Early yesterday morning we woke up, packed up the car, fed the kids, loaded them in the car and took off on a 5 hour drive to the Okanagan.
My husband came into some vacation time and we toyed with the idea of going somewhere with our 2 kids who are 2 years and 9 months old.
The idea of going on a long car ride and spending time in an unfamiliar environment freaked us out just a liiiiiittle bit.
We went on a short plane ride to see his parents but that doesn’t really count as we were staying with family.
BUT we stared fear right in the eyes and booked a hotel.
And you know what I will tell you. The road trip was not so bad after all.
Here is a list of things to take to make a car ride with small children NOT a suicide mission.
- Food: you would be amazed how long food can entertain a child. Bring a good variety so they don’t get bored and you don’t run out.
- Books: at some point they start getting a little bored and stir crazy. This Melissa and Doug coloring book is amazing. And it’s mess free. Once the page dries you go again. Amazing eh!
- Swaddle/Blankie: I swear we spent about an hour playing Peekaboo. And Sophie (the youngest) thinks it’s the most hilarious game on earth.
- Good music: Cuz who doesn’t like singing out loud on long trips? Ava’s favorite is “hello” by Adele.
- Cartoons: when all else fails, you know good-ol Disney always has your back. I’m not a big fan of letting my kids watch too much TV. But rules are meant to be broken.
We totally thought that we were going to cram all of us into one tiny hotel room, but when we got there, we got upgraded! So now the kiddies get their own room. It’s the sweetest thing watching them share a room!!
What are some of the tricks that YOU use?! I am excited to hear!!
Awesome that you went anyway despite the fear! We did a road trip to Italy for a wedding when the little guy was just 6 weeks old, i still don´t know what we were thinking ;). The trip went actually quite well but when we got there I was like OMG we still need to go back as well. For trips now the food is a biggie here, we´re big fans of those little boxes with raisins, entertains him for a good half hour to pick out those raisins one by one!
Often times I use a movie to get our son to fall asleep. It allows him to relax in the car a bit and before you know, he is out!
Thanks for sharing. Good tips as we are going on a road trip in August!!
Looks like an awesome trip! Great tips as well. Keeping littles entertained can always prove to be interesting so I enjoy hearing how other mamas successfully get through long trips.
Gorgeous photos, mama! I’m all about entertaining my girl with food. It generally works. Haha.