Traveling with toddlers could be hectic. Imagine going on a 6-hour drive with 3+ kids in your car. This kind of experience could be nerve-wracking if you are not well prepared for it. I know, because I did it all the time!
However, it is impossible to avoid going on a journey with your kids. The stress of having your toddlers with you on a trip shouldn’t prevent you from taking them with you. You only need to have the right strategy, ideas, tips, and tricks to help you manage a journey with your toddlers.
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5 Tips to Help During a Roadtrip with Toddlers
Below are six tips that will help you get the best experience from your next journey. Let’s dive in.
1) Plan for Sleep
Make provision for a moment of rest during the journey. If you have more than one kid with you, it is vital to plan how each kid would take a nap.
Have their baby blanket with you. Toddlers have a bias for their sleep. Your toddler will experience sleep difficulties if there are too many changes in their sleeping experience. Bring as much of their beddings as possible to keep their sleeping experience consistent.
2) Plan For Feeding
If you are going on a road trip with a single toddler, collect and arrange several snacks in a single holder. This pack should contain as many snacks as you feel will serve for the duration of the journey. Avoid the temptation of buying your snacks along the road while on the trip. The prices of snacks at the gas station could be high, which might affect your budget.
It’s better to be prepared than to be surprised. Pack all the snacks you need for the journey and collect them in a single holder. Putting your toddler’s snacks in a single pack prevents you from wondering where you kept all the snacks while on the trip.
If you have more than one toddler with you on a journey, put their snacks in separate packs. Label each collection with the name of each kid who owns it. Your kid has different tastes and preferences for snacks. Packing individual snacks for your kids helps you prepare for the variation of taste and preferences and makes it easy to provide each kid with the exact snack they want per time.
It is vital to avoid packing perishable snacks for the journey. Perishable snacks may mess up the entire content. However, if you feel your kids can’t do without the perishable, pack it separately and ensure they take it early in the journey.
For your journey, hold the collection of snacks and other food items in one single basket. It would help you avoid scampering through your language for food items or snacks. And it is vital to pack as much food as you would need for the entire trip.
3) Plan for Entertainment
Some toddlers are hyperactive. Holding them in a sitting posture for hours would get them bored to their bones. Make provisions to keep them entertained on the journey. Some of the best ways to include some fun in the trip include mobile gaming on your device, music, books, Netflix, and gist.
Don’t be too rigid in your plans. Make it as flexible and inclusive as possible. It also helps if you ask the kids to pitch in a few suggestions of fun stuff that you can have on the trip.
Don’t just pack some fun toys for the kids; get some for yourself too. Remember that a trip with the kids could be a little stressful for you, and you would need some form of distraction to reduce stress. For you, pick entertainment that would engage your mind and keep you relaxed.
A road trip with the kids may not be the time to listen to academic materials. You may want to opt for content that helps you stay more motivated and driven. It would counterbalance the stress of engaging the kids for hours.
4) Plan for Breaks
Traveling for hours at one stretch could be very stressful. If your journey would last for hours, work out some periods of breaks. Allow the kids to walk around, run around and have some moment of play before you continue the journey.
It is also vital to plan for a time when the kids would answer the call of nature. Plan the stops to coincide with the nearest restrooms or gas stations.
5) Pack Some Garbage Bags for You in the Car
To keep the environment clean, you need to take some garbage bags with you while on a journey. Remember that you will likely be in the car for hours, and your kids would generate a large volume of waste from their feeding. Having a garbage bag handy would help you manage the waste.
Conclusion
Most people plan for a journey without thinking about the drive home. Your preparation is incomplete if you don’t make plans for your return trip. Your kids’ experience on this journey should be consistent with their experience at home. The best tip anyone can give you when planning for a long trip with your kids and toddlers is that you should move as much of your home experience as possible.
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