Road Tripping with Kids

On the Road Again

I’m currently packing up for a long road trip alone with my four kids, and it hit me that I’ve been taking multiple long-distance trips a year with children for a decade now. My approach has evolved since the days of passing back Puffs to my baby in the backseat and banning all screens (though we still try to keep them to a moderate amount). As I’m rummaging through what to bring, and reminding myself of what’s not worth bringing, I thought I’d share some of my favorite tips.

Toys

My views on travel toys have changed a bit over the years. It’s a delicate balance between helping kids stay occupied and making sure that the amount of stuff you have to keep track of doesn’t cause more stress than it’s worth. I recommend erring on the side of minimizing the baggage.

Less is More

I’m no longer the mom who makes homemade sensory toys and lapbooks, because with 4 kids I don’t have time for that, I don’t want them to depend on me to keep them entertained, and I’m not going to haul that much junk. Especially when we fly, the less we bring, the more I thank myself later, because hauling heavy bags across airport terminals and gathering up all our stuff from under seats in 30 seconds flat is the most stressful part of the trip for me. When driving, I’m more okay with a little more stuff, because it’s contained and we can take our time clearing it out at the destination. But on the whole, I usually wish I had brought less.

Enjoying the Ride

I do understand the value of keeping kids entertained on a road trip, both for their sake and mine. I don’t mind letting them stare out the window and enjoy the scenery or be bored sometimes, but hours and hours sitting in a car can be rough for anyone, and I do want them to enjoy the ride. We’ve tried almost everything over the years (window clings, felt boards, finger puppets), and I’ve learned that which items are worth bringing depends on what your particular child will get the most mileage out of. My rule of thumb is: if it’s likely to end up tossed on the floor in under 2 minutes, it’s not worth bringing.

My Very Favorite Items

A few simple, low-cost items you probably already have lying around the house have proven to be the best at occupying my kids while traveling, no matter their ages:

1. Action figures– I always bring some sort of action figures when we travel because we get so much mileage out of them. The kids can let their imaginations run away with them and act out whatever stories they can think up for the characters. Open-ended play is so good for kids, and playing with the characters makes it feel sort of like they have a friend along with them, making it a hit with both introverts and extroverts. They take up minimal space, just make sure you’ve got a little pouch to store them in so they don’t end up scattered. You can surprise the kids with some new ones for your trip, or just grab whatever little figurines you happen to already have at home. My kids enjoy playing with Daniel Tiger, DC Superhero Girls, Polly Pocket, Miles of Tomorrowland, Dig it up Dragons (already hatched at home), and Hatchimals. Other ideas include Power Rangers, GI Joes, Lego Minifigures, Thomas Trains, dolls from a dollhouse, figurines from the top of a birthday cake, or whatever you find lying around. We’ve also made our own “bendable friends” out of pipe cleaners and beads, an idea we found in our favorite kids’ crafts book.
2. Blank miniature notebooks– The kids love having a bunch of blank pages they can fill with whatever they want. When I was growing up, my parents had a whole cabinet full of little promotional notebooks and pads of paper companies often gave out for free. You can also grab some at the dollar store, pay a few bucks for a cute one, or get a pack of plain ones and let the kids decorate the covers with stickers or washi tape. Our toddler likes to put a little scribble on each page, the oldest writes story ideas or notes to his friend, one kid draws sea creatures and practices the only 3 letters she knows how to write, and one loves making menus for an imaginary restaurant. They’re also great for games like hangman, tic-tac-toe, and the license plate game. Any writing utensil the child can be trusted with will do, but rainbow click pens are a favorite for us, and are another fond childhood memory of mine.
   
3. Audio books– This makes a drive go so much faster and allows us to bond over experiencing a good story together. Last time we listened to Harry Potter, Pippi Longstocking, Wind in the Willows, and Uncle Wiggily’s Storybook. I’m not adept at getting them downloaded onto devices and keeping everything charged, so I often opt for audio CDs, which they can play on the old discman, too, if we aren’t agreeing on what to listen to. We also love getting Playways from the library if the trip will be short enough to return them on time. But it’s the most fun to listen to the stories together, and we can’t wait to pop in Anne of Greene Gables and the Chronicles of Narnia on our next big road trip.
   
4. Kids’ music you like / Adult music they like– The right music was my go-to when I was making lots of solo trips with a baby or toddler in the backseat. It can occupy their minds when they are in need of stimulation, and it can help put them to sleep when needed, too. Turning on some well-chosen music still helps the trip go by more pleasantly for passengers of all ages. The radio might do just fine, but some pleasant songs for kids can be just what’s needed to get past a rough spot in the trip, or some of your own favorite music that they’d find fun. Some of our favorites are JJ Heller, Frances England, Slugs and Bugs, and Owl City. We’ve made or been given great “mix tapes,” too, with songs like Rubber Biscuit from the Blues Brothers, The Best Day by Taylor Swift, Stars by the Weepies, and a compilation of Sesame Street classics. We also usually end up listening to a playlist of journey-themed, inspirational songs during a PCS move to bolster courage and resilience through the transition.
   
5. Fidget Toys – I bring a couple small fidget toys for the toddler or whichever kids would be engaged by them. Our youngest loves to play with the Dimpl and the Flexipuzzle, and usually the older ones want a turn, too. Wikki Stix also tend to be a hit, and we like to give the party favor packs as farewell gifts to our military friends who are PCSing with kids, or bring extra on an airplane to offer to a family who is having a rough trip. Another fidget toy I’ve often considered getting after seeing how absorbed my kids are by it in the doctor’s office is a liquid motion bubbler, but I’m working hard at making sure I don’t bring too much stuff.
   
6. Sticker/Activity Books– These are a hit for keeping our kids and many others we know busy during travel, church, office visits, and hotel stays. Be sure to choose one that is age-appropriate. For example, your toddler isn’t going to put sticker Q on page 14, so choose one where the stickers can be placed anywhere. Our favorite for toddlers is Usborne’s Nature Sticker Book. Our preschool and elementary age kids have loved Usborne’s Sticker Dolly Dressing books, Little Sticker Dolly Dressing (slightly younger version), Lego Sticker Books, and Sticker By Number. An alternative to sticker books is Colorforms, which allow your child to reuse the stickers many times, but there aren’t as many options available. We really enjoy some of the Doodle and Draw books like this one for preschoolers and this line for elementary, but they are a bit heavy for packing and only worth bringing if your kid loves to draw. Dry erase activity books are also an honorable mention, but note that while dry erase markers wipe off of laminated pages, some brands are virtually impossible to remove from fabric (ask me how I know…), so consider purchasing washable dry erase markers.
   
7. Books– I’m normally a big advocate of lots of good children’s books, but in the case of travel, I advise you only to bring them if your child is going to look at them for a while and isn’t prone to motion sickness, otherwise they’re likely to fall on the floor and get trampled, and they add a lot of weight to your luggage. An exception to this is if you are taking an extended trip to places where you won’t have easy access to books (we’ve sometimes wished during long hotel stays that we had brought more books to read at bedtime). For the car, my favorites for toddlers are First Words books, and my preschool and lower elementary kids enjoy the Look and Find books.

Bonus Idea #1: Printable Maps- If you’re traveling through multiple states/provinces/countries, it’s great for kids to have their own little map to look at along the way! It helps them conceptualize the journey, and their questions about where you are will be filled with interest rather than the dreaded “Are we there yet?”. You can draw your route in advance, or you could mark a few points along the route with a letter, color or symbol, and then let them know when you’ve reached that point, so they can see the progress you’ve made. We’ve put ours in a page protector sheet so they can draw on it with dry erase markers (again, get the washable ones!)

Bonus Idea #2: Intermittent Surprises- Some families like to let their kids open a little surprise at certain points in a long journey, to help keep things fun. While we don’t often do this, we are considering it for our upcoming 4,000 mile drive when we move to Alaska. The “Are we there yets” will be excited rather than whiny if they’re anticipating a little toy or treat when we make it into a new state or province, and the novelty of a new item might keep them occupied enough to give us all a more peaceful and enjoyable ride. Whether we do the little surprises or not, we hope to make the journey a positive one for these kids who are being uprooted once again to PCS to a new place, so that their memories of moving will be sprinkled with fun and excitement, even in the midst of some long hours and unexpected inconveniences.

Other Tips

Make sure they’re comfortable

I’m not one to totally pamper kids (I’m a bit more of a “suck-it-up” type mom) and we’ve definitely squeezed them in tight, done trips with no screen time, and made them wait longer than they wanted to for a bathroom. But I know those hours are long for their little bodies, and whenever I’ve tried to rest in a car myself, I’ve realized the importance of bringing what you need to be comfortable.

• Blanket and Pillow– For a road trip that’s a full day or longer, I always bring a blanket and pillow for each kid, and if I’m in the passenger seat I’m always glad if I’ve brought them for myself as well. As someone who has a difficult time sleeping in the car, the right sized pillow and blanket can make a trip much more comfortable. I have mixed feelings about whether travel pillows are worthwhile, and for driving trips we each just bring a pillow from our bed. Consider what would be a good size blanket for each person that will cover them enough to be comfortable but not be so big that it drags all over the floor. We’ve got some in various sizes that we’ve gotten as gifts or picked up at the Base Exchange or TJ Maxx, and we dole them out to everyone according to size. The kids are always happier when they can cozy up, even in the summer.
  
• A Footrest– This makes such a huge difference for little bodies to be comfortable (and keeps them from kicking the seat in front of them). They sell inflatable footrests for travel that come highly recommended by some of my frequent flyer friends with kids, but for a driving trip I just choose a piece of luggage or a Rubbermaid bin that fits between the seats.
  
• The right clothes– a tshirt layered with a sweatshirt is helpful for temperature control, especially when not everyone agrees about what a comfortable temperature is. I also always keep socks on hand for the younger ones if they aren’t wearing any in the summer or tend to pull them off, because I find that they will sleep longer while wearing them. A spare outfit for everyone (parents included) is a must on a plane trip in case of a spill, a potty accident, or lost luggage. I once sat near a man whose son threw up on him and he was really wishing he had brought a change of clothes in his carry-on.
  
• After deciding that I really dislike turning around to try to reach back to hand things to the kids, tossing food to them and missing, or being constantly barraged with snack requests, I decided to let them be in control of their own snacks. I pack up the same set of snacks for each kid in their backpacks for them to eat whenever they want during the trip. Things like Goldfish crackers, mini Slim Jims, granola bars, dried fruit, or whatever your family eats, prepackaged or poured into ziplocks. You can still control what you give them and how much, they just control the when. This may not work for everyone, but it eliminates a lot of back-and-forth for us and makes the trip feel special for the kids.
  
• Our upcoming trip will be our first time using travel trays. We aren’t usually ones for special gear like this, but with an upcoming move that will require a 4,000 mile road trip and many more in our future, I figured the kids deserved a travel splurge. Hopefully it will help them more comfortably play, eat and keep their things accessible.

Keep the Mess to a Minimum

We don’t have any fancy car organization systems (totally Type B people over here), but it’s a lot nicer to pull into your destination when the thought of cleaning out a totally trashed vehicle in the dark isn’t looming over your head.

• Have a designated trash bag or container, one in each row if needed. You might try designating a child as the garbage person at rest stops!
  
• A no-spill cup is a must for littles. We’ve spent so much money on sippy cups and water bottles over the years, only to throw many of them out in frustration. Our favorite? The Nalgene Tritan Grip-n-Gulp. It has no complicated or leaky straw attachments, it’s easy to clean, and you can keep the simple plug in for spill protection or remove it for faster flow. Our oldest uses a Camelback Quick Grip Chill water bottle, which doesn’t leak like many other name brand ones we’ve tried. We also like the Reduce Coldee Tumbler because smoothies are an on-the-go meal our youngest two will always eat. The best feature: a straw that our toddler can’t pull out!
  
• Wet wipes are always handy for sticky hands or spills, and a spare towel often comes in handy on a rainy day or when a little one doesn’t make it to the potty in time.
  
• We use flexible bins with handles for lots of things in our house, and we’ve discovered that they are really useful in the car, too. They are easily cleaned, and they can be used as a snack basket, a trash receptacle, a bin to toss toys or books rather than on the floor, a place to put blankets to keep them from getting stepped on when everyone climbs in and out, or as an easy way to gather everything up when we arrive. We especially like when we can find the square shaped ones!
  
• Another first for us on our upcoming trip might be to bring a handheld vacuum. That might seem a bit over-the-top for Type B people, but we’re moving and it’s an item we often wish we had while waiting for our household goods to arrive, or even in hotel rooms, where housekeeping can’t come as quickly as our 4 kids can spill. If we’re bringing it along for our new house anyway, why not keep in handy on the drive for a quick removal of cracker crumbs or whatever else ends up on the floor? Who knows, maybe it will become the newest addition to our favorite road trip items!

Got any favorite road trip tips and tricks of your own? Please share your favorite family travel hacks in the comments!