Vacationing with Kids: Tips, Tricks, Surprises and Pitfalls

Vacationing with kids is a special opportunity when you can spend quality time uninterrupted enjoying the sights, sounds and flavors of a new place. We recently drove the 12 hours to Jekyll Island, Georgia with our one-year-old girl and 3.5 year old boy for a destination wedding. We loved seeing a new environment and exploring a different culture, not to mention the memories of seeing friends and family. But I would be lying to you if I said that it was an easy trip by any means. Travelling 20 minutes in a car with one kid, no less two, can be a challenge to anyone's sanity. Luckily I had a year to plan the trip; I needed every minute of it.

First, my husband and I needed to consider the mode of transportation. Of course flying is the fastest way to go, right? Then I considered the clothes, the diapers, the wipes, car seats, the stroller, the pack and play, and food to keep the costs low, and I started to panic. Just paying to fly all of this stuff down was cost prohibitive, as would be renting car seats once we were down there, and I did not want to put the baby into a hotel crib (yuck). We looked at flying, (read: husband whipped up one of his spreadsheets) and discovered that, surprise! after driving to the airport, waiting, flying and car rentals et cetera, we would save a scant 5 hours by flying, and that is if the plane was on time. Right. Plus, we do have a big SUV just for the purpose of hauling kiddie paraphernalia. Let the lists of things begin.

For the one year old, Rebecca, I was sure to pack all necessities, knowing that if a missing item was even available on the island, it would be pricey. So I considered a few days in the life of the baby and went from there. She was still on formula which posed one concern: do not run out and change her diet while on the road. More than sufficient powder was purchased; in this case I took two large cans for 12 days. I packed a smaller can with me for the drive down, and prefilled her bottles with water. When she needed a bottle, I just added the powder and handed it to her. Note: Rebecca began holding her own bottle just two weeks before the trip at 9.5 months. If it were not for this independence, I would have either had to reach back to hold the bottle for her, which would have been unsafe, or we would have had to stop to feed her during the 12 hours, which would have been insane. She was able to use the bottle as a soother as well, we don't use pacifiers.

Rebecca also needed her pack and play to sleep safely in, which worked out like a charm. The PNP was a great place to put the baby while we unpacked and packed. We also were able to keep her in her own car seat and stroller since we had the room to haul it down to Georgia. And, of course, diapers. I counted the average amount of diapers she used daily, 4, multiplied by 12 days, 48, and then rounded up. I packed one sleeve from a large box (50 diapers) and a small pack of larger diapers (36). I packed her diaper bag with loose diapers and put it in the front with me for the drive. I also put the small can of powdered formula and the bottles with water in the bag. And finally wipes. I sometimes buy a case at the Warehouse store which has self-contained packs, they have their own built-in lid and are disposable when empty, so I didn't need to pack the plastic tubs. The wipes came in handy all over, I took four packs with me and we had just enough left over.

Hunter is a 3 and a half year old boy who I was going to strap down for 12 hours. I needed to be ready. I took some age-old parenting advice and bought some new travel toys. I stashed them in a bag that went in the front seat along with the diaper bag. I got some cling stickers that came with little story boards which were a huge hit. Recently I have seen clings in stationary stores like Staples, and realized I could have gotten them as well and let the fun happen right on the car window. I also bought some small dinosaurs and a book that described dinos. Whenever Hunter's eyes started rolling in his head, I passed him a new 'gift'. Rebecca got a few new car seat toys and they were parsed out throughout the trip as well. In all I spent $40 on the newness of toys and felt that the gift card I used was totally worth it. Another option would be to simply take away relevant road trip toys well in advance and have them reappear like magic on the trip.

On the trip down I packed a soft sided cooler of snacks to help pass the time and avoid spending too much on food. I packed some hard boiled, peeled and seasoned eggs in a Ziplock, along with mild cheese slices and crackers that everyone could enjoy. I also bought a case of juice boxes that lasted the 12 days, barely, and I had a few of them at the ready.

Hunter is potty trained. I am not. I simply cannot stand the thought of him in a public restroom somewhere off of I-95. So I devised my plan. I packed his regular potty training potty, some plastic bags and the old pads they give you at the hospital when you have the kid in the first place. During a rest stop I placed the bag in the potty and the pad in the bag, and voila! I explained to Hunter before we left that he would use his practice potty on the road but that when we got there he could go back to big-boy potty and he was fine with it. While we were on vacation we used it a few times during outings, we simply set it up in the back of the SUV which was empty of luggage. And on the topic of germs and Ew, I also put a hand sanitizer pump in each one of the door pockets of the truck. Always.

One caveat to the potty solution. While we were packing for the final big trip home we let Hunter play in the empty truck. We packed slowly and carefully. Meanwhile Hunter found the top to his potty seat and placed in his car seat, where we had placed the potty seat one time on the way down, with the base intact. Well, this time there was no base, or bag, or pad, and no one noticed as he dropped trou, and pooped. Right on his car seat. Yeah.

12 hours. One other even more painful pitfall we suffered, (other than poop) was stopping on the way down. If a drive can be accomplished in one shot, I highly recommend it. We stopped three hours short of our goal, and Rebecca let us know she disapproved for an hour by screaming in her pack and play in the filthy motel room. Imagine how I felt (sanitizer, potty contraptions, general upittyness). We had stopped for a 'real' dinner earlier at a chain restaurant, and that was a disaster what with two fidgety babies. We had also stopped for an eat-in fast food lunch, (why? I had packed food, I have no idea). Not a great idea. The kids were almost happier just staying put and getting the painful trip over with. On the way home we drove right though and the kids were brilliant. It was as if they knew that any protests would not resolve their want for release, so they instead played and napped. We stopped 4 times and took turns in the restrooms ourselves, and I changed Rebecca on the front seat. I let her get some air and stretch, and then popped her back into the truck. The kids ate familiar food I had handy and leftover from vacation, and husband and I had a couple of burgers.

In short, plan ahead and make lists so as not to forget anything essential. Try to foresee what your kids might like, such as dinos or a new toy to rattle. Consider your trip and what would make it the most enjoyable for your family. We are the "get it done" type, and financially we weren't able to spend two days to drive down in 6 hour shifts, and again on the way home. We, ok, I, am a little germ and filth-phobic, so a random stop at a dump with a crawling baby and preschooler was in and of itself, a very poor idea. Try to plan your approach, slow and steady with maybe a nice dinner stop, or a go-for-it and get there approach. Use the internet to your advantage to help you plan stops if you're looking for dinner or a clean motel or hotel. With two little one's on the road, a good goal is to minimize unpleasant surprises.

Our trip overall was very enjoyable, hopefully these tips and tricks will help avoid the surprises and pitfalls!