Tips for a Successful Road Trip with a Baby and Toddler
Taking a road trip is not everyone’s idea of a good time. Taking a road trip with a baby and a toddler is definitely not most people’s idea of a good time at all. When we got our SUV, it was something that we discussed for the future, but not something we thought we would be doing anytime soon. An opportunity came up for us to stay in Florida and, with only 3 days to prep, we jumped on it. We learned a lot driving from Pennsylvania to Florida with a two-year-old and two-month-old so I want to share with you!
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Sorry, but there will be many stops…
You may not be planning a trip that is over 1,000 miles like ours was, but it’s still important to stop with little ones. Ideally, you should stop every 2 hours, as that’s is what is best for their little bodies. If you are not familiar with Safe in the Seat, I highly recommend checking out her website and Instagram ahead of your trip. She has a plethora of great information. We aimed to stop every 2 hours, but sometimes it was a little longer (always less than 3 hours). This means it’ll take longer to get where you are going, but it is worth it. My husband chose to drive the whole way (both ways) so I planned our stops. When we would be about an hour from the 2-hour mark, I would start looking for the best place to stop. An app that was helpful for this was iExit. It allows you to see what restaurants, hotels, etc. are off of exits that you will be approaching. With those stops, come food and bathroom breaks, so make sure that you have extra clothes (for everyone) in a reachable spot since accidents happen!
One of our favorite places to stop was Cracker Barrel because they have changing tables in both the men’s and women’s bathrooms and access to the bathrooms without eating in the restaurant. They also have toys in their store, which could be a good thing or a bad thing! Another place that we liked to stop was Love’s Travel Stop. We found the bathrooms to be tidy, super clean at some locations. They had a convenience store as well as quick-bite restaurants attached to to the building.
Consider food and entertainment…
We packed snacks for ourselves and Elani, but we do have a somewhat strict “no eating in the car” rule for Elani (for safety). We occasionally allow pouches like these and while the car is moving and she always has water available. It was nice to have already prepared snacks for when we stopped. We did not want to have to always find a restaurant and spend money. Also, the places we could stop at were limited because of the virus. We wanted to avoid going inside of establishments as much as possible.
Believe it or not, Elani did the whole trip with no phone or tablet. We do not allow her to have a device when in the car, but I know that doesn’t work for everyone. She had special markers and coloring pages that only work on the specific paper to limit messes. They make a variety, including character coloring books. We had used these on the plane when we flew to Florida in early 2020. You can buy these similar ones, as well. We have the Moana one.
For toys, she always has her singing puppy in the car. She received it for Christmas when she was younger and it has always been her car buddy, even though it is a little “babyish” at this point. She also entertained herself with puppets (we love these finger ones and these hand ones) and her favorite stuffed animal that she naps with. I recommend new toys and/or toys that are not often in rotation and a few of their favorite toys for comfort. The reasons that we did not let her use her tablet in the car were that we did not want her to think she always could (she never has been allowed to) and for safety reasons. Again, Safe in the Seat is a great resource for car seat safety.
Try keeping a naptime routine…
If you have a naptime routine, try to adjust it for the car. We used our travel sound machine since they are used to a sound machine at home, we pulled up the car’s sun shades to make it a little darker (when Elani allowed us to), we had blankets available, and we brought Elani’s favorite stuffed animal.
After our lunchtime stop, we prepped for naptime and the girls generally did great with sleeping during that time.
Relax, be patient, and have fun…
I know. It’s not easy. It’s not going to be easy. It will be memorable though and being prepared is the best that you can do. If your car allows for it, having one parent sit in the far back is helpful. Elani and Emi are both rear-facing so it allowed me to interact with them throughout the whole trip. Being able to talk, sing songs, play together, and work through the unavoidable meltdowns was a lot easier with me in the back of the car.
I hope that, wherever you are going, you have a safe trip and a wonderful time!
