Parker was all of 8 weeks old when we loaded up for a 13 hour car ride to NC for her first Christmas. Annnnd we basically haven’t stopped since then! We’ve made countless, long, road trips as a family, but many of them I’ve done alone. Just me and my little travel buddy. This past year we drove all over the midwest visiting Tom. And two years ago we did a 17 hour drive from NY to St Louis. (and yes, that time I did had a “helper” with me…praise Jesus!).
Each time we travel I learn something new. Some new Do’s and a lot of new Don’ts!
Here is what’s worked for us on car trips….
You Must Have Technology
We don’t do a lot of iPads in our house, but on a road trip…it’s a MUST have. Our car doesn’t have a DVD player, so we use our iPad for movies. This is what you need to make this setup happen….
- a headrest mount to attach iPad to the seat in front of your child (THIS is the one we use)
- volume limiting headphones for your kiddo (HERE)
- an extra long cord to keep everything charged (depending on your iPad generation you might need THIS one or THIS one)
- a USB charger for your cigarette lighter if your car doesn’t have one (HERE)
- a shock proof case for the iPad (HERE)
A few pieces of advice:
- download your movies to the iPad well before your trip – and double, triple, quadruple check that you have them
- if you run out of content, or you’re tired of listening to the same movie 12 million times, turn your phone on as a personal hotspot and connect the iPad to your phone’s wifi. Then you can jump on YouTube – – – just an FYI: this WILL use your data!
Do Not Forget the Snacks
We always travel with plenty of snacks! And snacks for everyone! The more snacks you have, the less stops you make for food, and the happier everyone shall be 😉 Bring a cooler with ice and tons of food and drink. This also allows you to pack healthy snacks like fruits and raw veggies instead of eating gas station food.
**We LOVE our Yeti! I once left it in the car overnight, in July, and the ice wasn’t even melted the next day.
This brings me to breast feeding. And back to that 13 hour trip with an 8 week old. We were determined to make the best time possible with as few stops as possible. What we’ve found to work for us is to pump while driving, feed the baby a bottle in the carseat, then stop to burp them and change their diaper. What you will need to make this happen:
- a cooler for your breast milk (HERE)
- an adapter for your car to plug in your pump (HERE)
- a breast pump (two great options: HERE and HERE)
- I also travel with a bottle brush and a small bottle of dish soap
Pack Lots of Entertainment
Once the iPad runs out, you will need some “stuff”. I prefer things that don’t make noise or have sound buttons that can be pushed over and over again 1800 times. I’ve even been known to throw legos in a bucket and travel with the whole darn bucket! These are some of our favorite car toys…
Bring a Potty
If there is one thing you DON’T leave behind….it’s THIS!! When a kids gotta go…they gotta go! There have been countless times that I’m pulled over on the side of the road with a kid peeing in the back of my car! #truelife.
A few other tidbits of advice:
- to save space in your car/suitcase…ship diapers and wipes to wherever you are going
- don’t forget your kids sound machine…and maybe bring another one for yourself (especially if you are sharing a room with your kids)
- if the person you’re staying with does not have a kids bathtub – this inflatable duck bathtub is CLUTCH! We used it for an entire baseball season!
- two super-conducive-to-travel sleeping options for your kids: HERE and HERE
Here are a few more things that will make your travel a little easier:
Other travel blog posts are linked here
