SIX TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH KIDS
Don't.
lol jk but seriously -- don't.
Stay home. Hang out in the backyard. Walk to the neighboorhood pool. Do whatever the heck you want but believe me when I say, you will all be much happier staying away from the car.
At least until your kids are old enough to realize that it's OK to fall asleep without crying for 30-45 mins beforehand, and that final hour in the car is not going to be their last.
(Keep in mind that my children are two years old and seven months old and tend to cry whenever the other one does. Maybe it's bonding for them? I don't know. All I know is that none of us enjoy being in the car for more than three hours.)
But, just in case you're crazy like we are and want to share the world with your kids, here are a few tips to help you survive...
01. Pack new toys specifically for the drive.
I wish I could take credit for this tip but I have to be honest and tell you that Nate thought of it first. All on his own, he went to the shed and pulled out a few of our "off rotation" toys to surprise Bruce and Rose with in times of need, and it worked like a charm! I knew I married Nate for a reason :) I only wish that we had thought to pack another bag of toys specifically for the drive home because after playing with them on the drive up to Yosemite and the four days we were there, by the time we got in the car to drive home, the once new toys had become old toys again.
02. Find interesting places to pitstop along your route.
If you're going to be spending eight hours on the road and stopping every two hours to stretch your legs and scream into a pillow, you might as well make those stops more worthwhile than Walmart and Trader Joes. Although we did come out of TJ with cookies, so I'll say that's a win. Maybe next time we drive to Yosemite we'll check out the Agriculture Museum in Tulare! Bruce is very into tractors.
If you're into history, then the History Here app is great for locating interesting places from the past.
03. Bring along your tablet to whip out when all hell starts breaking loose (if you're into that sort of thing).
While in the middle of Bruce's massive tantrum during our drive home from Yosemite, I leaned over to Nate and remarked that this is one of those moments when I wish we had a tablet or Blu-ray player to use to quickly pacify him. Nate responded by saying, "well, maybe not." and we discussed the idea for a while (while Bruce screamed in the back seat) and decided once again that we weren't the kind of people to let electronics be a substitute for personal growth. At least not yet. Check back after our next trip. But if you are, that's great! I envy you and your peaceful travel.
04. Prep the playlist.
I have discovered that there are three essential genres of music to use when traveling with kids:
1. Disney soundtracks that the kids enjoy singing along to.
2. Mom and Dad's favorites because #balance and #maintainsanity
3. Relaxing/classical when it's time to wind down.
05. Keep an open mind.
Realize that not everything is going to go according to plan, and that is ok! Maybe you don't make it all the way to that big park you researched before needing to stop, or perhaps you end up handing out all of the little toy cars you had set aside for times of crisis within the first hour of the drive -- oh well! We're always learning and growing, and chances are your kids are only going to remember the happy parts of your family vacation.
06. Pray they sleep the whole way.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
lol jk but seriously -- don't.
Stay home. Hang out in the backyard. Walk to the neighboorhood pool. Do whatever the heck you want but believe me when I say, you will all be much happier staying away from the car.
At least until your kids are old enough to realize that it's OK to fall asleep without crying for 30-45 mins beforehand, and that final hour in the car is not going to be their last.
(Keep in mind that my children are two years old and seven months old and tend to cry whenever the other one does. Maybe it's bonding for them? I don't know. All I know is that none of us enjoy being in the car for more than three hours.)
But, just in case you're crazy like we are and want to share the world with your kids, here are a few tips to help you survive...
01. Pack new toys specifically for the drive.
I wish I could take credit for this tip but I have to be honest and tell you that Nate thought of it first. All on his own, he went to the shed and pulled out a few of our "off rotation" toys to surprise Bruce and Rose with in times of need, and it worked like a charm! I knew I married Nate for a reason :) I only wish that we had thought to pack another bag of toys specifically for the drive home because after playing with them on the drive up to Yosemite and the four days we were there, by the time we got in the car to drive home, the once new toys had become old toys again.
02. Find interesting places to pitstop along your route.
If you're going to be spending eight hours on the road and stopping every two hours to stretch your legs and scream into a pillow, you might as well make those stops more worthwhile than Walmart and Trader Joes. Although we did come out of TJ with cookies, so I'll say that's a win. Maybe next time we drive to Yosemite we'll check out the Agriculture Museum in Tulare! Bruce is very into tractors.
If you're into history, then the History Here app is great for locating interesting places from the past.
03. Bring along your tablet to whip out when all hell starts breaking loose (if you're into that sort of thing).
While in the middle of Bruce's massive tantrum during our drive home from Yosemite, I leaned over to Nate and remarked that this is one of those moments when I wish we had a tablet or Blu-ray player to use to quickly pacify him. Nate responded by saying, "well, maybe not." and we discussed the idea for a while (while Bruce screamed in the back seat) and decided once again that we weren't the kind of people to let electronics be a substitute for personal growth. At least not yet. Check back after our next trip. But if you are, that's great! I envy you and your peaceful travel.
04. Prep the playlist.
I have discovered that there are three essential genres of music to use when traveling with kids:
1. Disney soundtracks that the kids enjoy singing along to.
2. Mom and Dad's favorites because #balance and #maintainsanity
3. Relaxing/classical when it's time to wind down.
05. Keep an open mind.
Realize that not everything is going to go according to plan, and that is ok! Maybe you don't make it all the way to that big park you researched before needing to stop, or perhaps you end up handing out all of the little toy cars you had set aside for times of crisis within the first hour of the drive -- oh well! We're always learning and growing, and chances are your kids are only going to remember the happy parts of your family vacation.
06. Pray they sleep the whole way.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
PM
ReplyDeleteThese tips are fabulous! Your real time humor is delightful. I lol-ed throughout the read. Thank you so much! This is priceless!! Tip #6 cracks me up too! So clever! I'm loving it!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
DeleteI travel alone. Moreover I don't have kids yet. It was a enjoyable read. So much of experience.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a life savour when you have shared practical tips on what to plan ahead of this baby trip.
ReplyDeleteHello friend
DeleteTraveling with kids can be such a headache but you sure gave us some great tips. I already use tip 1 and 3. I have to use tip 2 and tip 6 was funny
ReplyDeleteYou need to bring a lot of patience if you are traveling with kids and as a mother of two . I always bring food, new toys, electronic devices and a Disney soundtracks for them not to get bored.
ReplyDeletethese are great tips. car traveling with kids can be tough, mine has a two hour limit
ReplyDeletehaha I love the way you wrote that post. I dont have kids yet but I am travelling a lot and I am planning to travel with kids in the future as well. I know its gonna be super difficult but I believe I can do it. Not sure if I can handle that much Disney music in a car haha hopefully my kids will like deep house since the day they will be born :)
ReplyDeleteheheh hun i giggled at this post as my own trips with kids were always my idea of hell heheheh the good thing is they do grow fast
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it! Yes, perspective is so important. Sometimes I have to repeat in my head, "this won't last forever" to get myself through rough moments.
DeleteI don't have kids.. But this is such a helpful post I am sharing it with my cousin.. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteThankss
Yay, I hope your cousin finds it helpful, too.
DeleteLOL your last tip...I DO THIS EVERY TIME! I loved all of these tips! Very realistic and helpful!
ReplyDeleteHahaha thank you!
DeleteWe’ve been effectively traveling since my daughter was 6wks old. All the tips are valid. But don’t forget snacks, they are super important!
ReplyDeleteYou're amazing! Yes, snacks! I forgot about that one but it's true, you can never have enough snacks.
DeleteWhat a great and helpful post. Just came out of town with my 1 y/o and it was really ahrd.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that. I hope your future trips will be easier on you.
DeleteGreat advice for those with little ones! This will definitely make traveling easier during the holiday season.
ReplyDelete