10 Tips For Car Trips With Kids

Holiday travel is upon us. Long road car trips can set the mood for the entire trip. These tips and tricks will help you add miles to the road while having a pretty peaceful and fun road trip.

Make your road trip a fun-filled experience, and plan for the obstacles that you might face when traveling with kids. Learn creative ways to keep your kids content as you travel and what to prepare for with pitstops and more.

10 Tips For Car Trips With Kids

Snacks and Drinks

Make sure you pack single serve snacks for the ride. I like to take crackers, jerky, protein bars, trail mix, and place them in single-serve sealable bags. That way the kids can grab a snack and have a serving.

This will save you money at gas stations along the way and keep them fed and content. You can bring a cooler with bottled water,  juice boxes, and fresh fruit as well.

Ride In Back

Consider hopping in the back seat with your kids if you have room for part of the trip. This is a great way to help break up the trip, offer a distraction and give your kids some attention to help pass the time.

Games And Toys

Make sure to pack fun games and toys to help soothe your children for the trip. I even recommend picking up some dollar toys that are brand new, for them to be entertained. Or pack activity packs so they can draw, complete puzzles and more. Or go classic and try I Spy, or License Plate Bingo.

Pit Stops

If you have younger kids make sure to plan for pit stops along the way. Letting them get out to stretch their legs and run and burn off some energy is going to make your trip a lot less stressful. Find rest areas that you can stop at, or convenience stores and let them go for a walk to have a change of scenery for a few minutes. P

PRO TIP: Some pit stops will be out of hand soap. Yuck. Make sure to pack an extra bottle of hand soap incase you run into an empty soap dispenser.

Have a Dance Party

Bring some music that your kids will enjoy, turn up the volume and dance in your seats. This is a fun way to pass a few miles and let the kids be fun and silly and forget they are strapped in their car seats.

Bring a First Aid Kit

Always pack a custom first aid kit. Have items like motion sickness medicine, anti-diarrheal medicines, pain relievers, band-aids, alcohol pads, and so on. That way if you run into any issues you have the supplies you need for anyone in the family.

Watch Movies

If you have a tablet or a built-in player in your car consider renting new movies. From renting new releases at say Redbox or renting digital to stream from say Amazon. Having new movies is a great way to let your kids zone out and enjoy the ride.

Activity Center

Take a cookie sheet and drill two holes in the side and place velcro through them. Then you can secure the cookie sheet onto a car seat or let your child hold it in their lap. It is a flat surface that has edges to hold crayons for coloring, bring magnets for them to stick to the cookie sheet, and just have a make-shift activity center.

Diaper Changing Station

Make sure you have an area to change diapers while on the trip. Bring all your supplies and even include some old plastic bags to toss dirty diapers in. If your little one is potty training, consider bringing your portable potty. You can place plastic bags in the bowl, so it catches their potty, and you can seal it up and toss it out when you get to the trash. This will save you from accidents when you are miles from a place to stop.

Get to Know Each Other Better

Make a game of creating questions to ask each other as you are traveling. This is a  great way to prompt conversation and keep your kids busy. Talk about favorite foods, colors, what they want to be when they grow up, and so on. This can keep them busy for a bit of your drive, and you can get to know your kids a bit better.