When you’re packing for a road trip with kids, there are many things that you need to make sure you have on hand and extra things that you may not need if you don’t bring your kids along. We recently went on a road trip with our 4, 3, and 1 year old’s for a total of 18 hours of driving there and back. Our oldest has always done well in the car, our middle struggles when she’s in the car, and our youngest has been pretty good on car rides. These are my top tips and things to make sure you pack to make your road trip a success.
Related: Life With 2 Under 2
What to have in the car for a road trip:
Hand sanitizer- for the bathrooms that don’t have soap or running water (maybe this is just a problem in Alaska)
Toilet paper- for the bathrooms that don’t have toilet paper or for when your kids use the port-a-potty you brought
Trash can/ plastic bags- with kids they really can accumulate a lot of trash when you’re in the car for a long time. Try a plastic cereal container or a cardboard oats container lined with a plastic bag
Phone charger– make sure to bring a cigarette lighter plug in case you need to charge your phone while driving
Umbrella– just in case it rains, an umbrella is good to have
First aid kit- for any mishaps on your trip- kids can hurt themselves in the craziest ways
Blanket- kids sometimes want to snuggle with a blanket to sleep, or if you get caught on the side of the road with a flat tire, a blanket can really keep your family warm
Wipes– wipes are necessary for everything. Wiping hands, faces, butts, or even cleaning up vomit
Snacks– kids love snacks, I have a list of suggestions below for some good road trip snacks
Water bottles- make sure to bring lots of extra water so everyone stays hydrated
Cash- in case your cards don’t work, having cash as a back up can save the day, $20-60 should be enough
Sunglasses!– on sunny days driving without sunglasses is not a safe choice for you, your passengers or other drivers, make sure you bring a pair
Pack for kids:
Sunglasses
Boogie board
Headphones
iPad
Books
Snacks
- Water bottles
- Granola bars
- Cashews or other nuts
- Chips
- Popcorn
- Trail mix
- Crackers
- Goldfish
- Pretzels
- Cheerios- try a cheerio necklace
- Apples
- Berries
- Carrots
- Frozen peas
- Grapes
- Cheese
- Gogurts
- Jerky- we actually stop at a three bears on the way anywhere to get some really good jerky
- Peanut butter
Road trip tips:
- Plan what to pack early so you don’t forget anything
- Plan a good driving time- if your kid naps, choose to drive during nap time
- Plan stops ahead of time- look for parks along the way so kids can stretch their legs & get some energy out
- Plan a playlist
- Bring a blanket and stuffed animal to encourage sleep
- When packing, use a small basket to hold all toiletries – it makes it easy when you get to the hotel or Airbnb, just set it on the counter and everything is visible and accessible
- Dress your kids in comfortable clothes
- Use a clear box for outer gear (jackets, shoes…) so it is all contained and doesn’t get everywhere
- Pack toys & books to play with and read
- Pack a cooler with snacks like (cheese, gogurts, berries, carrots)
- Keep snacks & cooler bag accessible
- Have movies and audiobooks set up
- Bring a potty chair- line it with a plastic bag or diaper for easy clean up
- Pack a sick bag
- Use back of seat organizers for kids to reach things
- Give your kids a map of where you’re going and point to where you are when you stop – laminate it so it lasts- mark where you plan to stop and what you plan to do at that stop if you have planned that in advance
- Shades- if your car comes with them use them, if your car doesn’t you can buy suction ones
- Get a grabber tool to help prevent meltdowns from dropped toys
- Have a mirror for your baby if they’re rear facing or have your other kids tell you if the baby is asleep or dropped their toy
- Bring a handheld vacuum to clean up any snack messes that may happen
- Buy workbooks for your kids (with mazes, word searches, hidden pictures)
- Have a caddy for water bottles
- DO NOT try a snackle box. This is a huge mess to clean up afterwards and during if your kid drops the box full of all their snacks. Instead pack individual bags of snacks to hand out to your kids or give them a big bag full of all the individual bags
