My family and I recently got back from a two-week vacation up in northern Michigan – my happy place! It’s a trip we make often since my family owns a rental home there. While we always have a wonderful time, it’s not a quick drive by any means: we’re looking at a minimum of 4.5 hours, and that’s if there’s no traffic… or tantrums from the kids along the way.
Over the years, I’ve braved the trip a few times by myself with the kids. I’ll be honest; the first couple times were not easy… and the next few times weren’t much easier. Kidding! Kind of.
As Buster got older, and more used to the car, it became more manageable. Over time, I have found ways to make it easier, both for me and the kids.
So, without further ado, here are some of my best tips and tricks for taking a road trip with kids. These have helped minimize tantrums (sometimes) and helped maintain peace (occasionally). Hopefully they help you too.
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Get the Kids Involved With Packing For the Road Trip
Part of the fun in taking a road trip with kids — yes, I said fun! — is their excitement. Harness that energy and get them involved in getting ready. For my oldest that means giving her the chance to pack her own suitcase. Since she doesn’t know how to read yet, I draw pictures of what she needs to pack, along with how many of each item. She piles up her clothes, I double check what she picks out, and we pack her bag together.
Chances are you’ll have to convince them that no, they do not need that bulky sweater on your summer vacay, but hey, at least they’ve done some of the packing.
Allow a Toy Bag
Next up, entertainment for the car. I give them each kid a tote bag and allow them to fill it with toys they can play with in the car (along with at our destination too). This typically makes the road trip with kids easier since they picked their toys. Little Miss often picks dolls. Buster opts for trains and Spiderman. I also like to add in one or two new small things for the kids — after all, who doesn’t like something new and exciting? My favorite relatively inexpensive item great for road trips: sticker books.
Chances are they’ll try to throw in some unwieldy toy — a two-foot Lightening McQueen car in my son’s case — but redirect them. One bag, and one bag only… until you’ve discovered that your oldest has shoved Easter eggs into her suitcase as well. Choose your toy battles wisely.
Bring All the Snacks
I’ll admit it. I over pack snacks. It helps cut down on stoppage time during the trip, and the whining of “but I’m huuuungry!” Since I have two kids, I put together snack containers of all the same things. Two sets of goldfish crackers. Two sets of carrots. Two packs of dried strawberries. As many food pouches as I can bring. You get the idea. I also make sure their water bottle is full — and the lid tightly on — and we’re good to go.
Chances are they’ll be unhappy about some food selection… my daughter recently declared she will NOT eat the green veggie straws, just the yellow and orange, but, hey, at least you’ve tried.
Plan Your Road Trip Departure Time… For Any Time You Think Will Work
Plan to drive around nap time. Or at bedtime so they sleep the whole way. That’s the advice I’ve received over the years. And guess what? Neither worked well for me, especially with my son. He’s a notoriously short napper in the car. But at night, he can turn into a screaming banshee, and then when we get to our destination, he’s too wound up to go back to sleep.
So my vote? Plan your departure time at any time you think will work best for your kids… and hopefully a time that will also minimize your level of exhaustion, because that matters too.
Bring Entertainment
They’ve got their toys, but chances are on a long road trip with kids, they’re going to want some extra entertainment, and not just of the musical variety or me singing off tune. Some parents swear by audiobooks that are kid appropriate, but it might not hold the interest of younger kids. This last trip we tried something new: children’s books from the library that came with recordings. They push the on button, and turn the pages at the chime, and they’re entertained for all of… 10 minutes.
Go ahead, download a video or two or three from Netflix or Amazon Prime. I won’t judge.
Let Them Get Bored
That said, I’m a big fan of letting my kids get bored and figuring things out from themselves. After all, I know they have plenty of toys. I know they have books. I know they have more than enough to entertain themselves in the back seat. Boredom breeds imagination, right? So when they ask for the millionth time when we’re going to be there, I say, “two more hours. Find a toy to play with,” and I let them figure out how to entertain themselves.
Play “I Spy”
But what happens when they’re fighting over toys, or just getting on each other’s nerves, and you just need a teensy weensy bit of quiet? (My daughter’s legs are now capable of reaching over to her brother.. which isn’t fun for anyone but Little Miss!) I say, “time for a game of ‘I spy!’”
Even if the game only lasts a few rounds, the laughter (because Buster is still working on his colors) can reset the mood in the car. Sometimes on a road trip with kids, that’s exactly what you need.
Plan Some Stops
On a 4.5-hour drive, I aim to do no more than two stops. One for lunch/gas, another as a bathroom break and to run around. I bet you can guess how often that works. (Hint: almost never). Inevitably, we’ll get back into the car and one of them will tell me a half hour later — yes, even the one who isn’t fully potty trained yet — that they need to poop. But it’s better that they tell you than have a poop-explosion, which feels like a parental rite of passage when it comes to road trips with kids.
Even so, plan what you can. For our Michigan trips, I’m pretty darn fortunate that an old friend of mine lives about two hours into the ride. We often stop there for lunch, and her kids and my kids get to play with one another. Don’t know anyone along the way? Look at a map and find some parks or anywhere that the kids can run around and get their yayas out.
Chances are that they’ll climb right back into the car and promptly ask, “are we there yet?”, but hey, again, at least you’ve tried.
Even with the unpredictability of kids on road trips, is it all worth it? I say 100% yes. Road trips with kids may not be easy, and no matter what you do to prepare and plan, chances are something isn’t going to go as expected, but the memories you’ll make are worth it. So enjoy the ride as best you can.
What are your favorite tips and tricks, or hacks for taking road trips with kids?
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