Traveling with Kids by Car

Just thinking about embarking on a family vacation with kids can cause anxiety for even the most stoic and daring person. However, with a little planning traveling with children can be a pleasant experience. As you prepare think about each part of your vacation. Make out a packing list a few weeks before you go. Look it over and change it as needed as your trip gets closer. Don't forget about to think about what you want to pack in your car. Make sure you pack plenty of snacks. Try not to bring too many high sugar snacks. There is nothing worse than a child on a sugar high that is seat-belted in the backseat. Can you spell m-e-l-t-d-o-w-n? Try bringing fresh fruits; grapes, apples, and banana's are especially easy and tasty. You can also bring some trail mix, fruit snacks, cheese and crackers, or even peanuts if your kids are old enough. Don't forget about drinks. I like to bring bottled water. My own kids are young enough that drinking out of a bottle is a treat; they feel like a big kid. I also sometimes go out and buy a special water bottle just for them. If your kids absolutely will not drink water you can buy the single-serving size of flavoring to add to your water. Crystal Light is probably the most well known brand but there are many different brands and flavors out there. They are quick and easy to use and any child will gladly drink their water with a little flavoring added.

Next, your kids are going to need to do something to keep themselves entertained while being stuck in the car for hours. I like to add new toys to our favorites, it keeps the kids interested and keeps the, "I'm bored" chanting away. If your kids like to color buy them a new box of crayons or colored pencils. Bring along a brand new coloring book, this can keep them busy for hours. I also like to print off coloring pages from the web. I try to find pictures that have a connection to our destination. For example, if we are driving to Disneyland I print out pictures of Mickey, Minnie, the princesses, pirates, and the castle. If we are headed to the beach I try to find ocean and fish pictures. To round out their art folder I also add blank paper and a spiral notebook. If you have older kids you might also want to add scissors and glue. But beware, these can be messy.

I let each child take a backpack of their favorite toys. I do, however, go thru this with them before it goes in the car. Hopefully they will pick out items that are small, portable, and NOT noisy. hand held games with headphones are great. My oldest loves to bring her leapster. They might also want to bring a personal CD player (or MP3, IPod, etc). Whatever they bring, it should be things that they can either play by themselves or with their brothers and sisters.

I also like to put a small box of toys between the kids (if you are taking more than one). I try for easy things that they can play together. A deck of cards, Barbie's, dinosaurs, etc. The box isn't that big but it gives the kids a chance to engage each other in some type of imaginative play. Car Bingo is time consuming and lots of fun. Many toy stores carry these special bingo cards. They are a lot of fun for everyone in the family. For older kids don't forget some of the standard car games such as the alphabet game or the license plate game. A few more entertainment ideas could be sing-a-long music, books on tape/CD, or DVD's to watch in a portable DVD player.

Now that we have covered keeping your kids amused while in the car it is time to think about other things. Depending on the age of your children they will need rest breaks every so often. Make sure you stop and get out of your car for all meals. Even if you prepack your meals you can pull over at a rest stop and let the kids run around and burn off some of their pent-up energy. Personally, when I pull over I look for the biggest and funnest play area. Vacation is meant to be fun, let go of the fast food stigma and splurge; this is vacation after all. For small children I like to pull over every couple of hours; everyone has to try to go to the bathroom and then we either play or go for a short walk. Our breaks only last 10-20 minutes but those precious minutes spent outside the car get returned to me twofold. Keeping my sanity is priceless!

Let's say you followed thru with these idea's and your 18 hour car trip was a success. Don't assume that your trip back home will be just as good. This needs an equal amount of preparation. Prepack and keep hidden an extra stash of toys for the trip home. Perhaps yet another box of new crayons, a new coloring book, and if they are lucky, a new toy or two from your vacation. Try to keep things new and fresh. The trip going home always feels longer than the trip getting there. Don't forget to stop by a grocery store before returning home. Stock up on more fresh fruit and replenish your snack stuff with granola bars, crackers, etc.

With pre-planning a car trip of any length is doable and can be fun for the entire family. Knowing what to expect, how and what to pack, and bringing your patience along is essential for a pleasant trip for all.