Guide to Road Trips with a Toddler
Our Guide to Surviving Road Trips with a Toddler
As a family who likes to travel for both fun and necessity to visit family, we've learned a thing or two about surviving a road trip with a toddler in tow. We've taken several road trips with our son from newborn, 1 year old, and now 2 years old. These trips included several overnight trips driving multiple days in a row. While we can't promise the quiet bliss from those pre-kid days, we've compiled a few things for you to try to make the travel experience as good as it can be for everyone. Psst! To save money on gas and groceries along the way, we recommend the Upside app! We've earned over $500 so far!
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A Packing List is Essential
While you may want to pack light, the last thing you want to do is forget your toddler's favorite bedtime toy, pack and play, or whatever else might cause a meltdown on discomfort on the road.
What to include in your toddler's packing list:
Nighttime comfort items: toys, blankets, pajamas, etc
Bedding including portable crib
Bottles/sippy cups and cleaning supplies
Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, bubble bath, wipes)
Tablet and seat rest holder if you allow screen time + charger
Extra outfits, socks, undies, etc
Diapers or training pants
Games/puzzles
Snacks and drinks
Portable cooler
Pre-made sandwiches or other meals to avoid fast food
Toys for daytime play (pro tip: have your child pick out the toys so they feel more in control of the situation)
Check out our printable road trip planner here
Timing is Everything
If you're planning on driving for several hours in a row, try to prep for and strategically pace the trip around your child's regular nap and/or bed time. Depending on how well your child transfers from the car while sleeping, you may want to do all travel during the day and make sure you're at a destination to sleep overnight. Here are our nap and bedtime tips:
Plan your trip so you can stop and get exercise shortly before nap time. If this means stopping at a large mall while it's raining, then that's what you do. The idea is to wear out your child so they can sleep. We love to use the road trippers app to find fun and quirky places to stop. (psst! use our code to get $5 off when you sign up: BTR5QTP)
Include a final pit stop right before nap time. Make sure everyone's bladders are empty and bellies are full, so you shouldn't have to make any stops once your child is asleep. The last thing you want to do is wake the bear!
Use some of your at-home routines to help your child understand that it's time to sleep. For example, we make sure to have sleepy time toys and his favorite blankie. We'll also play nursery rhymes on our phone or through the car speaker.
Repeat steps 1-3 if you're travelling overnight and need to have your child sleep in the evening. For overnight trips, make sure to change your child into pajamas and keep as close to the same bedtime.
Keeping Your Child Entertained on the Road
Every child is different, but ours really like to be in the car and stays entertained for a good half hour or more before even looking for things to do. Cars and other things whizzing by can be enough entertainment for awhile for a child who likes to observe. But as with all good things, that peace and quiet does eventually come to an end and we'll need to figure out something more exciting to do and fast.
Toys & Games
Here is why we recommended earlier to have your child pick out their own toys before leaving home. Of course, always bring backups and something you know is going to keep their interest for awhile. Our favorites are simple wooden puzzles, re-stickable stickers, and magnet drawing boards. They're not messy and they provide extended (& quiet) entertainment.
Books
Books can be a little more controversial on whether or not you want to use them on the road. The reason for that is whether or not your child will demand you read the book to them while they can see it, too. Depending on your car setup, you may not be able to join them in the back seat to read. Interactive books that make sounds are more hands-on for them and hands-off for you, but you'll need to decide whether you can hear a cow "moo" or a dog "bark" and so on for hours on end... A quieter alternative would be a Montessori-style busy book your child can interact with on their own instead.
I Spy and Interaction Games
I spy is a perfect game for toddlers who have more vocabulary skills and are forward facing in their car seat. For anyone not familiar with the game, you find different things on the road that you see and ask your toddler to find it. Ex: tell your child "I spy something yellow" and have them tell you what it is they think you see. For younger kids, just explaining what you see around you and what you're doing is enough of a "game." For example, say "do you see the big truck next to us?" or "we're at a stop light now and it's red, so now we have to stop until it turns green, and then we can go."
Cartoons & Movies in Moderation
We personally don't believe in allowing our toddler to have his own tablet all of the time, but road trips are the exception and sanity saver to this rule. We pre-load the tablet with videos only and use a head rest tablet mount so he can watch hands-free. We find it's best to whip out the tablet after we've driven awhile and exhausted all other tactics as sort of a Hail Mary pass. That way he doesn't think he gets to always have screen time in the car, and we don't have to listen to cartoons the entire time.
Road Tripping with a Potty-Training Toddler
We highly suggest using disposable pull-ups as a safeguard while on the road with a potty-training toddler. They allow the pull up feel of undies, but helps protect the car seat against accidents. We've found that having a portable potty chair allows the best versatility for those "gotta go now!" moments on the road.
Bonus: Tips for Traveling with an Infant
While most of the above tips can be adjusted for infants, there are a couple extra things to note. It's suggested that infants only sleep for up to 2 hours in the car, so you may not want to drive through the night. You'll also want to plan stops for feeding. This is obvious if your baby is breastfed, but also stop to bottle feed as well as it can be a choking hazard and in case of a crash it can be a projectile hazard.
We highly recommend keeping the seat next to your infant clear in case you need to hop in the back seat with them. Why would you need to go back there?
You may need to be closer to them to provide entertainment like reading a book or rattling their favorite toy at them.
Your child may insist you are near them for nap time or any time in-between.
Final Notes
Melt-downs may still happen despite all your best efforts. This is a big deal to your toddler, and sometimes emotions can flare up. Try to manage your own expectations and give your child some grace. Stop and pull over for a walk, snack or just overall re-set if you need to. Pre-baby, you may have driven as long as your own bladder let you, but now you'll just need to plan for a few extra stops here and there. Finding fun places to stop or rewarding things like a trip through the drive-through for ice-cream can be both melt-down savers and make the experience more fun for both you and your child.
Grab our Printable Travel Planning Packet!
Included in the packet:
Packing List: this list is built for kids in mind! Includes a spot for toys so you don't forget anything.
Itinerary: build your daily itinerary with places to see, places to eat, and notes all organized in one spot.
Travel Time Worksheet: helps to plan your trip around stops with start and end times to help plan your itinerary.
Travel Journal: Capture special moments and memories along the way.
Budget Planner: Keep track of expenses and stay on budget for your journey.
BONUS: Easy road trip BINGO game for kids
Disclaimer: The information presented is purely to share our experience and for entertainment purposes. Tot Outfitters assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed on this website or linked to this website. The author and Tot Outfitters disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any activities or ideas from this site.