Guide to Road Tripping with children.
Over the last three years I have learned so much about road tripping with a little one. Since our family is spread out throughout the United States, we have to travel to see most of them. Flying is not always the most feasible option so we drive. Driving across country with any child under six can be an headache. So, I came of with the an guide to help ease the stress.
Check the weather.
You always want to check the weather to make sure you know what to pack, and how the road condition will be. Don’t ever say oh it’s summer time so it will be hot. It may be hot where you are located, but there is a difference between dry heat and humidity. Also, it may be cold at night.
Pack children’s clothes first.
This helps you because you can make sure you have packed all of their items first and shouldn’t have to run around finding items at the last minute. Pack complete outfits together to ensure you have everything. See examples.
Pack soothing items.
If your children have items that will keep them calm, pack them in a smaller bag that’s easier to get to. These items need to be available in case your little ones start to feel antsy. For my son it’s his blanket.
Pack entertaining toys/ items.
Tablets – Load tablets with enough movies and offline games that will last the entire car ride. Download your kid’s favorite shows/ movies. Example: 8 hour car ride means I am loading 16 hours’ worth of movies and TV shows.
Load learning games that can be played offline if you do not have a hotspot or wifi in your car.
Small toys- For my son, I pack the small toys he plays with the most like Buzz, Woody, TNMT, a car and a Transformer. All toys that are small enough to fit in his back pack.
Pack food and snacks.
Stopping to eat can be expensive on the road, so we always pack a cooler full of items.
Pack items that are easy to contain and that your children like.
– Lunchables
– Fruit / Fruit cups/ Fruit snacks
– Chips/ Crackers
– Granola Bars/ Cereal bars/ Protein Bars
– Make sandwiches
– Nuts/ Popcorn/ Small bag of candy
– Bottle water
*Limit sugary drinks while on the road. They tend to run through kids faster than water.*
You have packed and now you are on the road, what do you do?
1. Try to leave early in the morning because the kids are still sleep or sleepy.
We know they will at least sleep another hour or two while on the road.
2. Once children are fully awake, we stop for our first bathroom break.
No accidents in the car.
3. After the first bathroom break, feed the children, but limit the sugary drinks.
I dilute all my son’s drinks with water whether we are on the road or not. Juice has entirely too much sugar in it.
4. Cut on the entertainment after feeding.
If you have multiple children make sure you have packed items that interest each child, but do not pack a lot of items. Have your kids to pick out 1-3 items they want to take the most.
5. Take bathroom breaks every two to three hours.
It will give the kids time to stretch out, walk around, and get some fresh air before getting back in the car.
6. Try to do family activities in the car.
– Play Games
– Sing Songs
– Trivia
– Talk about things that interest your kids even if it doesn’t interest you.
7. If you have time, stop at a cool/ interesting attraction you would like to see on your road trip.
– Attractions, monuments, statues, parks, etc.
Parents, I hope this guide helps make your next family road trip a little easier.
Meals and Miles 
When our son was younger (maybe 2-3 years old) and we’d have a road trip, I would plan ahead to take a break so he could play at a playground or a mall to walk around. Children need to stretch their legs during road trips too.
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Totally agree. Especially if the drive is long. That’s why we try to stop at cool places we see to give the kids a chance to get out the car and stretch.
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Wow, is it bad that some of these tips may work on me, lol! Thank you for sharing!
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Lol nope because I pack my clothes the same way and I pack snacks 😂
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🤣😂🤣🤣
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It’s been so long since we took a road trip. My kids are older but these are great tips that can really be used for any age.
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I’m glad these tips can help at any age.
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We are constantly on the road. Thankfully, since my daughter was little she went with the flow. We play games in the car, she brings books. It’s always a good time. Thanks for the tips.
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You’re welcome!!
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I gotta do better on checking the weather myself because I need to know what to pack. Packing snacks is always a hit or miss for me because the kids eat it all so fast lol
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Lol, I tend to pack to many snacks and bring half of it home.
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We enjoy roadtripping as a family but now I have a max of 6 hours. My kid loves to play family trivia where I ask her about different facts about family members and she guesses it. We also play roadtrip bingo which is fun!
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Never heard of road trip bingo so but it sounds cool. I have a 6 hour max as well 😂
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Great post! When my son was little I would always try to leave super early so that he could sleep most of the way. Today mommy’s can let kid’s watch a movie on their phone, computer, IPad etc… I remember when those clunky portable DVD players came out..lol. I also use to mix up how we traveled– Plane, bus, train, etc… that made it more exciting for him.
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I remember road trip with no entertainment at all😂😂
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I kinda miss these years! These are great tips. Our road trips are much simpler now with larger bladders and kids who entertain themselves. We do love singalongs to get the kids off of screens for a bit.
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I was a road trip pro from the beginning. My Mom was the road trip Queen. She had it all down to a science. She was a single parent and she would pack up my sister and I and off we go. When it was my turn I did what she did for us and built on that.
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Oh that’s awesome. My mom was also a single parent so she also had it down to a science too.
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Look the happiest kids on road trips are kids with snacks and kids with tech. Make sure they have snacks and tech and a blanket and they will be fine!
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