My Road Trip Tips With Small Kids!

My husband, George, and I love a good road trip.

This road trip love probably culminated in our two person RAAM team with Dani Grabol (we raced our bikes across the country in 8 days 2 hours and 35 minutes, but who's counting?). We had three vehicles, 11 crew, and a lot of snacks.

When the boys were born, I wondered if our road trips would continue. Yes, yes they have.

We have taken them by car to DC, Pawleys Island, Orlando, Ft. Meyers, Asheville, and more. Pretty much as soon I was well enough to travel, we were loading them up and taking them with us places.

We have learned a lot by just doing, so I thought I would share my tips. These don't always work! They might not work for your kids! But, I figured I would share anyway!

1. Be Willing to Experiment

We drove the boys from Atlanta to DC right before they turned one. It was a long trip, and we thought maybe we could get away with driving overnight. I mean, if they slept the whole time, it would be an easy trip, right? NOPE. Instead of sleeping, they cried. A lot. So, at midnight, we stopped at a hotel and slept. We had a good trip the next day.

When we go to Disney now, we like to leave really early (5:30-6:30 am). We have found that the boys will go right back to sleep in the car. We get the first few hours of the drive knocked out very easily this way. For a 6 ish our drive, this makes all the difference.

2. Try to travel with Nap Time in Mind

If your kids nap in the car, try to plan your road trip to include that nap! We have found that ours sleep really hard on the way home from a trip. That's so helpful.

3. Fill Up on Gas at Every Chance (see number 2).

I've had them fall asleep right as I was running out of gas. And then, as soon as you stop for gas they wake up. Every time. So, I've just learned to top off at any stop now!

This trip was SO easy because my brother Patrick entertained the boys the whole time!

4. SO MANY SNACKS!

This is probably obvious. But snacks. All the snacks. I like to bring a few things they don't normally get to have on a daily basis. It make it more fun and entertaining.

5. Limit the Liquids :-)

I'm not suggesting that you dehydrate anyone. BUT, I actually have to be careful about my own liquid intake! Just like the gas, I tend to finish up a huge cup of coffee as soon as my kids fall asleep!

This wasn't a road trip. It was at MoMa. With a fresh ginger latte. This picture just makes me happy because it was awesome.

6. Quick with the Stops

We have found that the faster you can get in and out of your stops, the better the road trip. We are usually pretty snappy at our stops.

7. New Entertainment

For us, this is all about the sticker books. My kids can spend a lot of time with a new sticker book!

8. Hold out Something Special Until the End

That being said, I like to save something brand new until things start to get rough.

9. Kid Playlists!

Our kids LOVE music. We can spend a lot of time singing. I resign myself to listening to the same song over and over and over if it helps pass the time!

10. A good cup!

When we road tripped to Disney with our friends, Erin brought some great Mickey plastic cups. They were new and fun and all three boys loved them. We used them for snacks, crayons, stickers, etc. It was a great addition to our road trip routine!

And look! We made it!


What are your tips and tricks?