Top 3 Tips for Traveling with Kids | Little Rock Moms Network

It’s now officially summer and vacations are in full swing. As much as we love getting to hang out with our family soaking up the sun or getting up to new adventures, sometimes the longest part of the trip are the drives. As a mom with 2 little ones and family that lives 10+ hours away I’m no stranger to making the long trek across the country. So check out my top tips for traveling with young kids.

My number one tip is to always work with their schedules as best you can.

Driving with someone else? For very long drives my husband and I will leave around bedtime and trade off throughout the night. This works because one, I like driving at night way better than during the day, but also two, your kids are more likely to sleep for most of the trip. This will keep the constant asking if we are there yet, sibling fighting, and other stressors to a minimum. Also if you have a baby try to leave as soon as they finish eating. This will give you the maximum amount of hours until you have to stop to feed them again. I also use these stops for potty breaks for my toddler, that way I rarely get caught with them needing to go to the bathroom in a stretch of road with no stops!

Next up is snacks. No road trip is complete without them.

To help save time on stops and a little extra money I always pack a cooler with no spill cups of milk. This way we can just pass them out on the road along with “no mess” snacks. I always look for things that either don’t make a mess or will be easy to clean up. Our family’s go to snacks include string cheese and blueberries (for my older guy).

Last activities are key to any long drive.

This is where things can get a little crazy in our house. My oldest son basically wants to pack every toy he can put his fingers on, so we limit him to 1 bag and it has to zip up. This gives him the control to choose what he picks and it keeps the amount of things to a minimum. I also have a mommy bag; this is where I pack a bag of things they love to pull out when things start to get tough. I normally include favorite books, a magna doodle, coloring books, and Highlights magazines. I also have a few “Mom-Made” things such as an EYE SPY sheet for things you find on the road. We also take turns telling stories about something we’ve seen or where we are going. Finally there’s always the I-Pad. Pro Mom Tip~ Make sure you have some movies downloaded and it’s charged before you leave….. Trust me from experience!

 

What are some of your favorite Road Trip Tips to make a long drive go fun for everyone?

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