Must Have Items for Road Trips with Toddlers

Toddlers can be difficult to travel with even on the shortest of car trips but when you are going somewhere where you plan on being in the car for a long period of time it can feel like the trip will never end! There are special items you can bring along that can help make the ride smoother by keeping your toddler busy and you calm. Here is a look at some must have items to bring along for car trips with toddlers.

If you are like myself and not one of the fortunate ones to have a built in DVD player in your vehicle you will do well by investing in a portable DVD player. Portable DVD players have become fairly inexpensive with some selling for as little as $80 or even less. Bring along the DVD player as well as a number of DVDs of your toddler's favorite shows or movies. You can also find kid friendly earphones so you do not have to listen to the DVD's yourself. Keep a couple of extra "secret" DVD's to bring out at moments you think your toddler is on the verge of getting bored. Walmart has an excellent portable DVD player under $70 that they sell online. You can view it at their website at: http://www.walmart.com/

Snacks and drinks are another must have for a long trip in the car. If you are dealing with a younger toddler you will do well with preparing some no-spill cups with juice before starting on the trip. If you have an older toddler you can give them juice packs like Capri Suns. Capri Suns are not only convenient but they taste good as well and most toddlers love them. They also do not stain like other juice and fruit punch packs do. As far as snacks go you will do well with getting items such as Annies Homegrown Berry Patch Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks which can be found at most grocery stores or Walmart supercenters or small bags of snacks such as popcorn or pretzels. You will want to avoid snacks high in sugar or snacks that can melt or be messy.

Another fun way to keep them busy and get them using their imaginations is by bringing along lots of plain white paper and coloring books. You can avoid messes by purchasing crayons and markers made by Crayola. Crayola makes special crayons and markers just for toddlers who may decide to color outside of the lines. They wash off easily with a warm damp wash cloth and soap and make for lots of fun during boring car rides. Many of them do not even have caps so you don't have to worry about losing them or them drying out. They do not cost much more than traditional crayons and markers and provide lots of entertainment.