The clothes, toys, diapers, car seats, strollers, food, drinks, and more are all packed into the car. You’ve also already figured out the car seat. But the real challenge to car travel can sometimes be the actual drive itself. ParentHandbook asked parents who have weathered car trips with kids to share their most useful tips for making the trip go smoothly:
“Bring Dramamine, lots of wipes and big empty yogurt containers to hold the mess, just in case. You can store stuff like toys or food in the yogurt containers till you need it for something else. Don’t forget the lids! Also, have a change of clothes handy, not buried deep in your bags in your trunk.”
“Time your travel for naptime or bedtime. Or, if your child won’t nap, drive well before or after the nap to avoid meltdowns in the car.”
“We filled our six-CD player (or use an iPod) with favorite music and had one song by They Might Be Giants on repeat. Adjust the balance on the stereo so it plays just in the back. It kept our daughter quiet for a good hour.”
“Bring a ‘magic bag’ of various small toys, stickers and games that only you can access. Use them as rewards for good behavior or to avert a fit. The magic bag also comes with us to restaurants or plane rides.”
“Portable DVD player and headphones! Not very creative but it saved our sanity many times.”
“We recorded Dora on our Flip video, which is easy for our daughter to hold and watch. Just make sure the delete button is locked, and that it’s fully charged!”
“Our kid never got car sick until we went to France and drove winding roads with a rented car seat. She got car sick twice in one day. We moved the seat to the middle of the back seat and stopped giving her food when driving, which helped.”
“If you’re driving with another adult, take turns sitting in the back if you have the room. We survived terrible beach traffic thanks to this and many iPhone apps.”
“Fill plastic Easter eggs with one or two treats inside. The goal is to stretch them out over the course of the excursion and make it as difficult to get to the treat as possible, so they were rewards for following directions or for playing quietly until Mommy’s watch said one-three-oh. Wrapping little gifts ahead of time is another idea, because unwrapping them can be an activity itself.”
“Cut various colors of yarn into different lengths and show your toddler how the yarn sticks to sandpaper. He can create a design, pull it off and start all over again. Store it all in a Ziploc bag.”
“Make a photo book on a photo site, or print out photos and place in an inexpensive kid-size album. While you’re driving you can talk about the people you’ll see and what you’ll do together.”
“A travel potty. We stop by the side of the road and go. She’ll go anywhere. You don’t need to buy refill bags, just use regular grocery bags but make sure there aren’t any holes.”
“I Spy and license plate games for older kids, although Game Boy and iPhone apps work too. Plus my children have always been able to read books in the car without getting car sick, which helps.”
“Although sometimes it’s hard to get us all back in the car - myself included - during long drives we use rest stops to have a snack or stretch your legs every couple hours. We found it also helps prevent car sickness, which is worth it even if our trip becomes a lot longer with all the stopping.”