It’s family road trip season! Road trippin’ with small kids might be a bit different than it was in your younger, kid-free days. But despite all the bad jokes, family road trips are ripe for making memories. Feeling anxious about the long drive? Don’t be! We’ve got you covered with a comprehensive Family Road Trip Survival Guide for traveling with babies and toddlers.
Seat Strategically for a Family Road Trip
This approach can really go a long way in having a fun, family road trip or, well…the complete opposite. If Sally and Joey are not getting along these days, you may want to seat them in different rows. Does the baby need to have an adult nearby? Perhaps you sit next to the car seat!
Also, to limit arguments about who gets to sit where you can draw names and rotate at every pit stop. Set the rule at the beginning (and stick with it) to avoid any whining.
Bring Road Trip Appropriate Snacks
Snacks are a must-have for road trips. They keep kiddos distracted, and happy and help improve hand-eye coordination. But most importantly, they kill time! Pro tip: Keep your snack stash a secret so you can surprise your kids with a treat on different legs of the trip.
Make your own special Road Trip Trail Mix with your kid’s favorite goodies so it feels special and exciting. Check out the bulk aisle at your local grocery store for fun snacks to add to your unique trail mix blend. Looking for some more snack inspiration, check out our recent blog post about the best travel snacks for babies and toddlers…nutritionist-approved!!
Snacks are important, but so are drinks. Don’t forget to pack plenty of water or other favorite non-sugary beverages.
Make the Most of Pit Stops
Don’t spend time out of the vehicle sitting in a restaurant, spend it moving! When BabyQuip Quality Provider Teresa Ore embarks on a family road trip with her daughter, she makes sure that “stops are for running and playing!” Eat-in the car and take breaks to get moving! The goal is for your kiddos to be breathing hard when they get back into the vehicle so they want to sit.
The journey is the destination, right? Look up playgrounds on your route and plan stops around them. When you get out of the car, give your kids some freedom to move—run, crawl, hop, jump, skip, bear crawl, dance—whatever moves them. For newborns and babies, breaks from the car seat are perfect for tummy time. No playground around, no problem! Pack a soccer ball and the kids can have fun running just about anywhere.
Don’t forget to move yourself too—updog to downdog transitions are easy to do anywhere and keep the hips and low back happy.
Consider Driving at Night
This is definitely something to think about, especially if you have toddlers or babies! Driving at night means driving with sleeping kiddos which is a much more peaceful and efficient way to road trip. Fewer stops because your kids are sleeping means you’ll get to your destination faster. Also means some adult conversation time between you and your significant other…bonus points for sure!
Not comfortable driving at night? No worries! Consider adding a day or two to your family road trip itinerary so you can break up your road trip days and pit stop overnight at destinations along your route. That way your kiddos won’t be in the car as long for one stretch and maybe you can find some fun touristy things to do along the way!
Plan Fun Car Activities
Your packing list should include lots of travel toys and activities to keep your little ones engaged and entertained—or as a last resort, distracted. Outfit your little one with a car seat activity tray to make playtime in the vehicle more comfortable. Puzzled about what to include in your travel-friendly toy selection? Some of our favorites include:
- We asked BabyQuip Quality Providers about their favorite travel toys for kids and the Melissa & Doug Water Wow! paint-with-water coloring book got numerous recommendations.
- If you’re okay with screen time, be sure to charge up the tablet before you hit the road. Try waiting until all other options have been exhausted before pulling out the tablet though because once it’s out it can be hard to put away.
- Road tripping can make for valuable family time. Use these moments when you’re all together to sing or play games like I Spy or Simon Says.
- Audiobooks and podcasts are another great way to pass time. This option is best for preschoolers and older kids but even toddlers can benefit from listening to audiobooks. Visit your local library to browse the books on CD collection or download an app like Audible. This Audiobooks for Road Trips with Kids collection from Audible is a great place to start if you’re looking for inspiration. For podcasts, BabyQuip Quality Provider Juliana Pugliese recommends Stories Podcast.
Related articles:
- Family Apps: The Best Apps for Family Travel
- A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning the Ultimate Family Vacation
- 20 Tips for Traveling During and After COVID with a Baby
Bring a Road Trip Potty Seat
Don’t fret about a road trip interfering with potty training. Pack a potty seat and you can stop whenever and wherever. When your little one lets you know they have to go now, you’ll be ready! Next rest stop 89 miles? No problem. A kid that dislikes public restrooms? Not a big deal. Every family on the road needs a road potty. Don’t forget to bring along some plastic bags for solid waste to make clean-up easy. With a potty seat on board, you’ll be prepared to pull over anywhere without panic or worry.
On That Note, Prepare for Other Messes
We probably don’t need to say this, but kids are messy. And when confined to a small space (aka a car) for hours at a time, the mess can get kind of insane. So plan ahead! Bring trash bags with you and toss them out at every stop. Have wipes handy along with hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies you use. Empty bags from the grocery store are great for accidents or soiled clothes. Teach your kiddos from the beginning of the trip that their trash goes in a bag, not on the car floor. These things can help keep the car as clean and decluttered as possible!
Manage Your Expectations During a Family Road Trip
Nursing baby? Potty training toddler? Antsy kiddos? You’re inevitably going to make more stops on a family road trip than you did when cruising solo. And each stop will take longer than you think it will. But the delays are worth it. Traveling with your kids is worth it!
Kids remember the epic trips. They remember the fun times. But they also remember the difficult times. They learn how to keep going when the road gets rough by doing challenging things with you. So if your travel plans hit a speed bump, don’t despair. Your kids will fondly remember that time you got a flat tire, rode in a tow truck, and spent an hour getting ice cream while your vehicle got worked on at the shop. One of the reasons we travel is to get outside of our comfort zone and experience the unexpected. We bring our kids along to help guide them through the discomforts and reassure them that everything will be okay. If things get messy, remember that even if you can’t laugh about it now, you will someday!
Pack Wisely
We’ve all seen families with half the car unloaded on the side of the road because the sunglasses were in the bottom of the suitcase in the trunk! Don’t be that family! Load the family road trip essentials last, so they’re on top. Keep the diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, and snacks easily accessible. There’s nothing worse than having to dig to find a clean pair of pants after a blowout.
Feeling overwhelmed by packing or limited by trunk space? Leave the play yard and bulky stroller at home—rent the baby gear you need at your destination! Don’t buy an expensive rooftop cargo carrier or overload your fuel-efficient sedan, you can rent a full-sized crib or a beach package complete with sand toys and folding chairs for the adults. There are more than 600 Quality Providers on the BabyQuip platform ready to help make your vacation easy and memorable.
Be Prepared for the Unexpected
Head into your road trip knowing that some unexpected adventures may happen. That way, when the unexpected does happen, you won’t be too overwhelmed. You can do this by packing an extra set of pillows or blankets in case you need to overnight somewhere unplanned. Throw in a roadside emergency and first aid kit for peace of mind. Bring cash in case cards aren’t accepted at pit stops. Flashlights are helpful if you break down. These sorts of things can help you feel prepared!
Mindful Mantras for Family Road Trip Survival
Do you need a moment to regroup? These mantras can help recenter you when things get a bit crazy or stressful during a family road trip. Say them out loud. Repeat them as a family. Or just say them silently to yourself. We find these mantras useful and hope you do too!
- This too shall pass
- I’ll laugh about this someday
- This is not an emergency
- I am grateful for this opportunity to travel together
Kathy is a freelance writer, an Independent Quality Provider with BabyQuip and the mother of a very active one-year-old boy. When she’s not changing diapers, developing engaging content for clients, or helping families travel with little ones, she enjoys reading, gardening, yoga, and naps.
Great ideas and reminders! I have a 4 year old that has never depended on an electronic device to travel and we travel A LOT! We keep toys in the car for traveling so they are a little different than the toys he sees all day at home. He is also allowed to pick a book or another toy to bring in the car for long trips.
Great tips. Our favorites have been bringing a potty, wet wipes, lots of new and interesting snacks and activities, and managing expectations!
I will be using these ideas this summer! Roads trips is all we have planned – EVERYWHERE!
Very helpful info. It’s basically living in your vehicle while traveling so the more prepared, the better and makes for a happier time for all!
Melissa and Doug Water WOW is great! And totally agree that strategic seating arrangements can be a life saver!
I completely agree with taking stops to stretch and play. The kids will be calmer in the car. Even if they are younger, they will appreciate taking a break from being strapped in the car seat.
Snacks, snacks and more snacks. Take MORE than you think you’ll need.
I 100% think that kids need electronics in the car to keep them occupied on long car rides because they can concentrate on an app for a while, at least that’s my experience with my kids.