Road Trippin' - Six tips to make the car ride easier with littles
We started our summer vacation adventures a few years ago, driving ten hours with three kids and the first attempt was rather traumatic. My husband and I were not mentally prepared for the screaming, crying and fighting so we had to make an impromptu stop at a roadside hotel halfway through our voyage. Our nerves were shot, and we just could not bear one more mile.
Each year we become a little more efficient with our game plan and level of preparation. If you are taking a road trip this summer, I have a few tips for you.
1. Pack the car the night before and get on the road early. One tweak we made that seemed to really help is to get on the road early in the morning. We pack up the car the night before and put the girls to bed in shorts and a t-shirt. The ideal departure time for us is around 6 am while it is still dark outside. We load up the kiddos with their breakfast snack packs, blankets, stuffed animals and they sleep like babies first few hours of the trip. We ease ourselves into the drive with a short stint of peace and quiet as we sip our massive tumblers full of coffee.
2. Level up your snack game. Our snack strategy is also evolving. We used to pack a cooler that fit on the floor between the seats which meant I was the snack wench. I hated having to unbuckle, turn my body around, sort through snacks and frequently serve the princesses. Now on road trips, the girls have individual lunch boxes with snacks they have selected and packed the night before and a cooler of water bottles to share. At 5 and 9 they are old enough to manage their hunger and serve themselves quick and easy snacks.
3. Embrace technology. We had DVD players on our first road trip that attached to the back of each seat which you think would be ideal but there were challenges. All children had to agree on the movie and watch it in its entirety. Otherwise, we were swapping out DVDs at rest stops to avoid lengthy meltdowns and that was not fun. This year we packed the iPads, headphones and extra chargers so the kids could play the games and watch movies. It was super quiet, and the girls were entertained for several hours. I know many parents, myself included worry about unrestricted screen time but just do it. I am going to allow them to binge-watch whatever they want while in the car and file it under the umbrella of self-care and preserving our mental health.
4. Put the kids in charge of packing their own activities. The girls have agreed to pack their own backpacks with activity books, coloring pages, flashcards, etc. In the unlikely event they get sick of watching videos they will be prepared and have all the supplies needed at their own seat. I also found a plastic tray at Michaels that fits nicely over their lap in case they need a table.
5. Know your dinner options. Ideally, our arrival time is around the dinner hour in an effort to avoid eating multiple meals on the road. Make sure you know the hours of the restaurant at the hotel where you are staying or research local food favorites in advance. This will help you avoid desperately searching for a place to eat while your kids are hangry.
6. Be ready for an emergency. Finally, go old school and print out directions and a list of important numbers just in case technology fails you. Put that info in the glove compartment and don’t forget to stash the roadside emergency kit in the trunk.
Have fun and enjoy your vacation, my friends!