Traveling this holiday season? Traveling with toddlers? It can be intimidating to travel by car with toddlers. Especially if it is a long drive with toddlers But it doesn’t have to be hard. Or scary. And it is not impossible.
My secret?
Trial and error.
But I’m not going to make you suffer through the same trial and error. Read on and I will tell you how to make traveling with toddlers fun.
I reguarly drive six to ten hours in a car with two toddlers. That may sound daunting to you. It doesn’t have to be. In this blog I outline ways that I make the the drive easier for me. Take a deep breath and keep reading. You’ve got this!
And my tips work for a 30 minute trip or a two hour trip too.
Now for tip number one:
Bring a lot of toys when traveling in the car with toddlers
I get board in the car. I’m sure you get board in the car. So do your kids. Especially toddlers.
When traveling in the car with toddlers, you should be stopping every two to three hours to help with blood cirrculation. And honestly two to three hours of sitting in a carseat is a long time for a two or three year old who is used to constantly moving their body and playing. But more on stopping in a bit.
One way I’ve found that helps stave off technology use is bringing lots of toys. There is nothing wrong with technology but I find they do get board of even that – so I like to use toys first before the DVD player or tablet.
I don’t give the kids all the toys right away. I leave a few within reach of their car seat in a soft sided diaper caddy. The rest I store in a bag that I can reach but they cannot see or reach.
A few days before traveling in the car with toddlers, I go through toys that they haven’t seen for a while -toys I rotated out and toys they haven’t really played with in awhile. I throw all those toys into a bag.
Whenever the boys get board I hand them a new toy. I’ve heard of people wrapping the toys. While I love that idea for when they are a bit older, I find handing a new toy to my one and two year old is enough to stave off a temper tantrum until the next stop.
Eventually we go through all the toys on a long drive with toddlers. That is when I pull out the DVD play or my older son’s tablet that he only uses on car trips.
Speaking of stops…
The star of the show when taking a long drive with toddlers
Before kids, my go to stop was a truck stop with food, clean bathrooms and cheap gas.
Now that I have toddlers, truck stops are not at the top of my list anymore. Playgrounds are. When we take a long drive with toddlers we love playgrounds. And we’ve found some pretty cool ones along the way. Follow my instagram (@_thetravelingtoddlers_) and my blog posts for playgrounds we love.
A truck stop still works in a pinch – they usually have a grassy area for the kids to get out and run around. But often the grassy area is the dog walking area. And dog owners don’t always pick up after their dogs.
So instead of taking that risk – we get the cheap gas and drive through food then head to a nearby playground. I search on my navigation app for playground. I usually type in “toddler playground.” This helps me find more toddler friendly places when taking a long drive with toddlers. I also like to pick a park that has bathrooms so I can use them there instead of hauling two toddlers into a rest stop.
When I’m on the drive with another adult, the adult who isn’t driving searches for the playground along our route. If I’m traveling alone with the kids, I search when I’m getting food or gas or I search at a previous stop for a playground two to three hours down the road from our previous stop. If I’m in dire need of a stop and the only adult, I pull over to search along route on my phone.
And when I cannot find anything and school is out -especially helpful in the summer months – I will go to an elementary school playground.
Something even more fun for your littles would be a picnic at the playground.
But what happens if you cannot find a playground on a long drive with toddlers?
I know things happen on a long drive with toddlers. Baby poops 20 minutes after you get back in the car. Your potty training toddler needs to pee ten minutes later.
I like to stop at a park with walking trails if a playground is not available. I choose a park with trails or paths because the toddlers are able to walk, run, play, and explore. We walk maybe 100 yards or so down the trail then let the kids explore. If your toddlers are like mine they will enjoy poking their way down the trail finding treasures like pinecones and acorns. If they are not entertained by finding trail treasures I find some small rocks, leaves, sticks and other materials and then show them how to build houses.
After 10-15 minutes of movement, diaper changes, and bathroom breaks, we load up into the car and move on.
Rest stops are my second favorite stop if there are no parks available when on a long drive with toddlers. Because there are bathrooms and usually a large grassy area where the toddlers can move their legs. We’ve entertained ourselves by collecting acorns and building towers with pebbles. A rest stop isn’t as fun as a playground. But to a todder when you’re on the ground playing with them it doesn’t matter where you are. And they can get their wiggles out too.
If no parks or outdoor spaces are available, trucks stops work of course. As do gas stations. Even if you just get the kids out and bring them to the potty. At least they’ve stretched their legs.
what happens if it’s raining?
The day you need to travel in the car with toddlers dawns rainy, cold and gray. Yesturday was 75 and sunny. Now a long drive with toddlers seems even more daunting… Where do you stop if you cannot use a playground or even a rest stop to help your kids get their wiggles out?
You can never go wrong with finding a fast food place with an indoor play place. I know they are few and far between these days. But it’s the best of both worlds. Food, Bathroom and a warm dry place for your kids to run around.
If you can’t find one and have the extra time; a children’s museum or indoor play area are more numerous. But they can be pricy and once you get there your kids won’t want to leave right away. They definitely do not work for a 10-15 minute stop but are a fun destination to look foraward too after half a day in the car. And a great before nap stop.
There is always somewhere to stop on a long drive with toddlers. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box.
One time we resorted to letting the kids run around an almost empty but still open mall. There was many locals walking laps so my rambunctious toddlersfit right in. It wasn’t the most entertaining adventure. But the kids got their wiggles out and we got our bathroom breaks.
Anywhere inside with space to move is a great place to stop on a long drive with toddlers.
Traveling this holiday season with toddlers
And that wraps up my big secret to making travel in the car easier.
These tips have helped my family enjoy 16 hour road trips. I’ve even done 10 hours by myself traveling with two toddlers in the car.
My big secret to successful and not too stressful trips?
- Bring toys to change it up, pass new ones back as they grow board.
- Stop somewhere your kids can move instead of a restauraunt or gas station.
That’s it!
Happy Travels and Happy Holidays!
Written by, Sarah Adair
All photos taken by, Sarah Adair, children pictured are my (Sarah Adair) children