My husband has family who live in Pennsylvania, one of which is his grandmother, so for 4-5 years now we have made it a point to get up there each Summer to visit. My oldest son took his first road trip up there when he was just shy of 6 months old so he is a “well-seasoned” traveler, and we have found multiple ways to make the long trip easy on ourselves as well. We have found that if we break up the trip with a mini vacation in a state halfway to PA such as North Carolina or Virginia, the trip is a little more bearable, though we have made the drive all the way through at least once. Here are some ideas that help us to survive a 13-hour road trip with 2 kids under 4.
When to leave -
We have left our house for road trips at many different times throughout the day, through doing this we have learned that the best time to head out is early in the morning around 5 am, at naptime, or bedtime. This way you get some peaceful time on the road. We may arrive late to our destination but it does help to have the kids asleep at some point on our journey. Our most recent trip we left at around 1 PM (naptime) so we were able to get naptime in, plus bedtime.
Since we do usually hit bedtime in the car, I always have their jammies ready to go. We will stop for dinner to stretch our legs, eat, and get the boys into their jammies so when we arrive at our destination we only need to transfer them to their beds. Aside from jammies, I always pack at least 1 change of clothes for each boy in my diaper bag that I have easy access to including diapers, underwear, bibs, table mats, etc., because you never know what kind of mess could happen with snacks, food stops, and accidents.
Snacks -
Bringing snacks on the road is almost as important as remembering to fill the car with gas before you leave. Snacks can hold you (and the kids) over until you find a stop for lunch or dinner. On this last trip my husband had a phone interview with a company on our drive up. My youngest was getting super mad, it was raining, we were stuck in traffic, my husband was on the phone, I was driving and couldn’t help…so we filled up his snack cup with Cheerios and he was happy and content for another hour. One of my favorite snacks for the road or anytime really are Muddy Buddies. Seriously, do yourself a favor and get some…they are so good and a perfect road trip munchie. I also make sure to bring our Munchkin Snack Cups on any road trip for both kids. Not only does it help prevent a Cheerio catastrophe in the back seat, but I can cut up things like chicken nuggets for lunch to put in the cup for my youngest when we don’t want to actually make a stop yet. These cups are a life saver!
We have left our house for road trips at many different times throughout the day, through doing this we have learned that the best time to head out is early in the morning around 5 am, at naptime, or bedtime. This way you get some peaceful time on the road. We may arrive late to our destination but it does help to have the kids asleep at some point on our journey. Our most recent trip we left at around 1 PM (naptime) so we were able to get naptime in, plus bedtime.
Since we do usually hit bedtime in the car, I always have their jammies ready to go. We will stop for dinner to stretch our legs, eat, and get the boys into their jammies so when we arrive at our destination we only need to transfer them to their beds. Aside from jammies, I always pack at least 1 change of clothes for each boy in my diaper bag that I have easy access to including diapers, underwear, bibs, table mats, etc., because you never know what kind of mess could happen with snacks, food stops, and accidents.
Snacks -
Bringing snacks on the road is almost as important as remembering to fill the car with gas before you leave. Snacks can hold you (and the kids) over until you find a stop for lunch or dinner. On this last trip my husband had a phone interview with a company on our drive up. My youngest was getting super mad, it was raining, we were stuck in traffic, my husband was on the phone, I was driving and couldn’t help…so we filled up his snack cup with Cheerios and he was happy and content for another hour. One of my favorite snacks for the road or anytime really are Muddy Buddies. Seriously, do yourself a favor and get some…they are so good and a perfect road trip munchie. I also make sure to bring our Munchkin Snack Cups on any road trip for both kids. Not only does it help prevent a Cheerio catastrophe in the back seat, but I can cut up things like chicken nuggets for lunch to put in the cup for my youngest when we don’t want to actually make a stop yet. These cups are a life saver!
Make lunch to go -
Our last trip up to PA, we stopped in Williamsburg on the way back and stayed in a condo. We had stocked up on food for the week so we weren’t always eating out and had items such as lunch meat that we didn’t want to waste. I made both of my children sandwiches, cut them up, and stored them in the cooler so we wouldn’t have to make a stop for lunch (this was the 13 hour leg of our drive). While my husband drove, I put together cheese and ham crackers for us to munch on. We always bring a cooler so drinks are never an issue…though I do limit my 3.5 year old so we aren’t having to stop at every rest area bathroom along the way.
Breastfeeding-
When my youngest was still breastfeeding it was a pain to have to stop every 2 hours to nurse him, not because he was nursing but because it took so much time and set us way back. I started to bring my pump with me and after our breakfast/breastfeeding stop, I would pump in the car and give him a bottle for his next feeding. It helped keep us on the road longer and helped my little guy stay satisfied. If he didn’t drink it all I would store it in the cooler for when he became cranky again and the bottle would hold him over until we planned to stop again. I say this, but sometimes the bottle didn’t do the trick and we’d have to stop, but USUALLY it worked.
Our last trip up to PA, we stopped in Williamsburg on the way back and stayed in a condo. We had stocked up on food for the week so we weren’t always eating out and had items such as lunch meat that we didn’t want to waste. I made both of my children sandwiches, cut them up, and stored them in the cooler so we wouldn’t have to make a stop for lunch (this was the 13 hour leg of our drive). While my husband drove, I put together cheese and ham crackers for us to munch on. We always bring a cooler so drinks are never an issue…though I do limit my 3.5 year old so we aren’t having to stop at every rest area bathroom along the way.
Breastfeeding-
When my youngest was still breastfeeding it was a pain to have to stop every 2 hours to nurse him, not because he was nursing but because it took so much time and set us way back. I started to bring my pump with me and after our breakfast/breastfeeding stop, I would pump in the car and give him a bottle for his next feeding. It helped keep us on the road longer and helped my little guy stay satisfied. If he didn’t drink it all I would store it in the cooler for when he became cranky again and the bottle would hold him over until we planned to stop again. I say this, but sometimes the bottle didn’t do the trick and we’d have to stop, but USUALLY it worked.
Toys, Books, & Entertainment -
I keep a basket of toys attached to the middle seat between the boys car seats at all times. It has things like books and small toys for them to play with and keep entertained on car rides. This gives me easy access to hand things to my youngest and my oldest is able to reach what he wants. If I need to crawl back there and squeeze into the middle, it can unattach it and move it to the floor. I also keep a blanket for each boy on either side of the basket, they never leave the car unless they need to be washed that way we don’t have to worry about their regular blankets getting lost or ruined as they stay safe in the suitcase.
I keep a basket of toys attached to the middle seat between the boys car seats at all times. It has things like books and small toys for them to play with and keep entertained on car rides. This gives me easy access to hand things to my youngest and my oldest is able to reach what he wants. If I need to crawl back there and squeeze into the middle, it can unattach it and move it to the floor. I also keep a blanket for each boy on either side of the basket, they never leave the car unless they need to be washed that way we don’t have to worry about their regular blankets getting lost or ruined as they stay safe in the suitcase.
My oldest son loves Disney movies (and The Music Man, he once watched The Music Man over and over until we reached our destination…for like 8 hours) so we downloaded the Disney Movies Anywhere app. If you have all those Disney Movie Rewards codes and have no idea why you input them online, this is why. Most Disney movies now come with a Digital Copy, and when you enter that code online it unlocks it. We use the Movie & TV app on our Windows tablet to watch the movies, you have to log in to your account and then it automatically syncs them, you do have to download them to the tablet/device to be able to watch without wi-fi though. To watch movies he uses a pair of the wired headphones. If we purchased these again, we would most likely get the Bluetooth set as he is constantly playing with the cord and has even pulled the headphones out of the jack. They are great for kids though!
Aside from watching movies on the tablet, we also bring our Kindle Fire. Here he can play games (Starfall is his favorite) if he gets bored from movies or watching out the window. Movies and games are important for when his little brother is napping and we don’t want him waking up grumpy...it keeps him quiet and entertained because a nap for him isn’t always promised.
Me Reader books are also a sanity saver. My oldest LOVES these books and he is able to “read” to himself. It is a quiet activity that keeps him busy for quite a while. Check out more of these books here: Me Readers
Aside from watching movies on the tablet, we also bring our Kindle Fire. Here he can play games (Starfall is his favorite) if he gets bored from movies or watching out the window. Movies and games are important for when his little brother is napping and we don’t want him waking up grumpy...it keeps him quiet and entertained because a nap for him isn’t always promised.
Me Reader books are also a sanity saver. My oldest LOVES these books and he is able to “read” to himself. It is a quiet activity that keeps him busy for quite a while. Check out more of these books here: Me Readers
Just this year, we have taken our boys on 2 road trips, one of which was 3 parts. We love to travel and aren’t going to let our kids get in the way of that so we just have them join us. I actually find it a little easier with 2 kids because they are able to entertain each other in the backseat and my youngest loves watching my oldest because he is rear facing. We always look forward to getting away with them!
What are some things you have done to keep yourself sane on road trips? Do you drive all the way through or make a stop over? Do your kids have any favorite activities to keep them busy on the way there?
What are some things you have done to keep yourself sane on road trips? Do you drive all the way through or make a stop over? Do your kids have any favorite activities to keep them busy on the way there?
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