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Similar to plane travel, the key to entertaining on a road trips with babies, toddlers and kids are:
Snacks. Distraction. And (hopefully) sleep.
Snacks, Snacks, Snacks!
For small kids, since you won’t be in the backseat with them, you want snacks that can easily be eaten/aren’t choking hazards and ideally not too messy (jelly and other sticky things aren’t fun to clean up afterward!)
Distraction
Toys for a road trip differ a bit than for a plane- in some ways you have even more options! For example, is it a good idea to bring musical instruments to play with on a plane?… No. But for a long car-ride?! Well… the answer might still be no, but it’s really up to your noise tolerance! Things might differ a little bit in a car since you probably won’t be in the back seat with your child so you definitely don’t want to give them any toys that could become a choking hazard without the kind of close supervision they would get on a plane.
That being said, here are some ideas for toys to entertain your child on a car ride:
- Their favorite cd or playlist.
- Books on cd that they can follow along with the story book
- Books- unlike a plane, you can bring your child’s favorite noisy books!
- Search and Find Books
- Melissa and Doug Water Wow books
- Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker books
- Quiet Book
- Toys that make noise– maybe musical instruments if you can handle it!
- Kindle Fire Kids. We don’t have a tablet, but I am considering the Kindle Fire Kids for an upcoming 14 hour flight when Claire will be two and a half (obviously, then she could use for car travel, too.) It is geared for kids aged 3-12 and you can customize the content based on how old they are. You can choose which books, tv shows, movies, apps and games you put on it. Plus, there are tons in Spanish! You may also want a screen protector and memory card for it as well. Find the Kindle Fire Kids on Amazon here.
- Headphones for a kids tablet. Find ours here!
Remember, the best way to entertain your child will always be with you- talking to them and playing games. Some ideas your child will love are:
- i Spy
- Singing songs
- Engaging them in regular conversation
- Older kids: license plate game
Sleep
Sleep is always the goal when on a road trip so make sure your child is set up for success with the things they need to help put them to sleep.
- Nursing cover (to put over a infant car seat)
- Shade: car window covers or sunglasses
- pacifier
- pacifier clip
- blanket
- stuffed animal
- comfy clothes to travel in
We don’t road trip often, but when we do we prefer to start our trek during one of three sleep time windows:
- Wake Claire up a couple of hours earlier than her normal wake up time, feed her a quick snack, and start driving where she falls back asleep
- Get in the car 30 minutes prior to her normal nap time
- 30 minutes to a hour before her normal bedtime and drive at night.
I know that road trips aren’t my favorite, but having a solid plan for keeping your child entertained will make it a better travel experience for everyone!
Have you found the latest and greatest toy that was a lifesaver your last road trip? We’d love to hear about it so we can add to the list! Email us at info@travelisforthekids.com to share!
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