Road-tripping With a Toddler – 5 Tips to Minimize Stress and Make Memories

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With the upcoming holiday weekend, many parents will begrudgingly load their kids in the car for road trips. While probably none of us look forward to spending hours on the interstate with our kids, a bit of planning can make it a memorable family memory rather than a miserable experience. Having already driven more than 2,500 miles through 15 states this summer with Miss C (age 18 months), I can honestly say that we have had some difficult moments, and definitely gotten on each other’s nerves and lost our tempers. However, we have made memories that will last a lifetime. These are our top five secrets to road trip success with kids.

1. Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility – I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have loosely held expectations when planning a road trip with kids. Being flexible about how far you think you can drive in one day, where you end up stopping, nap times, meals etc. is the biggest key to having a fun time on a road trip. While I am a natural planner, and think planning is certainly important to any trip, it is imperative that you not lose your cool when the plan goes out the window and things go absolutely different than you had planned. If you will let it, these unexpected experiences can make the best memories.
2. Plan to drive during naps – Driving early in the morning when the kids are in the best mood, or even finishing up their nightly sleep, and during nap time helps minimize the amount of restlessness your kids will have in the car. Some people prefer to drive through the night so as to get a large amount of driving out of the way while the kids sleep. I have done this recently, and I feel a bit ambivalent about it. While it is nice to drive while the kids sleep, you will certainly show up to your destination exhausted. You just have to decide if the cost is worth it to you. As always, safety is a priority though, and we only suggest this option if you have someone to trade off driving with and make sure you are well rested before attempting to drive in the early hours of the morning.
   
3. Plan fun stops – After sitting in a car-seat for several hours, it is safe to assume that your kids will be a bundle of energy. The key to having a great road trip is to find a way to burn this energy off in creative ways. This certainly involves thinking outside the box, as it is ridiculous to assume any child will burn off a significant amount of energy sitting in a high chair at a restaurant, or while tanking up at a fuel station. Plan ahead to make stops a part of your trip. It will add to the memories that you are able to create. One thing we have done this summer is pick up a US National Park passport book and try to collect as many stamps as possible as we have

   

   driven cross-country. Rather than eating in restaurants, we also prefer to eat our food outside whether it is restaurant take out or from our cooler. Most national and state parks offer picnic areas. If you cannot locate a national or state park, there are also picnic facilities including grills at most highway rest areas. Planning stops into your road travel will make it true that the journey is just as important as the destination.

4. Novelty – if your kids are anything like Miss C, something novel will hold their attention much longer than a toy they see all the time. Whether you prefer to buy some new toys for the trip, or you prefer our more frugal option – hiding some favorites for a few weeks before the trip, having some novel toys or books can make the trip much more enjoyable for everyone. Look for a post soon for our favorite low cost kids’ activities for car and plane trips!
   
5. Pack light – other than packing some novel toys and books, we recommend packing as light as possible. We can generally pack for our family of three for a long weekend in two regular school sized backpacks. If you are going to have laundry facilities then you can do just fine with a week or less worth of clothes. If you are planning to camp, or visit colder destinations, then you will need a few more things. We find that the more stuff we travel with, the more stressful our travel becomes. Less stuff means less to worry about, and less time packing and unpacking at your destinations. Spending your time making memories with your family rather than managing extra stuff you didn’t need to pack will be well worth it.

Where are your favorite road trip destinations? Favorite activities or traditions you have for road trips? I hope that with these tips for successful road trips you will be able to have some memorable and stress free times in the car this holiday weekend.