Traveling with kids can be a harrowing experience. Over the last few years
we have traveled by car numerous times since all of our family lives about
five hours away. I remember one trip coming home after Christmas. It was
snowing so our usual five-hour trip took seven. Add to that my son crying
for an hour because he already missed his cousin, both of my daughters
each crying for an hour because they were tired of traveling, and my
husband threatening to just drive off the road, to say the least it was
not a pleasant journey. But usually with the right preparation our car
traveling with kids isn’t so bad.
With young children time your trip for when your children will sleep, unless
your child doesn’t sleep well in the car. My sister likes to get up early
and travel so her kids sleep the first few hours of the trip. I like to
sleep in. So I usually leave after lunch, which gives me at least an hour
when my children will sleep. For older children make sure they are well
rested before leaving, this will cut down on restlessness during the drive.
Make sure you bring plenty of things to eat and drink while traveling with
kids. I always pack crackers, licorice (our trip staple), and put my kids
drinks in containers that won’t spill. I also usually pack a few emergency
treats (candy or fruit snacks) that I can bring out when my kids are crying
or just tired of driving. If you are driving during a mealtime stop and eat
or pack a lunch. Both parents and children get irritable when hungry.
Bring plenty of things to entertain your children. DVD players are popular
but if you are like me and don’t have one then you have to resort to other
items. I bring lots of books. Drawing materials are also essential. Just make
sure you have plenty of crayons or colored pencils to make up for the ones that
will inevitably fall on the floor. Items like game consoles or leap pads can also
provide entertainment, as long as the sound is turned down low. You can also get
a book on CD from your local library and listen to it while driving. When my
kids were younger I would get books for myself to listen to while driving. For
babies attach toys to their car seat with ribbon or string. You could also
place pictures for them to look at on the car seat. Make sure that you have
some way to shade their faces from the sun.
I like to play games with my kids when we travel. In the book, Are
We There Yet? Travel Games For Kids, by Richard Salter he suggests
some fun travel games that families can play together.
Play “I Spy.” Use colors or letters or the alphabet as a
clue to help others guess what you saw. Just make sure that it
isn’t going to disappear before someone has a chance to guess
what you spied.
Find a certain number of vehicles in a
certain color. Take turns choosing the color.
Write down all of the different state license
plates that you see. As a kid we played this while driving to
California and saw platets from almost all 50 states.
Choose a specific type of vehicle (truck, motor
home, bus, semi, mini-van) and count how many times you see that type of
vehicle on the road.
Whatever you do remember that driving with your children won’t
last forever because pretty soon they will be driving
themselves.
