Since January, we’ve traveled more than 8400 miles, with three children, ages three and under. These miles were traveled by air and by road. The longest we have driven with all the children is 21 straight hours. And, yes, I am fully aware that our children are champion travelers! I never cease to be amazed at their ease of traveling.
So, I thought this week, I would share some traveling tips that have worked for us and our children. Let’s jump in, shall we?
*Snacks. One of the most important items for any trip, but especially road trips, is snacks. Take things they will actually eat. Things I’ve found that our children will eat are popcorn, apple slices, rolled up bologna slices (with and without cream cheese), bananas, and pre peeled oranges. Often, our children won’t eat as much on the road as they do at home, so it usually takes less than you might think. If we have food in the vehicle, it’s much easier to just get them a small treat and then tell them to eat what we have in the car if they’re still hungry. It also eliminates the need to stop so long.
*Hydration. I also make sure that each child has a sippy cup and/or a water bottle along. Sometimes, I just take a sippy cup, and sometimes, I take both a sippy cup and a water bottle. Sippy cups are super handy to hold juice or soda or any other special drink we might get and not have to worry about it spilling all over their carseats. And having their own insulated water bottle helps them to stay hydrated.
*Activities. How do we keep the children entertained? By having a variety of activities available, but not so many options that they get overwhelmed. Each of our toddlers has a small backpack that I put a variety of their favorite small toys in. Notebooks and writing utensils, their favorite teddy bear or baby doll, some small books, magnatiles, or other small toys. I also keep some more special options in the diaper bag for those moments when a little extra entertainment is needed. Those special activities might include glow sticks for traveling at night and the magical Crayola color wonder papers and markers. Color wonder markers only mark on the special color wonder papers so they can have all the fun of using markers without any of the mess! It’s a win-win in my book!
*Headphones. One thing we invested in this year specifically for the airplane but have ended up using on the road too is a good set of kid-friendly bluetooth headphones for each child. The headphones have a volume limiter so that even if they get turned up all the way, the sound will not harm their ears. Having these headphones means I can pair them to my phone and play all their favorite music without having to listen to hours of VeggieTales myself. They love their headphones and are always so excited to get to use them.
*Screentime. Leave screen time as a last resort or for when it’s dark. This is one rule we have. We do not want our children to become dependent on the screens to entertain them on the road. That means that we often don’t give them that option until it’s dark and nothing else is working to keep them entertained and happy. However, on flights, they got more screentime than they do on road trips. (We use YouTube Kids with access to only videos that have been pre-approved by us.)
*Carseats. One thing that we teach our children from the tiniest infant is that they don’t get out of their carseats unless we are stopped. We also speak positively about their carseats. Going in their carseats means adventures and going places and having fun. We also emphasize that being in your carseat means all the buckles are shut tightly. It has gotten to the point that our oldest doesn’t want us to even drive in our driveway unless she is completely buckled into her carseat.
*Comfort items. I make sure to bring along their favorite blankets almost every time we go anywhere, even just on a grocery run around town. There’s just something extra cozy about bringing a favorite comfort item anywhere we go. For road trips, comfy lightweight clothes and easy on-off shoes are also a must! If they’re comfortable, they travel so much better!
*Potty breaks. One thing that I did when we were potty training our oldest was take along a potty chair for emergent potty stops. We kept the chair accessible so that if she needed to go, we could quickly pull it out, set it on the seat or floor (wherever we had room), line it with a diaper, and she could go. Lining it with a diaper meant easy clean up, and having access to a familiar potty meant she could relax and keep on track.
*Exercise. Run and jump at fuel stops. Whenever we stop for fuel, we get the children out and get them to run around and jump or have dance parties. Anything to get their bodies moving and get some energy out.
Most of all, just do it. Have fun with it. Show them that fun things happen when you travel. It does take more effort/energy/brain power to travel with small children, but it’s also so worth it! Getting to show them new things and experience the world through their eyes is so much fun!
Adventurer with God 