5 Tips To A Successful Road Trip With A Toddler

Travel Trip Map Direction Exploration Planning ConceptCompleting a successful road trip with a toddler can seem like a battle. Victory in battle takes planning and preparation. Often times it doesn’t take much time or thought but it can make all of the difference Here are 5 Tips To A Successful Road Trip With A Toddler.

Plan Your Road Trip Around Your Toddlers Sleep

This will take some testing. Some kids sleep great in the car and it makes a lot of sense to travel at night. So you can knock the trip out as fast as possible. For us, That rarely works. They sleep well for part of the trip but one of our children almost always wakes up crying. It’s all down hill from there.

We like planning our road trips around our toddlers nap schedule. That way if she wakes up a little grumpy we can always pull over and stretch our legs. Another great thing about this method is that the naps and awake times typically coordinate with meals. Which means when she wakes up its time to eat so we can stop and eat to let her get the wiggles out.

Distraction, The Time Killer

When your toddler is awake on a road trip, the first line of defense is simple distraction in the form of games. They start out as a distraction tool but can turn into a lot of fun in a hurry. One of our favorites is I Spy. It helps a lot to help her stop thinking about the restricting car seat and instead focus on the outside world and all of the cool things flying by. Trust me even if its not cool, making it really cool goes a long way!

Songs are another great distraction. The best part? You don’t have to be good at singing. Your spouse may not like it but your toddler won’t care. Children love to sing. Songs help them develop and are another great way to pass the time. We often find ourselves making up songs about things around us which can be fun.

Snacks, A Powerful Key To Victory

A hungry toddler is an angry toddler! Having a nice snack cup, to prevent spills, filled with yummy snacks has become a necessity for every trip. Whether its grapes, crackers, cereal or any other favorite, an eating toddler is a happy toddler. It’s typically our second line of defense from a whining toddler and almost always an effective one!

Breaks A Good Reset

It’s no secret that toddlers have a hard time sitting still. Locking them into a car seat feels like torture. Letting them free from prison can be a lot of help! Stopping for even five minutes for a bathroom break makes a big difference on her attitude. It takes longer to get there, but part of the joy of the trip should be in the journey.

Another easy fun way to incorporate breaks is to find cool spots to spot. With a little Google searching you can usually find a historical stop or something fun to see along the way. Even if its a wide spot in the road with an unreadable faded sign, your attitude makes all of the difference.

The Last Line Of Defense- Electronics

Desperate times call for desperate measures. We prefer to keep electronics put away on trips. Especially for our children. A sad way for your toddler to miss the joy of a road trip is to be buried in a movie she has seen a hundred times. That being said, when the “stuff” has hit the fan, it may be time to pull out a a phone or tablet.

We try to avoid movies. Our toddler will often times enjoys looking at pictures and videos. She loves reliving experiences. With all of the pictures and videos we take, she can relive almost any big memory we have had together. If all else fails we have been known to whip out a movie to help our toddler relax and pass some time on a trip.

Road trips can be a lot of fun. Taking a road trip with a toddler can be a painful experience! It doesn’t have to be. Take some time to plan and prepare and you can have a fun successful road trip.

Related Posts:

5 Tips For Enjoying The Journey

6 Tips To Keep Your Kids Focused And Moving In The Right Direction

Was this helpful? Please consider sharing. Or if you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to comment below.