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We have had a ton of road trips this summer between seeing family and moving. I feel like I have quickly become a pro at preparing to travel with two little ones, especially my toddler. And by “pro”, I mean I am slightly better at it now and have a routine down. After trying several different things, I have finally found what works for our family. Read my top tips for How To Road Trip With A Toddler below plus enter to win to win $3,400 in gift card prize packs!
Make A List
I always start my road trip by making a list, so that we are prepared. I write out how many days we will be gone, consider our plans and create a list of what we will need. This includes everything from outfits, to sippy cups, to baby food, to diapers. I try to start with the beginning of the day and think about what we will need for bath time, bed time, meal time, etc. This really helps me get everything down all in one place and make sure we are packed. Next, I also take a look and see if there is anything I can eliminate from the list to simplify our packing. I hate overpacking, so I am constantly looking for ways to simplify our list.
Bring Snacks
Step two for me, is always Road Trip Treats! Brooke loves to have snacks, so these are essentials for a long car ride. I like to stop by Walmart before our trip to pick up a few items. I typically get a variety of sweet, salty and liquid. On our last road trip, I snagged some RITZ Crisp&Thins, A&W® and Milka OREO King Size. Brooke, of course, wanted to get the Milka OREO candy the most. Have you tried these yet? They are delicious OREO cookie pieces mixed in rich vanilla creme and coated in European Milka chocolate candy. I also like to get the 12oz 8pk bottles of A&W®, because they are so convenient for road trips and complement the RITZ Crackers well. The bottles are small and you can reseal them – perfect for on-the-go and family road trips.
Bring Learning Toys
Another essential for us is learning toys. I like to make sure I have a good mixture of car friendly toys packed. I pack 2 books, an alphabet learning toy, a little microphone, and a drawing pad. I try to pack a variety so that if Brooke gets bored, there are different types of toys to choose from.
Have A Back Up Plan
Always have a back up plan. Our back up plan is an iPad. We rarely let Brooke play on the iPad at home but we do reserve it for car trips or long outings. We have learning apps loaded onto it for her and we have one movie. When all else fails in the car, we offer the iPad and it does the trick.
Stock Your Diapers
I know I mentioned making a list of things to bring and pack, but stocking your diaper bag is key. You don’t want to run out of wipes on a long road trip. Be sure to check your bag and be prepared.
Take A Break
We also try to take a break if we are on a long car ride. On our last road trip, we stopped half way and let Brooke get out of the car and stretch her legs. This was also the perfect time for her to eat her OREO treat. She loved getting out for a minute and getting a treat!
Be sure to share your Summer Road Trip for a change to win $3,400 in gift card prize packs here: www.roadtriptreats.com. My favorite road trip treat right now is RITZ Crisp&Thins because they taste delicious and are such a light, thin snack. They even have 50% less fat per serving than the leading regular fried potato chips. Win. What is your favorite road trip treat?
Kim Kolb
This couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! We will be on a road trip from Illinois to Kansas in a couple weeks and it will be our first one in a year. Last year Michael did really well on our 12 hour road trip to Branson, but this year I’m curious as to how it will go since he will be an entire year older, more aware and much much more vocal!
huppiemama
Thanks so much for sharing these tips! We have been taking my kids on road trips since they were babies, and it’s definitely important to pack toys, snacks, diapers, technology — all the basic necessities. #client