It’s the day before I leave on a family road trip, and I should probably be packing instead of writing this. We’re on our way to Six Flags Great Adventure & Sesame Place! Having 2 preschoolers makes road trips with kids an unpredictable and challenging adventure. Lucky for us, we tackled the 4+ hour car ride back in December when we were heading to our New Jersey cruise port, so I know we’re capable of handling it again. Here are a few of my tips on how to survive the family road trip with kids.
Tip #1: Keep it Organized
My car is typically a mess of snack wrappers, toys and craft projects. That means my first step is cleaning out the car. Next, you’ll want to get everything organized so that your kids can find everything they need during the family road trip. My Minivan is super spacious, but sometimes that can make it difficult to keep the things you need close by. I like this seat back car organizer we found on amazon! We can pre-load with snacks, water bottles, books, tablets… all the essentials. Keeping everything in one place will hopefully cut down on the whining for me to turn around.
Tip #2: Leave Early
Get a head start on the road before anyone is fully awake and realizes they are strapped into the car for a really long period of time. We like to have everything prepped and ready to go the night before. Then we can just throw last minute toiletries into the bag, and pack the cooler in the morning. The plus side to leaving early is that you can toss your kids a bagel or bowl of dry cereal to eat on the road. This minimizes the “are we there yet” whining for at least the first 30 minutes of your family road trip.
Tip #3: Pack a Cooler
Even if you tossed them the bagel and juice box first thing, they will be hungry 1 hour later. Make sure to pack a cooler filled with snacks and foods you know your kids will find fun! Try to avoid total mess makers. Here are a few of my favs:
- Granola Bars
- Apples
- Cheese Sticks
- Goldfish or Popcorn Chips
- Pouches
- Fruit like Strawberries/Blueberries
- Water
Tip #4: Pack some FUN
I like to bring some activities in the car that the kids have never seen before. It may be a collection of new books (sticker books and wipe cleans are SO much fun to travel with), or coloring supplies! You could also stock up on some fun little activities and toys at the dollar store. If you time your trip right, you could allow them to pick 1 new prize from the bag every 30 min or hour during your family road trip. A grab bag full of fun for behaving every hour is a great bribery tool!
Tip #5: Charge Your Tablets
I may be a book lady, and I am ALL about reading and screen-free fun, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Make sure you charge your kiddos tablets the night before so they are full of juice and ready to go. I run a hot spot from my phone in the car so they can connect to the wifi and use their Amazon FreeTime to play games, read books, and watch shows. I’ve already set the parental restrictions on these, so I know the whole time that they aren’t getting into trouble. We also have headphones for them so that we don’t have to listen to every noise they make. I’m a firm believer that tablets makes a road trip with kids or really any travel with kids much much easier.
Tip #6: Take a Break!
Sometimes we all just need a break to jump around, stretch our legs, or use the potty. It may not be ideal to stop and add time to your trip. Depending on your length of time in the car, it may be absolutely necessary! Breaking your family road trip up into chunks will help you to avoid potty accidents in the car, and keep everyone from going stir crazy!
Wish me luck on our adventure! I’ll add some tips on Sesame Place to my list of things to write about once we’re home! Come check out some of our travels over on instagram. Have fun on your family road trip adventure!
[…] we wanted, and we starving and picking at snacks. Before you leave, prep yourself with some tips on surviving the road trip to your cruise […]