Taking a Road Trip with a Three Year Old

Two summers ago my whole family, including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, went on a road trip. We left our cozy corner of Indiana and made our way to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. My husband, 3 year-old daughter, and I took our van and packed it full of everything we thought we would need to travel comfortably.

The problem wasn't the arriving trip, but the departure. Apparently, my daughter had the flu. But, she had just turned three, and wasn't much good at letting us know she was going to throw up before it actually happened. So, about two hours into our trip home, the vomiting started. And, unfortunately, it just kept going. Sick kids don't care if you're caught in a traffic jam, not near any type of restroom facilities, or out of paper towel/wipes/Kleenex etc. And so, it went like this: Daughter pukes. Dad pulls over. Mom scrounges for something to 'clean-up' the child/car seat/van with. Get back on road. An hour or two later, replay above scenario.

Finally, I wised up and made room for myself to squeeze next to my daughter;s car seat. I held a Tupperware container in my hand (the best I could find) so I could try and catch the vomit. Only, it never quite worked like I planned, and we replayed above scenario.

I remember my husband and I tried our best to find a hotel to stay at, except everything was booked. We finally found a room, and struggled to conceal our vomit-drenched daughter (and her vomit-drenched mom, by then) into the room without too many glances.

And we decided a few to remember a few essential travel items for the next road trip. Extra paper towel, extra wipes, and an extra large bucket in case of emergencies!