Road Trip Survival Guide With a Baby or Toddler

Are you gearing up to head back out there, on the open road, with the wind in your hair, and the…

“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”

Or, my 3-year-old’s latest was, “But Mama, I can’t wait any longer!” while waiting for the best, pizza, ever at Grimaldi’s in Vegas.

And there’s nothing like an adventurous road trip to get you back out there in the world, LIVING, after this crazy pandemic.

But, it will take some prep-work. Oh, and did I say patience? Yeah. Some of that too.

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We have taken a lot of road trips. Among the list of our local favorites are Tahoe, San Diego, Disneyland, Washington, Oregon, and Yosemite (all behind Europe, of course).

Both kiddos do well on our trips. I attribute it to starting at a young age, and we also try to keep calm and help them enjoy the ride.

Orrr… it’s pure luck!

But if it isn’t just luck, then it’s worth reading my top survival tips:

1. Bring the RIGHT kind of snacks (and cold water)

Snacks will help keep the little ones busy and give them a little “reset” if they are getting fidgety. I would even keep the snack options a secret. They can be a nice distraction and activity in itself, so more enjoyable if a surprise.

Try to avoid messy snacks and sugar if you don’t have the patience for it. Food that your kiddos can eat on their own are ideal if you don’t want to pull your hair out, ahem, sit in the back seat to help them.

Snack / food ideas:

• PB&J
• Yogurt squeeze pouch (it’s nice these don’t have to be chilled)
• Fruit and veggie squeeze pouch (including applesauce)
• Teddy Grahams
• Cheese sticks if kept cool
• Goldfish
• Peanut butter crackers (if you can tolerate the crumbs)
• Apple slices
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Puffs
• Pre-peeled cuties (or peel at one of your stops)
• Home-made muffins (banana or blueberry)
• Try to avoid sugar unless very small and used as incentive/reward for good behavior
• Trail mix, nuts, carrots, and hummus are other options (if only mine would go for those!)

Ice cold water will help you feel refreshed. If you aren’t bringing a cooler, use this ThermoFlask insulated water bottle from Amazon. Fill it with ice and water, and have a back up 1/2 gallon or gallon jug of water (or individual bottles if that’s easier for pouring on the road). Those ThermoFlasks stay cold for 24 hours.

2. Plan smart

Don’t start with a lofty goal of a long trip if you don’t think you can take it if things go haywire. You know your kids best and what they can handle. Plan your drive time lengths according to that. Be flexible knowing you may need to stop and stay the night somewhere.

Plan to leave early so the day doesn’t feel as long. Sometimes we get them when we are ready to leave ( say, around 5am), keep the lights dim, put them directly into their seats (sometimes without changing them to avoid waking them up), and drive a couple hours while they sleep until their normal wake times. Then change them at the first stop. I would also keep them in a night diaper while driving so we don’t have to change diapers as frequently since they are more absorbent. The sooner you get there, the sooner you are done being in the car!

But sometimes they wake up and join in in the excitement, like our little one in the picture above. That’s always fun too. But risky if they don’t want to nap later, then they are really runnin’ on fumes. But it’s vacation! So be it.

Only stop when you need to. We only stopped once on our way home on our last 8.5 hour drive with a 3-year-old and 7-month-old – believe it! And they were awesome, whew!

When you do have to stop, make sure you all do what you need to in that one stop: fill up on gas and water, do bathroom breaks, diaper changes, feedings if needed, and let the little ones run around and play for a bit. Then, do NOT stop again until you’ve tried everything else to ease their woes and they (or you) really need to.

I know, this may be opposite from what you typically read in terms of “stop and take breaks often”, but some little ones can go awhile in their seat if you have the right snacks, distractions, attitude, and hopefully a cat nap (or two? or three?! :)) If they are sleeping, you don’t want to run the risk of waking them just so you can get gas or take a bathroom break.

3. Don’t throw the kitchen sink at them

On one of our first long road trips our eighteen month old at the time was getting antsy and cranky about an hour into a 7-hour drive to Disneyland. We successfully distracted him by asking him to look out the window and tell us what he saw as I enthusiastically (falsely) pointed out trucks, buses, signs, wildlife, etc. Of course it helps that he is a young boy who is FASCINATED by vehicles. But, I kid you not, that kept him happily busy for that entire drive until about 15 minutes before we arrived, when he started getting antsy again. I couldn’t believe it. I’ll take it!

So, definitely try that first. Little ones at the right age will enjoy just looking around at the constantly changing scenery, sometimes more so with your help. Do this instead of throwing toy after toy after toy at them. It’s too overwhelming and stimulating, and seems to create this “more, more, more” feeling where nothing may be enough, almost like a sugar rush. Our little guy has done well on every trip since that one. It was almost like we “trained” him how to enjoy a road trip without a lot of the riff raff. And he passed. Whew.

4. But, do bring a variety of toys and tablet downloads

Now, don’t bet on them staring out the window for 7 hours like mine sometimes does. You know your child best. In case they aren’t mesmerized by the middle of nowhere on I-5, bring a combination of new toys/activities and their classic favorites. Only give one at a time and try to keep the rest out of sight.

Use the kid’s tablet as last resort. Watching a show may also help them wind down and fall asleep. Headphones really help our 3-year-old zone out into what he is watching. There are also free apps that read books to you, which he actually discovered for himself on our last road trip, enjoying that for about an hour. Ahead of time, download a variety of shows, games, and apps because you won’t have wifi.

Don’t rely on the tablet. Sometimes my son wants to stay on it for hours. Other times he couldn’t be less interested. Have a backup plan.!

Keep a few of their favorite books in the seat pocket in front of them. Lift the flap books are great. If they are old enough to know what they like, have them pick their favorite books and a few small toys when packing.

My post for keeping toddlers entertained on a long flight has plenty of toy and activity ideas for a road trip also!

If you are desperate for them to have a means of coloring or drawing more easily on a flat surface, you could consider a car seat travel tray like this one from Amazon. My little guy enjoys coloring without the tray. I personally don’t feel they are safe because any time you add something to the car seat that isn’t approved by the maker, then it negates the safety of the seat. At least that’s what the car seat inspector told me years ago!

The travel tray may also be helpful on a flight for a little one who cannot reach the airplane tray.

5. Try not to skip naps

Yes. But easier said than done. They get so excited traveling. Usually the hardest part about traveling is getting them to rest and nap enough so they aren’t grouchy later.

Encourage a nap, or at least down-time, to avoid them getting that “over-tired” crankiness. My husband loves when I go on and on about them being “over-tired”, (NOT), but it’s so true. Especially when traveling. Because they are so excited. I let our little one get away with no nap on our last trip and boy did I regret it later that day. Never again. They are doing just fine… until they are not!

Make an effort to limit distractions by hanging a blanket between them and the rest of the car. We do this often on flights and it has always been a life-saver for us. I shouldn’t have to say this, but I do: make sure there is enough air flow.

If they are cranky, check off all possibilities: hungry, tired, bored, dirty diaper, lonely, hot, cold. Once you’ve tried everything including a cracked window, pacifier, talking, putting your head where they can see you, holding their hand, singing calmly – and they still aren’t able to calm down, then hop into the back seat and keep them company. Talk, sing, play and read to them. Sometimes just changing it up can help reset them. Then you can try again with a pacifier, bottle, snack, toy or show.

6. Stay clean and organized

To help do that, bring the following:

• Canister of Wet Ones Plus with 70% Alcohol on the side door; we both loved these, especially after pumping gas
• hand sanitizer in middle console (and attached to your purse, and your diaper bag, and yada yada yada…)
• masks in glove box or middle console
• small bag for garbage
• small Ziplock bag for smelly garbage
• lined bucket or bag in case of an upset stomach (cross your fingers!) – knock on wood, ours don’t have the stomach issues that some other little ones are prone to, but I don’t want to be caught empty handed the one time they do
• on that note – an extra set of accessible clothes for the little ones (and for you if you are on the receiving end)
• paper towel roll and toilet paper roll under seat (it’s not a true road trip until your potty trained toddler has to go #2 (and #1 at the same time) on the side of the road with no bathroom in sight (but NOT on a freeway where it’d be very unsafe to pull over)
• phones, tablets, and chargers up front
• all snacks/baby food in back seat, accessible from front seat
• organized and accessible diaper bag / backpack with their toys, teethers, etc.
• enough baby bottles so you don’t have to stop and wash bottles in gas station bathrooms, ugh!

Every kid is different – I know ours are so different from each other. So trust your instincts and do what you think will work best for yours.

Hopefully this guide will help you to not just survive the drive, but really have fun with your family. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride! You can do this.

Bring the right baby and toddler travel essentials to minimize your packing (and stress level)!