Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
A road trip with your little ones isn’t the worst thing you will ever encounter in life, even though it might feel like it at the moment.
Small kids might not be known for their ability to sit still and behave for hours at a time, but that doesn’t make them impossible to travel with.
With a little planning and thought, you can take a successful road trip in which you will make many happy memories with your little family.
Prepare the Car
Before you go on any road trip, you have to make sure your vehicle is prepared for the miles. This means changing the oil, checking the tires, and making sure everything is in working order. It also helps to check with your insurance provider to see what kind of car insurance Colorado providers offer in terms of travel protection. Roadside assistance, flat tire help, and other assistance are good to have when you travel, especially with small children.
Pack Snacks
Nothing makes a road trip feel longer than stopping every time a little voice pipes up with a request for food. Instead of stopping for every bottle of water or juice and every request for crackers or cookies, pack them. A cooler with your kids’ favorite drinks and a box of snacks can help you tame hungry tummies and avoid unnecessary stops on your road trip.
Bring Entertainment
Entertainment is your best friend on a long car trip thanks to DVDs, tablets, and other handheld games. It also helps to bring books, coloring books, crayons, favorite toys, and other forms of entertainment your kids might enjoy. Perhaps purchasing a few new items and hiding them until you depart will keep your kids distracted and excited for a while, making your road trip start off on the right note.
Plan Your Timing
You don’t want to spend half your trip in rush hour traffic in all the major cities you’re driving through. Additionally, planning your trip around naps and bedtime can help eliminate fussiness and boredom. Do your research and consider how best to time your travel so that your kids get plenty of sleep in the car, and you don’t have to stop in traffic every time you turn around.
Long road trips with kids are a bit intimidating for parents. It can be a bit of a challenge to keep your kids entertained for hours at a time while they’re cooped up in the car, but with a few stops that include indoor playgrounds and fun activities, you can do it with ease.
| Written on 9/1/2013 by Rose McKellen. |