Sanity Saving Road Trip Tips for Traveling with Kids

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Here at our house we are ALWAYS up for a road trip.  A last minute adventure or a planned trip is always fun in our books.   Honestly we talk about vacations and road trips quite often…we dream of where we’ll go next…ALL OF THE TIME.  The only problem we have is…well finding time!

We do have a few planned in the next couple of weeks…so my brain is already going in the direction of what can I do to grab our little ones attention to make it pass quickly and be fun!

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The first long road trip we took with our little E, aka toddler, we were nervous!  I think I packed everything under the sun to try to keep her happy while she was strapped in her carseat for a long days travel in the car.  To my surprise she did amazing!  I will say I found a few happy tricks that I’m happy to pass onto the next mom that’s stressing over a long car ride.

1. Timing – Timing for us is everything.  We left early so she’d sleep in the car a little bit.  She transferred pretty well, I know some kids don’t!  We planned about 3 hour increments throughout the day.  Hitting nap times just right…hitting parks/rest areas just right.
2. Plan a fun stop- Is there a museum or park along the way you can stop at and help get some energy out?
3. Something new-  Bring along something new.  Sometimes too many new things causes the attention span to be less.  So pull out something new ONLY when you need it.  I always bring along something totally new that she’s never even seen!  Whether it’s washable markers and a new coloring book.  Something so simple can keep them occupied.
4. Snacks- Yes…I think when the car starts we are all asking what can we snack on!  Again…a new snack is always a WIN!  My little E is a salty snacker for sure.  She is now addicted to these amazing RITZ Crisp&Thins…and well I’ll admit I am too.  Now we have to try the other flavors…especially the Bacon!!!  Of course I always snag some “Mama and Daddy” snacks too…something we don’t generally keep at home…it’s such a simple way of making a road trip even more fun!  Like who doesn’t love the crunch of an OREO cookie between 2 layers of rich vanilla creme, coated in European Milka chocolate candy!!  Then I’ve always learned don’t have too much sugar and caffeine hence we snagged my misters fav –> A&W®.   I love these 12 ounce bottles…they are cute but actually the p-e-r-f-e-c-t size! All of these can be snagged at your local Walmart – WIN for a one stop spot, saving time is always a plus for me!
5. Games- do a family game!  Get creative depending on your kiddos age.  Don’t bring along “stuff”/props for these games get creative.  There are some great travel sized “board” games out there and you could snag those or be creative with the ideas below.
6. Game Ideas- I- Spy, Finding the Alphabet on signs along the way, Take points with playing Car Colors, We always did a fun one with 18 Wheelers- Finding certain kinds or colors.
7. Car Bag- I always pack a bag that she can find something she’d like to do.  I do a mix of new things and old things to keep the comfort of home with us wherever we go!
8. Reading- Making reading fun with new books, taking turns being a certain character in the book, reading in different voices etc. 
9. Contests- depending on the age of your kids do a coloring contest, a drawing contest or a writing contest.  Have an awesome surprise for them!
10. Music/Story – Grab a new CD/ download a new CD for some fun music that captures their attention.  What about an audio story?  Again that depends on your kids age!
11. Technology- I always save the iPad/iphone for LAST.  I like to be screen free as long as we can…but lets be honest sometimes it is just the magic key to the last hour of the trip!!

What fun things do you do with your family on a road trip to help pass the time?

Hi I’m Erin a Southern mama from South Mississippi, owner and chief editor of Sixth Bloom a blog helping mom-tographers capture their kiddos and life, talking all things home, parenting and how we navigate through life. You will find me living life to the fullest with my mister (aka husband) and our little one year old, Miss Elle, in our 500+ sq foot cottage as we build our dream house on our two acres!  We are blessed beyond measure, love to travel, involved in ministry at our church and in between all of that I run three successful businesses!Follow me at: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST