With summer almost here (yay!) we’re looking forward to road trip season in which many families, like mine, are packing up our cars for short jaunts or long rides together. Of course if you’ve ever taken a road trip with kids, you know that even a quick hop to a nearby beach can be an ordeal.
Especially if you’re stuck alternating between driver, referee and food server the whole time.
Good news! I’ve taken lots of road trips with lots of kids (I have four myself) and I can firmly attest that small changes make a big difference on a road trip. And our latest sponsor good2grow certainly knows a lot about that too. Their juices are staples for us, because they never have any added sugars, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
(You can probably recognize their bottles, which feature those cool character tops. Seriously, my kids beg for them, because, Star Wars! Frozen!)
So, on their behalf, I’m sharing my 5 of my own very best road trip tips that are so simple, you’ll be amazed at how they really can make the car experience so much more enjoyable for all of you.
Don’t miss an awesome giveaway just for Cool Mom Picks readers. 5 of you will win!
– Details below –
1. Let the kids pack their own car bags or backpacks.
In my home, a car bag or backpack does not include essentials (suntan lotion, bug spray), but rather activities, games, books and other things to keep the kids busy and happy on a road trip.
While having kids pack their own can be a little risky, it’s definitely one less thing for you to worry about in those often frantic, pre-trip moments.
One way I’ve helped avoid the random keepsake music box (not kidding) from ending up in a car bag and making sure it’s packed with things that will be useful, is giving my kids a general list of what needs to be included. Like:
-Something to play with
-Something to read
-One stuffed animal
This way, the kids have some guidance, but they still maintain ownership over exactly what goes in the bag.
It’s super important to give them that autonomy, by the way. Because I have found that when you let them pack their own stuff, they’re much more inclined to keep track of it themselves. And for me, with four kids on a vacation, that’s almost a necessity.
At least, if we want to come home with the same items we left with.
2. A shoe organizer over the seat works for younger kids.
If your kids are too young to pack their own car bag or you don’t completely trust their choices (I hear you!), I love using a hanging shoe organizer over the back of the seat for all their stuff.
Just hook it over the seat, then pack the pouches full of whatever they need during the road trip, from snacks to activities and toys to wipes.
Not only does it give your kids a very specific place for everything, but a shoe bag is so accessible to them, they become self-sufficient enough not to have to ask you for everything. This way, the adults in the front seat — and especially the driver — can focus on keeping everyone safe on the road; not feeling around for a small snack bag of crackers that fell on the floor.
3. Load up on healthy snacks, because rest stop food. Need I say more?
Eating healthy on the road can be a huge challenge, but one way I’ve found I can circumvent this is to pack healthy snacks and drinks for my kids.
That said, I still have to ensure they’re not going to create a huge mess in my car. So, while I love fresh fruit and juice boxes in general, I don’t pack them on road trips because there’s no way I can deal with seeds, spills, and eight sticky hands while I’m driving.
I also try to pack foods loaded with protein, so our insulated food bag tends to be full of cheeses, yogurt pouches, and beef jerky. This way, my kids can fill up on healthy snacks so we don’t have to pull over and have an overpriced meal to stave off the munchies.
Or if we are on a longer trip, we have enough provisions that we wait until we find a good, not-so-fast food option.
As for drinks, well that’s where good2grow comes in — and has saved me, multiple times.
I like that their drinks include 100% fruit juice, fruit and vegetable blends, and they’ve even got bottled water flavored with organic juice that my older kids love.
But here’s the kicker: The bottles are spill-proof.
Yes!
None of that oops, I squeezed my juice box Mom, and it all came out the straw. (Sigh.)
They’re also perfect for road trips because when we hit our destination, I can reuse the bottles throughout our entire vacation by refilling them. (Yay for dishwasher-safe!) I’ve found they’re also great as bedtime water bottles, because my kids love those characters (enough variety that they don’t fight over which one belongs to whom), and they’re small enough for their hands to grab in the middle of the night.
They happen to be recyclable too — but you’ll have to pry them from your kids’ hands first, and hey, I’d rather reuse ours as much as possible.
4. Always pack plenty of baby wipes and trash bags.
Regardless of what you pack — yes, even spill-proof juice bottles — if you’ve driven in a car with kids, then you know that some sort of mess is inevitable. And the only way to manage it is to be sure you’re prepared to clean it up.
In my experience, a pack of baby wipes is the most useful product for anything and everything you might encounter, whether it’s spilled yogurt or an emergency bathroom break. If your kids have outgrown the diaper bag stage like mine have, you probably aren’t still carrying around wipes every day, so definitely make sure to remember to stash some in the car.
Also, bring trash bags. And lots of them.
As much as I try to manage accumulating trash by using small paper bags or grocery bags from our snack runs, I’ve found that full-sized trash bags really work best. Bonus: If you’re staying in a hotel with a big family like mine, I find their trashcans are never big enough for us. Having a few of my own on hand has helped make our room neater too.
5. Ample car chargers and splitters for all devices are a must.
If you allow technology in the car, then I strongly suggest investing in a few small gadgets that will help you avoid the dread of discovering you have some dead mobile devices on hand.
First up, make sure you’ve got a good multi-gadget car charger, like my favorite, the Belkin Roadster, which features four USB ports. Just don’t forget a charging cable for each device, and you’ll always have plenty of juice. This is important even if your kids are screen-free, by the way. You definitely don’t want to be caught in a summer traffic jam, with Waze or Google Maps sucking your remaining power supply dry by the second.
Another helpful gadget for a family like mine is a headphone splitter, which comes in handy if you’ve got kids watching movies or listening to music in the back seat. After many years, the Belkin Rockstar remains our go-to splitter, and allows you to plug-in five sets of headphones to a single phone or tablet.
Just one more tip: These are all small gadgets, so I’d suggest collecting them all before you get out of the car, then stashing them in a separate pouch in the glove box when you’re not driving. This way, you know you’ll have them for the ride home too.
*****
Giveaway Alert!
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. We’ve got a good2grow prize pack up for grabs for five (5!) winners. Each prize pack will consist of one 12-bottle case of good2grow juice AND one $10 Target gift card. Whoo!
Huge thanks to our sponsor good2grow for helping parents like me feed our kids healthier — and with less mess! — whether we’re on the road, or just hanging out at home. And I have to admit, these bottles are pretty fun to collect and reuse. Just ask my kids.
Pick ME!
We live in NJ, far from all of our family in SC and GA. I always want to make our trips grub so they don’t darea going to see family. One of my favorite tips is to have a few gifts for my girls and space them throughout the trip. Sometimes they’re activities, sometimes it’s a toy, and other times it’s lipgloss. It’s always a hit!
Assigned seats are a must – no bickering over who sits where. And definitely agree about the trash bags – grocery sized bags work best for us and I collect garbage and throw out and replace at every gas stop.
I like to go to nearby places like the zoo, the city or off to the beach. Just stay over night somewhere and do something different.
My tip is to bring plenty of snacks, books and games for the road.
We’re driving from Portland Maine to Washington DC this summer. Biggest lifesaver for us: Everyone takes a bathroom/stretch break every two hours. No more accidents, no whining about needing to go at inoppotune moments, and we all stretch and run for a few minutes.
My family always travels in the middle of the night on a road trip. The highways are not crowded at all which makes it a safer choice for us.
Make sure you pack enough food and drinks for the roadtrip.
My road trip tip is to pack plenty of snacks and drinks to save time and money.
Using little containers for the kids to have snacks or fast food so it doesn’t spill and keeps it right on their lap with there drink. I got mine at the dollar store and the best part is they fit under the passenger seat for quick access. I also got fun character cups and put snack in their cups – they picked! Makes it easy for everyone!
My favorite road trip tip is to plan stops for everyone to get out and run around. It is hard for me to sit in a car for extended periods of time and I know that my kids need to run around too so we plan on it. it really does help us a lot.
If you have a child who tends to get car sick bring gallon ziploc bags, this way they can catch it, seal it, and slowly put it away without a mess (hopefully). If it works out then you’re not left cleaning vomit off of everything, especially those crevices of the car seat.
The little magnetic travel games are good that can be passed back and forth without the pieces going everywhere.
We always have a box of things in the car to keep the kids busy. There is a set of magnetic tic-tac-toe and checkers, art books, coloring books, crayons and colored pencils. There are also blankets and travel pillows, sunblock and sunglasses, and a change of clothes for both cold and warm weather, just in case. I also keep a roll of quarters, for tolls. And before we leave for a long trip, we pack a small cooler with juice bottles, water bottles, chopped fruit in small trays, and snack containers with nuts and crackers. We try to aim for mess-free foods, but my kids just really love fresh fruit and cheese and crackers, so I pack plenty of baby wipes. Bringing paper plates also helps with preventing a mess.
I like to wrap small toys in wrapping paper. Every hour is prize time! It might be a small coloring book and crayons or something they can use at our destination.
Pull ups…my 4 yr old is potty trained but is known to have accidents if she falls asleep. We try to remember to put her in a pull up for long trips where she may take a nap.
We often travel from Texas to Kansas to visit my family. The best trick I have learned is to locate to or 3 parks along the way. I don’t stop at all of them but when everyone starts getting restless I usually have one within an hour we can pull of and run at. Half an hour and even the toddler is in better spirits. I will also stop at a bakery 2 hours into the trip and let each kid pick a snack to eat later.
My tip is brings snacks and lot’s of good music
What great tips!! My favorite road trip so far is up the Southern California coast. Lots of great spots to stop at and our finally destination is usually Disneyland, so that makes it all the more fun and exciting! Hello Mickey! 🙂
My favorite road tip trip is take along plenty of snacks and things to drink, and fun things for the kids to do.
My favorite road trip is visiting sites around my area.I walk through some parks and go on a nature hike.I also like visiting the zoo.
Cookie sheets. Tray for meals, hard surface for coloring and drawing, and they’re easy to stash in seat pockets.
When you have two car sick kids all the time you always want to make sure you bring towels and washclothes and an ice cream bucket with a lid – just in case.
No stopping when kids/babies are sleeping! We try never to stop if they are asleep. We get further and enjoy the peace and quiet a little linger :).
Our boys are now 7 and 8. We’ve spent plenty of 10-hour days driving to/from the beach, two day road trips to see family, etc. They’re seasoned roadtrippers! Best tip? Plenty of books because our boys love to read!
We do 2-3 road trips a year driving to Kansas and Texas from IL. I have a road trip only box that has Melissa and Doug sticker books (reusable), Wow water coloring book, magnetic puzzles like Magnetibooks, etc. I bought a huge cookie sheet that we use for games, activities, and snacks. It has been great. So versatile.
I agree with you on the wipes! And even for short trips, we always bring a drink with some type of kid-friendly lid. Gas station choices for healthy and easily car-drinkable kids’ drinks is seriously lacking!
When our girls were small and we took road trips, you had to be prepared for everything. My best tip is to have snacks for hungry tummies, games to keep them from getting bored and a empty coffee can in case one of them gets sick.
For long road trips I wrap little toys and activities for the kids to do in the car. Some things are new, like the mess free markers and others might be things the kids haven’t seen in a while like little dolls. Half of the excitement is that they get to unwrap something! If we are driving at night, everyone has fun with glow sticks in the car! Turn on some fun music and it’s a glow party!!
My favorite road trips have always been to go camping. Since we’ve moved to another state, we have not found a new camping spot. We need to work on that!
I let my kids pack their own bags, but I also pack a plastic box of new activities I’ve picked out for them- mostly educational, fun things, and those little Melissa and Doug travel books. That way when they get really bored, I can pull out something new and exciting.
I try to take some special things that are new or only for long car treats. Special books, coloring books, a new movie or something like that
The dollar store is a great place to find fun, inexpensive crafts and games 🙂 The items that are a big hit on our out-of-town trips are saved and used again for longer in-town trips. An insulated bag packed with healthy lunch items makes for a instant picnic during a rest stop, which everyone appreciates!
Mom and Dad take take turns, sitting in back and playing a game of cards with the kiddos. Books. Map the trip before you leave and tell kiddos they are explorers. Let them collect brochures and read them along the way. They can journal, take photos and observe world around them.
My favorite road trip tip is to bring snacks,drinks,games,electronic devices,etc with you for the kids
My favorite road trip tip is to make sure to pack plenty of snacks. Eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner adds up really quickly, especially when you have multiple kids to feed.
Plan some stops along the way, where kid friendly activities are available & always bring healthy portable snacks.
Are favorite road trips are the ones to the beach. We pack up sandwiches, towels, and other basic stuff. We spend hours over there, tons of fun.
Pre plan road trips having snacks and water, having engaging educational activities for kids and planning where to stop using a map to use the bathroom and for directions.
My favorite road trip tip is keep it fun with games like I-spy. It makes it fun for you and them!
my favorite road trip was to Hersheypark with my whole family. we had so much fun walking the park and riding rides.
I always have a surprise to stick in my travel bag…something new and exciting they haven’t seen before that I can pull out for a few minutes of calm when the shine wears off what they brought..
My tip is to take window shades for the backseat windows. Our kids always sleep on a road trip and it comes in handy to block the sun from their faces.
We bring lots of blankets, pillows, snacks, fun things to do and a great playlist!
pack your own snacks and sandwiches to save from eating out
Any trip to the beach.
When my kids were younger, we used to drive during the night, to encourage them to sleep during the trip.
My favorite road trip tip is to give the kids ipods, so they listen to music and fight less.
Something i just tried for my almost 2 yr old is a portable dvd player. We don’t have a car withbuilt in tv.
be sure to pack a bag of snacks and activities to keep everyone busy.
Plan ahead to give yourself time to make sure you have everything you need before hitting the road.
Travel at night so they sleep.
My favorite road trip is to Harrison, New Jersey to see my favorite soccer team. We also stay the night so we can go to NYC the next day!
My favorite road trip tip is to bring fun car travel size games.
We love going to Michigan Lake in Indiana (reminds us of when San Diego was home). It’s about a two-hour road trip and we listen to family friendly podcasts and music along the way, the boys bring lots of books and coloring books/stickers. And tons of snacks!
my favorite road trip is in the mountains of central pa
My best tip is to bring a bag full of “new” toys. I usually stock up on cheap stuff from the dollar store and pull it out when my 2 and 4 year olds are getting bored and unruly. I usually alternate between a new toy and snacks. For super long trips, we also have a DVD player. Any port in a storm!
My tip is to just have plenty of snacks and drinks, make it a variety so less reasons to stop.
We like looking up something fun to do when passing through different states, it breaks up the trip a bit and gives us time to stretch our legs.
The Road to Hana!
We like to have small activity bags for each kid. Especially the Crayola mess-free coloring pages, felt shapes and background, pipe cleaners with an empty spice bottle, etc. We did this for plane rides as well, and it helped to pass the time!
I always packed everyone an extra large beach towel. That way they had a blanket in the car and a towel for the beach or at Grammas house
My own favorite road trip is to make individual fun boxes for each child. Put in crayons, coloring books, cards and some pencils and small pads of paper. It is like surprise boxes for them when they least expect it.
My favorite road trip would be driving to key west we live in Broward county and we don’t get to see a long beach or ocean or miles and miles so it’s always cool to spend time with family and gaze at the deep blue waters
Have kids help plan the trip to get them more involved.
Thanks for the contest.
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Don’t forget blankets and travel pillows for sleepy passengers.
traveled to Florida