Does travelling with kids on a road trip make you break out in sweat and sound like your worst nightmare?
Well you aren't alone. We get asked all the time, how can we travel so much with kids in the car and don't we go crazy on long stints on the road?
The whining, fighting, crying, screaming etc, is enough for some parents to never attempt travelling with kids again.
Trust me, sometimes we still feel the same. Our kids are no saints and at times we do threaten to turn the car around and go home. So how do we make it more tolerable?
Don't get me wrong, this is not a fool proof solution and some trips we do still experience some of the above tantrums, but on the whole our kids do travel pretty well.
Here are some of our Tips to help you survive!
1. Start Young
Our number one tip (if you can) is start young, the sooner they get used to being in the car, the better.
Our kids were approximately 3-5 months old for their first road trip. Never too young to start. Taking the first step is the hardest.
2. Start small
Make your first few holidays not too far from home, get them used to travelling. We suggest 1-2 hours max. Then slowly build it up depending on how they cope.
3. Travel often
Travel as often as you can, even if its just a day trip an hour or two from home. They get into a habit of travelling in the car, so it becomes normal. We find if we haven't been away for awhile, the kids revert back to annoying travel behaviour.
4. Plan stops
Make sure you plan to stop so kids can get out and run around for a bit. Find a playground, have a snack, toilet etc. The age of your kids and how well they travel will obviously determine how often you need to do this. We can now go anywhere from 2 to 4 hours before needing to stop, depending on the day. If your child still has a sleep, plan around that. If they'll sleep in the car, great, plan to travel then, always easier when they sleep.
5. Short Days
Where possible don't travel too far in one day and if you are on the road for an extended period, plan to have days you don't travel at all. Chances are you'll be sick of being in the car as well so shorter trips keep everyone happy. We find our kids travel best in the morning so we always leave as early as we can and reach our destination by lunch (or just after) if possible so we aren't setting up in the dark or arriving at tea time.
6. Take Snacks
Never ever, and I repeat, never ever leave home without snacks! Guaranteed, even if they just ate, 10 minutes into the trip, someone is hungry! It's also a good distraction. Now no judging, but I usually pack a few types of snacks they don't get very often at home, because this makes it more exciting and they usually take longer to eat it because they spend so much time either admiring it or talking about how exciting it is that they get to have it. Also make sure you take a drink bottle which doesn't leak if dropped.
7. Cleaning Supplies
With kids and food always comes messes, so remember to carry tissues and wipes, ready to be passed back to wipe noses, clean up spills and wash sticky fingers and mouths. Also have a rubbish bag of some sort, otherwise the back seat ends up looking like a garbage dump! One less job to do when you arrive at your destination, who wants to clean the car as well as setting up.
8. Activities
Now this may seem like an obvious thing to take, but we always get asked what keeps our kids entertained as we don't allow IPads on holidays. We have travel pockets on the back of the car seats which I stock with various things before we leave and I literally have a box of tricks in the boot which I use to swap items around at various stops. Your child's age and interests will determine what you take, but we have things like colouring sets, writing/drawing pads, scratch art, activity books, travel games, books to read and our last resort is we do have an inbuilt DVD player in the car so they can watch a movie.
We do also like to play Eye Spy and a game I designed to spot items out the windows. Click HERE to download it for yourself for FREE. A suggestion we were given and are yet to try which might be great for older kids too is podcasts and audio books. Another great idea that our kids have just started taking an interest in is following our travels on a map.
Now this is something we only ever had when the kids were babies because as they got older they didn't like them, complained they couldn't see out properly. Our solution now to stop the complaints about "the sun is in my eyes" or if someone falls asleep and we don't want the sun burning them through the windows, we carry lightweight muslin wraps in each door pocket and just rig them up on the side that needs it. They can move them to the side easily to look out and they also sometimes use them like a cubby which entertains them plus they can be used as a blanket if they get cold so they have multiple uses.
10. Be Prepared to change your plans
Remember kids never do things by the book, so even the best laid plans may go astray so be prepared to change plans if needed. You may have to stop more for toilets (especially if toilet training), you may have to get out of the car for longer and let them run around more, they may sleep and you may just keep driving a bit further, you might have to give them food close to dinner and just have dinner later so you can stop a meltdown, just be prepared to do what is necessary to keep your sanity.
Hopefully this helps you to enjoy your road trips more. Remember the road trip is part of the holiday so try not to stress too much about it. Have fun!
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