Road Trip Tips
First things first: travel days are survival days. They are hard. There will probably be some tantrums or crying. It’s going to be okay. You will be okay. Your kids will be okay.
I tend to think the worst and make plans for every possible situation that might arise. This is hard to do when traveling because we don’t have unlimited space. Here are some things I tried to pass the time on our 9-hour road trip from Houston to Watercolor, Florida with minimal meltdowns.
Here are my best tips:
If your child is happy, leave them alone! Save your special activities for when they get fussy or bored. Some kids will enjoy riding along, looking out the window for a little while.
When they get fussy, be empathetic and acknowledge how hard it is. I’d say something like, “UGH, I know it’s such a long time in the car. I’m ready to get out too. You are doing great! We will stop soon for a break. What can we do while we wait?” Then, I’d offer some suggestions - sing songs, read a book, etc.
Pack lots of snacks. I packed some old favorites that Max hadn’t seen in a while, some new special treats, and some of our staples. I loaded up our 3 snack cups so they were ready when Max asked or I offered one between activities to kill more time. I tried to keep it as healthy as possible and incorporate some protein, but again, it’s about survival and one, carb-heavy day won’t hurt.
Pack your lunch and stop for a break at a rest stop or playground so the kids can run around. We can’t expect them to go from sitting in the car to sitting in a booth at Whataburger. Max actually wasn’t very hungry because of the snacks and since he wasn’t moving much. He ran the entire time we were stopped. We stopped at the USS Alabama park in Mobile - it was awesome! I saw this recommended on Memorial Area Kids Info - think outside the box when it comes to stopping points. Days with Grey recommends stopping at a grocery store to buy a healthier lunch and let the kids run up and down the aisles. Here’s a link to her travel tips page.
When in doubt, get the movie out. I bought this Tablet holster and it worked great with our IPad. My hope was that after lunch if I put a movie on, Max would relax and pass out. That didn’t work. He was so tired, but was too into the movie to close his eyes and fall asleep (I have the same problem), so I had to turn it off. He fussed for a minute, then fell asleep for 45 minutes…not the best nap. I put the movie back on when he woke up because we had exhausted our activities and I just couldn’t entertain him any longer.
Up until this trip Max has only been able to watch about 30 minutes of TV at a time. I limit it at home, but he also loses interest pretty quickly, so I couldn’t just depend on movies to keep him occupied for this trip. That’s why I came up with these activities.
It’s okay to go through your activities pretty quickly. When you stop for a potty break or to get gas, reorganize everything and start over.
I put the bags with activities and snacks in the footwell in front of the middle seat so I could easily grab things and hand them back.
Here are some of the activities I threw together:
Magnet board and Melissa and Doug Magnets (I bought a small, magnetic cookie sheet at Homegoods)
I bought some small bags from Hobby Lobby, divided the magnets up, and handed them to Max one at a time to drag out this activity.
Next time, I’ll use some painter’s tape to tape a road on the board for him to drive Hot Wheels cars or pretend with the vehicle magnets.
Bigger kids could play tic-tac-toe with the magnets (animals vs. vehicles) and a painter’s tape grid.
I recommend buying name brand painter’s tape! I bought the cheaper pack and it doesn’t stick very well.
Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Sets
These were by far our biggest hit. I think Max did stickers for 45 minutes. That’s a long time for a toddler! They come in a 3-pack on Amazon. I used one on the way there, one during our trip, and the last one on the way home.
These stickers are puffy so easier for little fingers.
Clipboard and Coloring Pages
If you don’t want to buy a separate clipboard, you could use a chip clip on the magnet board.
I bought a Paw Patrol mess-free coloring set. I think I’ll stick to crayons next time because those markers are expensive and Max dropped them in the carseat or on the floor where I couldn’t reach them. Stock up on those mini crayon boxes that restaurants hand out.
Max also loves taking crayons out of the box and putting them back in.
Books!
Search and Find Books - Max loves to read Cars and Trucks and Things That Go and looks for Goldbug on every page. I also found this Paw Patrol Search and Find book. Practice a few days leading up to the trip so they know what to do.
Several boardbooks - I love the Sandra Boynton ones because they are small.
I also bought a cheap Mickey Mouse book in the Target dollar section because he’s obsessed with Mickey & Co and I thought the novelty would keep him interested.
Additional Activity Tips/Info
The parts and pieces will end up all over your car. It’s okay! Reorganize when you stop for a potty break or to get gas. Max basically played with everything for a few minutes, then threw things into the space between the carseat and the car door where I couldn’t reach it (someone needs to invent a special basket that fits in that space to catch stuff!).
If I had more prep time, I would have wrapped some of the toys in tissue paper for him to unwrap and prolong the play time.
I’ll be on the look out for cheap cosmetics pouches to group the activities so he can practice unzipping. Again, this will prolong the process.
Next time I’ll add:
A Magnadoodle for drawing - also great for bigger kids to play Tic Tac Toe or Hangman.
A Pom Pom push game - I’ll use these pom poms and empty Moody Jar bottles (aka water bottles)
A Mystery bag - zipper pouches that he has to unzip to find what’s inside
A Busy Board - these are so cool! This Melissa and Doug puzzle might be easier for younger kiddos.
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