What do you like to bring on a road trip with children?

Question

We are taking a long road trip (about 15 hours drive) with a 4 year old and 1 and a half year old.

Answer 1

Good ideas here... but I don't think I'd bring crayons.  They will melt in a hot car when you stop for meals or overnight.  Washable markers work well.  I used to bring lots of fun music for my son and I to sing along.  We played "I spy with my little eye", and looked for things along the way that began with each letter of the alphabet.  Have a great time!

Answer 2

-buy them a few small toys they've never seen before and give it to them while your in the car. or better yet have a "surprise bag" (a paperbag with stickers, and other small things they'll enjoy. maybe even a few snacks) the excitment of having a new toy to play with should keep them busy for awhile longer than with a toy they've played with a lot in the past.

-a comfort item (blanket, teddy, etc.)

-coloring book.

-portable dvd player & dvds.

-make "travel tickets" ahead of time and everytime you reach a milestone in your trip (example: when youve arrived in a new state) have them hand you a ticket (youll need to make as many tickets as there are states your going through.) when the tickets are gone, you've arrived!

-etcha sketch or madna doodles.

-you can also always ask lots of questions (example: what color is that car, where do you think that family is going? etc.)

you should also be sure to stop a lot along the way. look up ahead of time special attractions in the states you'll be driving through. this should help break up the trip and make it more fun for you and the kids.

good luck, and have fun!

Answer 3

Bring plenty of not messy snacks. So crackers might be good even though they are crumby, but applesauce would be bad because you can't just vacuum up a sauce stain. Fruit is also good. You may also want some meal type things such as lunch meat and bread, because the kids may need to eat a meal 6 times a day and you only want to stop for meals 2 or 3 times a day.

Bring a portable DVD player if one is not attached to your car. Bring a few DVDs from home that you know they love. Also bring a few new ones that you think they will like.

Bring 2 coloring books and 2 packs of crayons. If you make them share, there WILL be fights and thats just not something you want to happen on the road.

Bring each child a blanket and a small pillow for the car as they will fall asleep. One of those neck pillows would be best for the little guy, so his head doesn't flop to the side.

Bring each child a bag of toys from home. Put these toys away a week or two before you leave for the trip, so they will seem new to them in the car. Be sure not to hide their favorite toy though, or you will have melt downs. Chances are if it's their favorite, they will still like it in the car. Buy a few new toys for each child, wrap them up and keep them up by you and hand them out in intervals as melt downs begin.

Remember to save some tricks for the way home too.

For snacks, things like goldfish, teddy grahams, and cheerios can be fun for little ones to eat so they will take longer to eat them. Also things that they can dip like those little crackers with cheese are fun for little guys. They aren't very good for you, but what is one day going to hurt? My kids are very healthy eaters, but while traveling I allow unhealthy snacks and fast food. If you go to a fast food place like McDonald's, get them each a happy meal. This way, they each get a toy. Plus it makes them feel grown up to get their own meal.

Stop at parks along the way every once in a while so the kids can run around. Make sure to have a few things on hand that they can play with outside such as bubbles, a ball, and a frisbee. This would also be a good time to have a picnic. You can pick up things to eat at a grocery store and make a little picnic.

If you have run out of tricks and your kids won't stop crying and complaining, stop at the nearest Walmart or Target, run in while your husband stays with the kids in the car, and grab a toy for each of them. It's cheap and those stores are everywhere. If you see a snack or drink they would like while in there, grab that as well.

Be sure to have plenty of drinks on hand such as 100% juice boxes, small bottles of water, small bottles of milk, and other things.

Remember to bring a cooler for all of your drinks and food. You can either fill it up with ice at the hotels and buy ice at gas stations or buy a plug-in cooler.

I could go on and on, but that pretty much covers your bases. Have fun and good luck!

Answer 4

I would bring, lots of paper and crayons, plenty of snacks and drinks for them, they can bring their favorite toy and one other, and if you have a portable dvd player for the 4 year old that always distracts them for a couple hours but I know not everyone has those.  As for the one and 1/2 year old that is a little trickier just being a bunch of the things she loves at home, they might also really like the scenary while driving so if you see something interesting like a cow or wildlife point it out, they will love it!

Answer 5

One trick I learned is to "wrap" toys, snacks, ecxetra in tissue paper or the like so that it takes them time to unwrap it..plus then it seems like a big "suprise" so they play with them longer. Crayola makes these markers that only color on a certain type of paper, and those are pretty cool too. I think your four year old will be fine....good luck with the baby!!

Answer 6

DVD player, crayons and paper