Road Trippin’ with Babies and Toddlers

A 2 hour snooze sure makes the miles fly by!

Traveling with little ones, no doubt, takes a bountiful supply of grace and patience. We’ve had our fair share of travels by plane, train, and automobile with Jemma in tow … starting with a train trip at 3 weeks old, a plane at 1 year, and countless road trips in between. I wouldn’t count myself an expert on any travel situation (especially since every child reacts differently to travel at different ages), but I have logged enough hours on the highway that I wanted to share a few of my favorite tips for road trip success.

• Prepare a Schedule – Knowing what you’re getting yourself in to is half the battle of a road trip. These tips are all definitely road trip winners:
• Leave home with a full tank of gas
• Route your trip and know your back-up plan
• Know your gas and food stops along the way, plan to run and play and use up some energy when you have the opportunity
• Aim for your long stretch to be during a for-sure naptime or even better, bedtime
• Know that things will change! Be flexible and enjoy the journey :)
• Pack Less-Mess Snacks – Sticky hands, spilled liquids, utensils … no thank you! Think less mess when packing road trips treats. Here are some of our current faves:
• Dried fruit
• Granola bars without chocolate bits, melted chocolate is the worst to clean up … I know
• Squeeze pouches with yogurt or fruit purees
• Bite-size crackers like goldfish and Annie’s bunnies
• Marshmallows – Jemma’s new favorite treat
• Cereal
• Veggie sticks
• Pre-filled sippy cups, and lots of them!
• Pepper Them With Interactive Activities – As you know, little ones play in 10 minute increments … if you’re lucky. Have lots of options within arm’s reach and be ready to keep the fun rollin :) We’ve had good times with these activities:
• Puzzles and games with magnetic pieces
• Peek-a-boo flap books
• Etch-a-sketch
• Educational movies or just new episodes of favorite ones
• Milestone surprise bags filled with $1 store trinkets and other treasures
• Make an I-Spy Bag

I was compensated for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.
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