In the fall of 2020, we took our first ever family road trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Our kids were 1 and 3 at the time. It was a 16 hour drive, and even though it had its challenges, it was totally doable! We ended up having the best time as a family, and this trip really sparked our love of traveling with our littles.
We’ve since taken over 50 road trips, varying in length from 4 hours to 16 hours, and have learned some tricks and tips to survive your time in the car with your toddler and preschooler. Sitting in one spot for so long is HARD, so you want to make sure you are well prepared with lots of activities and tricks up your sleeve to distract littles when they decide they’ve had enough.
Even though road trips with small kids can seem overwhelming, they are totally worth it and always end up being so much fun! Start with shorter trips using some of these tips, and then build your way up to longer drives once you find what works for your kiddos. Seriously though, preparation, practice and fine-tuning is what will turn your family into a road trip family. So don’t be scared.. You can do it! Below are my top 5 tips for taking a road trip with toddlers.
No, seriously. You will never change my mind that there is any tip more important than snacks when it comes to entertaining a toddler on a long car ride. At home, I am pretty strict on limiting snacks (because I just love cooking dinner that no one eats right after their 5th bag of goldfish) , but on road trips, all rules are out the window.
You want to make sure you have a wide variety of snacks that are exciting for kids. Make sure they are easily accessible (mom is NOT trying to climb into the 3rd row going 80mph down the highway to open a bag of fruit snacks) and not too messy.
These are our favorite snack containers for my bigger kids while we are on the go, and I love this one for my toddler who hasn’t figured out lids yet. It keeps him from dumping his entire container onto the floor of my van 5 minutes into our trip 🙂. I also love using our Snackle Boxes when we are eating lunch in the car- it’s a super easy way to serve them a meal without having to open and hand back a million things.
Some of our favorite road trip snacks include:
I usually have a good variety of these healthier snacks available, but I also let the kids pick out some treats for the trip. I go to Dollar Tree before we leave and let them pick out a bag of candy, and a little container of cookies. Make sure to grab two of each item per kid- one for each way of the trip.
Another of my favorite snack tricks is to have a bag of Dum Dum’s or other small suckers handy at all times in the car. If someone starts getting antsy or restless, I hand them a Dum Dum and it magically calms them (this is my ultimate trick for surviving Disney with toddlers!!).
One of the best ways I keep my kids entertained in the car is by having lots of new shows/movies for them to watch. If you’re like our family, DVD’s have become a thing of the past. So how do I find new things for them to watch without spending a fortune? Check out your library! Ours has a ton of family friendly movies and shows available to checkout for free.
A few days before our trip, I take my kids to the library and let them each pick out 3-4 movies or TV shows. Then we rotate through the lineup during our trip.
I have found that TV series on DVD seem to entertain my kids the best, so I always try to find new episodes of Paw Patrol, Bluey, and Magic Schoolbus.
I know, I know, letting my kids watch TV for 10+ hours straight probably isn’t the best mom move. But the way I see it, road trips are those special occasions that you put all your cards on the table just to survive. And honestly, my kids love road trips because it means they get special snacks and extra TV time with their favorite shows.
In addition to screen time, I always fill up this caddy in the back of our van with all kinds of coloring books, sticker books, drawing pads, playdough and other activities before we leave. If you want to read more about what kid friendly activities I bring, read my post 20 road trip activities for toddlers and preschoolers.
I also keep a soft travel desk within arms reach of them so they have a hard surface to work on. This gives them a place to draw, color, or play games if they want.
There is nothing worse than being in the middle of nowhere, miles from the next rest stop, and your newly potty-trained 2 year old says “I need to go poop mommy!” That’ll get your adrenaline pumping.
Take it from me, toddlers do not know how to gracefully or carefully pop a squat. You will be holding them up, thinking there is no way they can mess this up… next thing you know, your pants are wet up to your knees.
One of the best things about road trips is that you can bring alllll the stuff. You know how it goes when you’re trying to travel with toddlers… it looks like you’re moving cross country rather than going on vacation for a couple of days. Seriously, if you don’t duck your head from falling items every time you open your trunk, you are road tripping with toddlers all wrong.
Well when you are stuffing that trunk full, just go ahead and throw that little toddler potty in there, and make sure it’s easily accessible in case of emergency. Just go ahead and keep the baby wipes up front with you. Trust me, you’ll need them.
We’ve figured out that about 10 hours in the car per day is the maximum our family can make, both kids and adults. After we hit that 10 hour mark, all our tactics go out the door and it turns into a free for all. That number may be more or less for your family, totally depending on the age and travel history of your kiddos.
In order to keep our driving stretches at a manageable, kid-friendly distance, I create an itinerary beforehand and map out stops along the way. For example, this summer we took a 12 hour road trip from Wichita to Milwaukee. After using Google maps to find the most direct route, I split the distance into thirds, which would have us driving 3-hour stretches with 3 stops in between.
Then I use a combination of Roadtrippers.com and Trip Advisor to find things to do near each town that we are going to stop in. I try to pick free activities that will get everyone moving and burn a little bit of energy. Playgrounds, parks, monuments, short hiking trails and splash pads are some of our favorite stops. Picking a stop that is close to the highway will help keep you from adding unnecessary miles and time to your trip, since the ultimate goal is to arrive at your final destination in a timely manner.
I have found that if you are prepared with intermittent, well-planned, kid friendly stops before you ever leave your driveway, the trip seems to go much smoother. Instead of replying to the 27th “are we there yet?” with “only 9 more hours, honey!”, you can get your kids excited about the impending stop. “We are 1 hour away from Penguin park, where we will get out and stretch and play for 30 minutes!”.
Plus, it’s a great way to find and enjoy some smaller, lesser know gems along the way.
Another tip on body fluids? Strange, right? Not with toddlers in tow, it isn’t. And trust me, if you aren’t prepared for this, it can ruin your whole day.
We have dealt with puking kids in the car wayy too many times to count, so before we go on any kind of road trip we always pack our puke kit. I keep it stocked with several plastic grocery bags, a change of clothes for each kid, a package of clorox wipes, and a couple of washcloths.
There’s nothing worse than hearing a kid say they feel sick and having NOTHING to hand them to barf into. Trust me, pack the puke kit.
I hope this list helps you as you plan and prepare for your next road trip with your toddlers and preschoolers! Even though it can seem overwhelming, road tripping is our favorite way to travel with our kids. My best piece of advice: just do it. While it may not go perfectly, you will learn from your mistakes, and a great time will be had by all.
Let me know if you have any other tips to add in the comment!