These are our top 10 tips for long road trips with toddlers! From Texas to Colorado and Tennessee and across the United Kingdom, we've done some pretty epic roadtrips with our kids. These tips have helped us and our littles maintain our sanity and make the most of a long journey.
What do we mean by a "long" road trip?
I typically consider anything over 7 hours to be a "long" road trip, though I know what might feel long varies from family to family.
These tips are especially useful for planning a road trip from 10-15 hours.
Jump to:
- 1. Leave early (and we mean VERY early).
- 2. Plan your itinerary according to your kids needs.
- 3. Pack a LOT of healthy snacks and meals, along with a few treats.
- 4. Opt for picnics over restaurants.
- 5. Plan at least one reasonably long stop before nap time.
- 6. Load up their tablets and devices.
- 7. Bring a good selection of non-screen games and toys.
- 8. Pack for anything and everything.
- 9. Don't test their limits too much.
- 10. Give grace to your toddler and yourself.
1. Leave early (and we mean VERY early).
Our favorite time to leave for a long road trip is around 4am/4:30am. We pack up the car and a cooler with drinks and snacks the night before. That way on the day of travel we simply get out of bed, change clothes, make a cup of coffee and hit the road.
We don't wake the kids up a minute before it's time to leave, transferring them in their PJs directly from their beds to their carseats and tucking them in with a blanket and their lovey.
We understand that every child is different, but every time we have done this with our kids they fall right back asleep. Depending on what time your kids normally get up you can knock out 2-3 hours of the journey before they even wake up. As an added bonus you get to see a beautiful sunrise and drive on traffic free roads, which is a great way to start a journey.
For a 10 hour drive, even if you add an extra 3 hours for stops, you can still get to your destination by dinner time.
Why we don't recommend driving overnight.
Another popular option is to start the drive around your kiddos bedtime and drive through the night, with the adults taking the driving in shifts. I know this works well for some people but it's definitely not our favorite way to road trip. Neither of us sleep well in the car and we don't particularly like driving at night, particularly through rural areas which are not well lit. There's also the added risk of something happening to the car and not being able to get it serviced immediately, as well as missing the beautiful views which are part of the joy of road tripping!
2. Plan your itinerary according to your kids needs.
You know your kids. You know what time your kids get hungry, their favorite foods, when they nap, when they get fussy, what fills their cup, etc. Keep this in mind as you plan out your drive time and stops. Just because you're in travel mode doesn't mean that your kids won't expect some semblance of normality in their daily routine.
For example, don't plan to stop at a museum or road side attraction 30 minutes into their nap time. Don't push their meals out much further than they would regularly have them. Basically try to make them feel as comfortable and on-schedule as possible within the bounds of your travel.
3. Pack a LOT of healthy snacks and meals, along with a few treats.
My kids seem to devour road trips snacks at an unprecedented rate (to be honest so do their parents). Pack more than you think you need. And then throw in a few more things.
Make sure the majority of what you are packing are healthy, filling snacks and meals that you know you and your kids like. This is not the time to try something new. The standard fare is totally fine.
Bring some sweets and treats but reserve them for when you feel like the mood is shifting or your toddler needs a distraction. You definitely don't want to be plowing them with sugar when they're stuck in a car all day but sometimes a little treat is all that's needed to brighten up a cranky toddler's journey.
4. Opt for picnics over restaurants.
The last thing you want to do with a cranky toddler that's been in a car for hours on end is take them into a restaurant and ask them to sit still and behave for another hour.
This is why we love stopping for a picnic. If you can work out you itinerary to stop by a playground or rest area around meal time this is ideal. The kids can run around and get their wiggles out. You, the parent, get to stretch your legs and get some fresh air AND you save money on food.
5. Plan at least one reasonably long stop before nap time.
We highly recommend planning at least one prolonged stop before nap before nap time. This could be a picnic lunch at a park (as suggested above). Another option we love is when we can find a children's museum or activity center that we can stop at before our kids' nap time. Let them play hard for an hour or two so that by the time you get back in the car they are worn out and likely to fall asleep.
6. Load up their tablets and devices.
We once made the mistake of bringing our kids tablets on a long road trip only to realize that we hadn't actually downloaded any of their favorite movies or games. Without access to strong wifi (our hotspots weren't cutting it on the rural drive), we couldn't get to their favorite options and tempers flared.
The Key Takeaway: Always download their favorite movies, shows and games and make sure the tablets are fully charged.
A little word of warning {the dreaded car sickness}.
Just like adults, some toddlers and kids are more prone to car sickness than others. If your kiddos says they don't feel well or looks a little woozy take that screen away. Ask them to breath deeply while looking out the window and get a sick bag ready.
7. Bring a good selection of non-screen games and toys.
Unlike a 7 or 8 year old (who we've found can entertain themselves on a screen for hours on end), toddlers tend to get bored of their tablets relatively quickly. We recommend bringing an assortment of other non-screen games that you can switch out when they're over the screens.
Coloring books and crowns can go a long way but they can make a mess (we bring them anyways).
Recommendations:
Our toddlers absolutely love these toys on the go.
- Melissa & Doug Water Wow! Activity Pads
- KOKODI Toddler Doodle Board
- Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Play Set
- BUNMO Sensory Pop Tubes
8. Pack for anything and everything.
We are big advocates of the "fail to prepare, prepare to fail" mentality. You never know what can happen on a road trip with littles so pack accordingly.
Some recommended items are:
- Sick bags: Kids get carsick just like adults so it's good to have a few handy.
- Extra changes of clothes: You probably already have these packed away in the suit case but it's good to have some handy for accidents and quick changes.
- Stocked first aid kit and children's medicine: I recommend purchasing a pretty robust first aid kit to have in the car for long road trips. You'll also want to have the basics on handy such as bandaids, antiseptic, antibiotic cream, steroid cream, children's tylenol/motrin, etc.
- Extra water and food: Just in case you're stuck in traffic or have a breakdown, it's great to have some extra supplies.
Most importantly... Bring LOTS of freezer size PLASTIC BAGS.
I know that these are not the most environmentally friendly option but I cannot tell you the number of times a freezer size plastic bag has gotten me out of pinch.
They are great on the go sick bags when you have no other options and perfect for storing away soiled clothes without stinking up the car. You can put dirty diapers in them if you had to stop and didn't have access to a trash can and they're great to store small toys and other items.
9. Don't test their limits too much.
I know there are some people (I'm looking at you dad) who love the challenge of driving the full 17 hour road trip in one day with as few stops as possible. We do not recommend this tactic with toddlers. Personally, I think the farthest you can get with reasonable results is about 10 hours, adding an additional 2-3 hours (or more) for stopovers.
If you leave at our recommend 4:30am this will get you to your first destination by dinner time. You can check into your lodging, have a nice meal and relax. If you have further to go get up again and repeat but don't try to fit everything into one day.
10. Give grace to your toddler and yourself.
Asking busy toddlers to sit in a car all day can be tough on your kids and yourself. The key is to not expect perfection and to remain calm and steady, even when your toddler is on the edge.
If one parent needs to sit in the backseat for an hour to sing a kid to sleep, that's fine. If you need put on headphones and just let them whine for half an hour that's fine too.
The trip you're taking and the experiences and memories that come it are worth a little struggle now and then. Fits and tantrums are temporary and I can promise you that despite the challenges we have never once regretted taking our kids on a road trip.
We hope these tips for a long road trip with your toddlers help make your next trip more enjoyable and fullfilling!