I'm so glad that you're here today! Summer is in full swing, and for our family, that means lots of traveling and road trips! We travel tons as a family, and over the years, I've picked up some great trips for traveling with my little honey pie's!
I thought it would be the perfect Girl Mom post for today!
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All of our family lives in Arkansas, and it's great because it's only about 4 hours from our house to get to my parents! DJ's parents live a little further away, but I've figured out that my girls need to stay within a 4-6 hour time frame of being in the car!
I also take the girls on trips by myself, which sometimes I look forward to, and then sometimes I regret once they start getting irritable!
I try to leave as early as possible or right after lunch! This way, they're more likely to sleep or they're at least in a good mood!
Of course we have a DVD player in the car, and now that Gretchen is in a booster and seatbelt, and she's older, she is now capable of operating the DVD player by herself! I bought her a thirty-one seat organizer, to hold the DVD's and it's perfect. I let the girls pick out 3-4 movies for our trips, and we usually watch two on the way down, and two on the way home.
Of course, it always helps when they take naps in the car! Unfortunately, Meggie usually wakes up fussy, so I always make sure she has something fun for her to play with as soon as she starts to cry.
Gretchen has ALWAYS traveled well! She was taking 12 hour road trips at just 6 months old, and she always did beautifully! She still does!
Megan, on the other hand, hates the car. She always has! She's getting better, but I can always be certain that there will be at least a 45 minute stretch, where she'll fussy! I try to do everything I can to assure that that doesn't happen!
When I travel by myself, I always keep snacks, sippy cups, and whatever else I think I might need in the passenger seat. That way, everything is at arms reach.
I always pack the girls snacks that are easy for them to open themselves- string cheese, raisins, fruit snacks, or individually packaged goldfish, teddy grahams, etc.
I make sure they have two cups full of water or juice. They start the trip with one cup, and when it's gone, there's always another nearby!
I found this tip on Pinterest, and the source wasn't available, but the pin suggested using an Ikea remote control holder to keep things near by! I wouldn't put crayons or colored pencils in the car, because my girls have colored on the doors, but it would be great for small toys and treats!
I let the girls pack a small backpack full of toys to keep them entertained!
On our last trip, we were in a loaner car (my car has been in the shop due to a recall) and the Tahoe that we're driving is big enough for the three girls to sit side by side. Because our DVD player is in the other car, this was perfect that Gretchen was able to help and keep both of her little sisters entertained!
So here are a few other of my favorite travel tips!
- Stop as often as you can! We typically stop 2 hours into our trip so the girls can go to the bathroom.
- Make your kids at least try to use the restroom before you leave. We do have a travel potty in case emergencies happen and we have to pull to the side of the road, and we've had to do it! But, I also remind the girls that we will not stop until we get to (said point) and that they'll have to hold it until we get there!
- Limit drinks. We limit drinks to two on a 4 hour trip. When it's gone, it's gone. This also helps with having to stop just to go to the bathroom.
- Pack your own treats or even pack your own lunch so you're not stopping for food or spending money at gas stations.
- Let your child pack their toys. It's great to bring little magnet boards and magnets, but I've found that if the girls pack their toys, then they'll enjoy them more!
- Don't forget your child's "lovey". Megan sleeps with her blanket, a little pillow, and a baby. We always make sure that we have those when we travel. Both for the car and when we get to our destination. Adalyn sleeps with a baby doll. That doll is so ratty now, and I forgot it on our last trip- never again!
- Put a few of your child's favorite songs on the playlist! We alternate between listening to their music or listening to "grown up" music. It's easier when we have the DVD player because they're enthralled with the movie, but we also need to turn the DVD player off every once in a while! If we have music we can ALL enjoy it makes our trips a lot easier!
- Have your child wear comfortable clothing! The girls almost always travel in a light dress or in leggings. I also let them kick off their shoes!
- Assign one child to be the "helper". Since Gretchen is the oldest, she's our helper. She gets to control the DVD player and help keep the little kids entertained when possible!
- When all else fails, turn up the music and keep on truckin'! Like I said before, there's always at least a 45 minute time period where Meggie will be screaming at the top of her lungs. I'll try giving her toys, her drink, a snack- I've tried it all! Sometimes, you just have to ignore your kids and keep moving and realize that for just that moment there may be nothing you can do. This is probably the hardest of all because when one person isn't happy, no one is happy! But, DJ and I have learned the art of trying to help, and realizing that when we fail, she's just going to have to scream and cry for a bit. It eventually stops and she gets over whatever it is that she's fussing about. If DJ is traveling with me, then I usually read a book while Megan is throwing her fit, and we just ignore it, and then we recall that she hates being in the car because she went on a 12 hour road trip when she was just 2 weeks old!
What are your favorite travel tips? How do you make traveling with kids easier on yourself and on them?!
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