This is simply my advice for personal informational purposes only and what my family does. Not health or safety advice.
Traveling with Toddlers doesn’t have to seem impossible!
When you have small children the thought of a long car drive can be more than just a little anxiety filled. It can be enough to just not go places that are more than an hour or two away!
But taking those road trips to new locations or visiting family is so worth it!
Plus your kids will never get used to something that they never do. If you want your family to be one that travels, make it happen! Kids are just like us-they get used to the things that happen regularly.
Plus, there are things that you can do to make those long road trips go a bit more smoothly when you are traveling with toddlers!
Here are the top tips for making the plunge and taking those trips! Even with little people in the back!
Top Tips for Traveling with Toddlers
- Accept that it may be a hard drive. Not the most exciting tip but by far the most important. Go into the drive with low expectations. Put yourself in their shoes! Does sitting in a safely tight 5-point harness with no concept of time/distance sound fun to you? Most likely not! They can’t even reach down to grab things around them in a car seat! Remember to give your toddler grace. Being in a car that long is not something that is normal to them. Best tip for traveling with toddlers is to go into with love and patience in mind!
- Prep! Let them know in advance about the trip. Talk about where you are going, why, the fun things they will get to do and tell them about the long drives to get there. Toddlers love to know what’s going on and what’s coming. Prepping helps!
- Break up the drive as much as possible. Leave early and plan for longer breaks.
- Try to make breaks/stops movement based. Going straight from the car to having to sit still in a restaurant is simply more what I call “container” time. Pack a picnic or pick up food and eat at a park! This gives your kiddos time to run and really stretch their legs before getting back into car seats. Meal plan for your trip so that you can plan for these stops! Otherwise it very quickly can be an hour after lunch with no easy place to eat in sight. At least here in the Midwest! Another “activity” is running at rest stops! Even if there is nothing to see, get out of the car and run around the rest area. Before I had kids and was running I used to stop at rest stops on long drives and go on actual runs doing loops around the stop!
- Plan with naps in mind! If your kiddos are the kind to take car naps use it to your advantage! I love leaving for longer drives right after lunch when they typically nap. Yes, the naps are usually shorter than at home. But with a longer drive car naps are simply the best!
- Give them the ability to make their own choices when able. Let them choose some of the toys/books to bring along for the ride. When they are starting to lose it in the car ask them if they want music and let them choose what. Being in a car seat strapped in for so long would be rough on anyone! Give them what control you can.
- Pack a bag of toys/books/coloring things. Bring a bag of things that you know are longer-lasting toys for your toddler. But don’t give them all at once! Start out with nothing, then as they get bored/fussy bring out something new! If they start with everything at once they will go through everything very quickly! My favorite items to bring are listed below!
- Considered getting something new for the drive. Maybe a new coloring book, stuffed animal or stickers. Anything you think they would like!
- Talk to them! It can be so easy in the front seat to be talking to your spouse, looking at your phone (if not driving!) or listen to a podcast/music. Make your kiddos feel included in the drive and not simply alone in the back seat for the whole drive.
- Relate with them. Talk to them about how long drives make you feel. Remind them that you can’t get out of your seat either! Sometimes all my daughter needs on parts of a long drive is to be reminded that we are all in this together and that I am saying no to getting out because I love her.
- Snacks! We all know that snacks are a toddler favorite. Bring a few different options that you can bring out when you really need them. When my daughter is losing it is amazing what some white cheddar puffs can do, haha! Keep in mind safety when picking snacks for the drive. Technically, eating in the car is something that our kiddos should not be doing. When driving we lose the ability to respond quickly if our child is choking and we all know that babies/toddlers can shove far too much food in their mouths at once. But it’s also something that many of us will do. Make sure to avoid high-choking snacks and pay attention while they are eating in the car.
Great Car Toys/Activities
Keep safely in mind when packing a bag of toys/books/activities to bring with you on a long drive. Anything in a vehicle can become a flying object in the case of a crash. Avoiding anything hard/heavy is recommended!
Remember-give them these items slowly! If they’re not asking for them don’t give them! Stretch the time between them so that they all last longer.
- Coloring Books (plus crayons/markers)
- Stickers and something to stick to them too! The reusable books make a great new activity on a long drive!
- Favorite Doll/Stuffed Animal
- Books. Choose books with illustrations that your toddler loves since you won’t be able to easily read it to them.
- Reusable Doddle Board
- Sensory toys. Toys that can be pulled, stretched or even chewed one!
- Fidget Toys. Since so many fidget toy are inexpensive these can be great to get for a trip!
- Singing/talking Stuffed animals. These toys may be annoying at times but truly shine on a longer drive!
Screen Time
Now, these were all tips and ideas with no screen time in mind. Nothing wrong with screen time! In fact some of it can be great. In our family we do limit screen time so on long drives its something that we don’t do. We also do not have any ipads/tablets for our kiddos. But I am assuming the time will come when they have those things. I know we will use them on road trips at that point.
My best tip for screen time on a road trip is to use it as a hail mary when you need it. Screen time is highly effective at keepings kids attentions, as we all know! But too much of anything will make anyone bored. So pull it out on hour six when you really need a win.
You got this!
Going on long trips with your toddler is certainly going to look different. But with proper planning, activities and breaks in mind it’s so doable. Traveling with toddlers does not have to be anxiety-riddled!
You may be surprised at how well your toddler does as well! When I go into a drive knowing my kids may very well “lose it” and I accept that from the start it helps me to be more patient and understanding. Plus those low expectations often turn to me saying that wasn’t too bad!
It just helps to start low so that if you hit rock bottom it doesn’t hurt too bad, hahah!
