obvious essentials (unless you are me, seemingly no swimsuit at the beach), but there are a few things you might not think about that might make your experience a little easier, including baby wet napkins. (even if they’re potty-trained), a baby water bottle, non-sticky snacks, and large Ziploc bags.
Use the visual packing list to get your child to pack their own bag
From a very young age, I instructed my son to pack a bag of things to keep myself entertained on the trip (and then helped him repack things when he inevitably chose toys he had never played with, a book he hadn’t really played with. and a stuffed animal from the bottom of his toy basket). But you can start teaching them how to pack their own suitcases with a visual packing slip. (Of course, you will need to test this anyway, but it is good practice for them to start honing a skill they will need later.)
Put things in the laundry baskets
Placing clothes or other items in the laundry basket is my favorite trick on the road. It’s perfect for things you might need while traveling or right on arrival, and you don’t have to dig from the back of your suitcase. And once you are settled, the laundry basket becomes a natural place for all used clothes or bedding that will accumulate over the course of your vacation. When you get home, dirty things can go straight to the laundry room.
Get ready for nausea
Have I ever told you guys how my puppy and my baby took turns vomiting on a seven-hour trip to visit my family in Ohio? Ah, memories. This was the first (but not the last) time my son got seasick and I was not ready for it. Learn from my mistake. Get ready for the opportunity.
Food along the way
Food is usually the main occupation of any trip. Everyone is bored, so they want to have a snack to pass the time. You will most likely have to stop for at least one meal, but you do not want to drag out the adventure any longer than necessary.
You probably already know to pack a lot (and a variety of snacks) for everyone – and pack more than you think you need, because you need more than you think. But there are a few other tricks you can try to make your meal a little more enjoyable on the road.
Delight Them With This Homemade Travel Snack
When your child gets hungry for a snack just a few minutes after you’ve started your journey, you can hand over a small bag full of Cheerios that he’ll eat too quickly. Or you can surprise them – and delay the process – with a homemade Cheerios or Froot Loop necklace. Just pull on any flaked O-shaped rump, tie it in a knot at the ends, and let them wear their snack. (You will probably have to vacuum your car when you get home, but it’s worth it.)
Store food in transit contained in the shower stall
If you know you’ll drive through your car for a quick bite to eat on the road, you’re also probably wondering how you’re going to handle this situation so that someone doesn’t spill ketchup on their shirt and drop all the fries. above the floor. The answer, of course, is the shower cubicle.
(You can also use a shower container to store their snacks – they protect chips or crackers from breaking and also make it easy to see all the options available. These shower containers are very versatile.)
Have ice cream for dinner
If you’re not close to your destination yet and they get nervous in the late afternoon, announce that you are stopping for an ice cream lunch. It is 1) faster than stopping for a full meal, 2) it will be very exciting for them, and 3) just an illusion – you can feed them a “big snack” (their real dinner) when you arrive, wherever you go. going.
Entertaining them
This is the most important thing, right? Children are whining , are we already there? it’s not just a pop culture cliché, it’s something that everyone does and it’s very annoying. (Personal answer my son was that to ask how many more minutes? When we went out of the house, in front of us waiting for hundreds of minutes.)
When they are old enough to hide their face in an iPad or smartphone for hours, life becomes much easier. But while they are small, parents should be ready to entertain them so that everyone in the car does not dissolve together. Here’s what you can do:
Introduce them to Backpack Time
In between snacks and whatever screen time you allow them, they can spend time in their backpack. You simply take an old backpack for each child and fill it with a variety of fun activities, including coloring books and crayons, fidget toys, figurines, window clips to decorate their windows, spiral notepads and stickers. These are all they probably already have, but they have overlooked or forgotten about them long enough that when introduced to them in a new way, they suddenly become addictive again.
Submit them on podcasts
If your kids have never seen podcasts, now is the time. There are many great podcasts for kids of all ages, and if you find a pair that they love, it can be a lot of time.
Surprise them with a new toy every hour
A full backpack of things is great for keeping many kids entertained on long trips. However, if your child is the type of person who runs all over the backpack for the first 20 minutes before announcing that they are bored , then the best tactic for you is to have fun.
I’m not suggesting you spend hundreds of dollars on new toys hoping to make them happy on the long trip, but you can walk into the dollar store for a few new tutorials or sticker sets and you can mix them up. some of their favorite books, travel games or toys. If you are a fun lover, you can help them keep them entertained throughout their trip.