Lessons Learned: Our 45 Hour Road Trip with Kids
Welcome back, mamas! I hope that you’re all doing well today, and are giving yourself grace as you navigate through motherhood's ups and downs! Today, I wanted to speak with you about road trips with kids! More specifically, my husband and my 45 hour long road trip with our 9 month old daughter and 2 1/2 year old son to Florida for family vacation!
If you haven't caught on already, I'm a big prepper, planner, and note taker when it comes to pretty much anything. We've road tripped with our kids before, but this trip was filled with longer stretches in the car, and boy did I take NOTES! As always, I want to share my tips, tricks, and hacks with you as we work together to become more cool, calm, and collected!
Feel free to share this post, and other posts of mine to help build our growing community of mamas! Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy!
Our bathroom situation
I've had a bunch of mamas ask how I handle the dreaded bathroom situation when road tripping with kids!? We change my 9 month old daughter’s diaper anytime we stop to ensure she is comfortable. My toddler is fully potty trained throughout the day, (which includes in the car), but he still wears diapers at naps and bedtime.
I wanted to keep diapers off while in the car, as to not confuse him, but he ended up having three accidents specifically during his naps. I finally realized I needed to bend. For the rest of the trip, we put diapers on our son during naps and at bedtime while in the car, and it was the best decision ever!
I'd refresh him, and say, "Where does pee pee go? Yes, pee pee goes in the potty, but I'm going to put a diaper on you for your nap in case of an accident!" The amount of stress that was relieved from putting him in diapers during his nap time and bed time was tremendous! He hasn't regressed at all during the trip, so me bending a little ended with no harm done!
As far as a wet car seat on the road went, we carried a homemade concoction in a spray bottle with us to sanitize and remove odors. We open a diaper, place it face down to absorb the pee, place a plastic bag over the diaper to serve as a barrier from leaking through to my son’s clothes, and on that he will sit until we can wash the car seat cover at our main location. And we did!
Don't forget the pacifier
Guess what this mama forgot?... A pacifier for the road! My 9 month old daughter is exclusively breastfed, (my toddler weaned at 17 months old), and under normal circumstances, she doesn’t get a pacifier. The car is the one area I use it for times when she is crying, and I’m unable to soothe her myself.
Note: If you have two kids like I do, leave the center seat between the car seats clear and empty so that you can easily sit back there, and distract/hold hands for comfort if they meltdown. That instantly soothed my daughter which warmed my heart!
What about food?
We try to pack healthier snack options for the car like: hard boiled eggs, bars, sweet potato chips, yogurt, pretzels, applesauce, etc. It was a little chaotic prior to our trip, but I wish I had also thought to pack some sandwiches for greater substance. We had a lot of water on hand, and put all our snacks conveniently accessible in our front console! Other than that, we stop for food on the road.
Note: If you’re making stops like we did on your way to your final destination, don't stress too much over the food your kids are eating. Our son unfortunately ate more processed foods than usual, but it would’ve been more stressful to refuse him food on the road because, “I didn’t want him to eat something.” Sometimes we need to change our routine to get us through the changes in our atmosphere!
Let structure go, and be OK with it
I'm a huge structure driven mama, and my kids thrive on it! However, we decided to let structure go for things like naps, bedtime, and food. I stayed as close as possible to keeping the consistency, but if they missed a nap, or ate something I wouldn’t normally feed them, I had to let it go.
This was difficult for me, but you can enjoy yourself more if you come to peace with the idea that you're not gunna have the same level of structure “on the road” as you do at home. You can either hold on to control, and spend the whole trip stressed out, or accept it for what it is knowing that once you return home, order will be established once again! And believe me, I plan to re-establish it!
Bring all the toys
A bag of toys is a great way to entertain and distract kids on a road trip! We brought egg shakers, toy cars, bubbles (don’t get it in their eyes), books, dolls, etc. I wish I had also brought our magnetic sketch board!
We don’t use or watch electronics in the car, but I knew I may have to bend, and in one event, late at night, we did! My toddler woke up screaming in the car, and my daughter was sleeping. I turned on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood to keep him calm, as well as to not wake his sister. Not ideal for me personally, but it was necessary during this time, and I did not allow myself to be GUILTED, which neither should you!
Note: Every toy you brought may not soothe your 9 month old, but a plastic water bottle might! This may not be your preference. Learn from me, and just let the kid play with it to keep you sane!
Have playlists on hand
I'm sure by now you have an idea of all of your toddler’s favorite songs. My son currently loves Greatest Showman, Bible songs, and Raffi. I have a playlist of each of these on my Amazon Playlist. We cast it to the car, and listen whenever a big distraction is needed.
If my husband is driving, and he needs something of substance to stay focused, he’ll pop his ear buds of his favorite podcast in. Note: It's a great time saver to find podcasts in advance for the adults in the car to listen to when the kids are sleeping!
Leave controversial talks at home
This is HUGE. Okay mamas, you're about to have a lot of time in the car with your spouse, if you have one. This is what I personally LOVE about road trips, over other forms of travel. Just getting to talk, bond, reminisce, have uninterrupted time together while the kids sleep. But... And yes, there is a but. DON'T TALK ABOUT ANYTHING that is a touchy subject, sensitive topic, offensive, whatever. It's inevitable to have tough discussions with your spouse, but a road trip is NOT the place for it. Just don't go there.
Spare yourself the fight, and focus on making this time a pleasant time of growing closer together! It's better not to say anything at all, than to have an unnecessary fight in the car which can make for an uncomfortable rest of your trip. Think happy thoughts!
Empty trash at pit stops
Road trips with kids have the tendency to accumulate a lot of trash in the car, but you can stay one step ahead by having a designated trash bin. At every stop you make, empty the bin, and start fresh to avoid your car from becoming atrocious!
Have a bedtime routine for “in the car”
We used to just let my son fall asleep on his own in the car without a routine. However, we would notice him either staying up way past bedtime, or waking shortly after, very upset and confused.
I had an epiphany of making bedtime in the car as close as possible to his bedtime routine at home. For us, that meant brushing his teeth, changing into a fresh diaper/pajamas, giving him his favorite stuffed animal/blanket, and putting on his favorite music. We also prepped him by saying, “OK, it’s time to go ‘nigh nigh’ in the car!” Doing this seemed to give him a better understanding that it was night time, and he would sleep straight through!
Pack an overnight bag for extra ease
I owe this hack to my lovely cousin who gave us this tip while on our trip! If you know you and your family will be sleeping somewhere briefly overnight, don't BRING ALL of your family’s luggage in! Instead have an overnight bag ready to go!
Pack into ONE bag each family members’ toiletries, a single pair of pajamas, next day’s clothes, diapers, wipes, cell phone chargers, etc., and only bring that ONE bag into the hotel! Leave the rest of your bags in the car, and save yourself the fuss!
How we easily transfer kids to sleep in hotels
My husband and I have a wonderful routine for our kid’s bedtime while on a road trip. We drive late at night until we are ready to stop at a hotel, or family/friend’s house for the night. By then, the kids have fallen asleep in their car seats. I'll stay in the car with the kids, while my husband unloads the car with ONE overnight bag, sound machine and our two pack and plays.
During this time, he sets the hotel room up for bedtime, which includes things like setting up the kids’ pack and plays, sound machine, and pulling off the nasty decorative bed cover that likely never gets washed! He’ll return to the car to pick up my sleeping toddler, while I carry the car seat with my daughter! By the time we enter our room, it’s already dark, sound machine going, pack and plays set, and kids get laid down to sleep! Easy peasy!
And there you have it! Everything I learned on my 45 hour long road trip with our two kids! The best piece of advice I was given in regards to road tripping was from my mom: “Don’t become stressed to get to your destination to ‘start’ your vacation. Stay present, have fun, and let your vacation start in the car!”
Was there anything I mentioned that you will practice on your next road trip with kids?! Do you have anything to add to make road trips with kids easier? Please let us all know in the comments below! I’ll always respond! Thank you so so much! Until next time, I wish you a wonderfully fast and easy road trip with your kids!
Cool, Calm, and Collectedly Yours,
