Going on long car rides with little kids can be a challenge but when planning and packing ahead it can make the whole trip a whole lot smoother. Today I want to share our top toddler essentials for road trips, that have made traveling with our small children a lot easier and enjoyable.
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Flying alone can be stressful for some, now add little humans to the mix that need to be fed, changed, and entertained. I was extremely nervous flying for the first time with my then three months old but have learned over the years that being prepared can definitely make a flight with one or multiple children a lot more enjoyable. While I can’t promise you for every flight to go smoothly, I’m here to share all my tips and trips for flying with young children, that have helped us over the years.
This post is all about the best tips when going on road trips with kids
7 Must Have Toddler Essentials for a Road Trip
1. Car seat travel tray
It doesn’t matter if your toddler is hungry or bored, this car seat tray does it all. It comes with tons of pockets and compartments that make it easy to organize and store crayons, snacks, and toys. It even has a cup holder and the tray itself is large enough for the kids to color, play, and eat at the same time. We even use it on the plane and it’s super easy to fold up and very lightweight to carry with you. It definitely makes long car rides a lot more enjoyable for the little ones, as they have room to read a book, color some coloring pages or watch a movie on the iPad, all while eating some snacks. I also know that back seat organizers are very popular but just don’t like that the kids can’t reach anything. The car seat tray is so much more convenient for them, as they can pretty much reach all their toys and snacks on their own, which makes the whole car ride a lot more relaxing for us parents.
2. Toddler Road Trip Activities
Activities and entertainment are one of the most important things you need to add to your road trip checklist. Toddlers have a ton of energy and sitting in a car seat for several hours without being able to get out is not very appealing.
To make the long car ride fun for them, make sure to pack a ton of different activities. I’ve listed some of our most used road trip toys that are screen-free.
Activity Book
We have a couple of different activities that we bring on every road trip and one of my daughter’s favorites is this activity book. We have collected a couple of them over the years and they are always great for entertainment while on the road. All the buttons and little toys are attached to the book so nothing falls down or gets lost.
Drawing Book Set
This reusable drawing book set includes multiple drawing pages and pens. The kids can wipe it clean and reuse the drawing pages over and over again. It is super lightweight and we also bring it to restaurants and airplane rides.
Magnetic Activity Book
My kids love this all-in-one activity book that includes dinosaur magnets, dry-erase markers, a built-in magnetic dry erase board, and several pages of activities for them to work on. I know this book is available with other themes as well, in case your kids aren’t as into dinosaurs as much as mine are.
3. Toddler Road Trip Snack Essentials
Let’s be honest, there is nothing that my toddler loves more than snacking! Bringing snacks wherever we go is essential to preventing meltdowns and I always keep some in my bag.
For a road trip, I like to bring a variety of different snacks that my toddler can pick from. The best way to pack it all up is in a container that comes with different compartments (so the carrot and crackers don’t touch).
Bento Box
We’ve been using Bento Boxes for preschool, car rides, and on the plane for a while now and are big fans. I love that it offers little compartments and it is very easy for little hands to open and close. Bento Boxes are super sturdy and leakproof. You can fit a lot of different snacks in it and I always keep some extra snacks in the front with me and refill the box every now and then. Since the kids are only eating their snacks out of the box, we can avoid random wrappers and garbage in the car.
Spill-Proof Sippy Cup
A no-spill Sippy Cup is an absolute must when traveling with little kids. We’ve gone on many car rides with many spills, followed by meltdowns over wet clothes, that I never ever leave the house without this exact sippy cup anymore. It is a bit pricey, but you will thank me later.
4. Change of clothes
Even though you packed a spill-proof sippy cup and car seat travel tray, let’s be honest, your toddler will manage to get his or her clothes dirty or wet. In this case, I like to always have a fresh outfit with me, that I can easily change my daughter into if needed.
For this reason, I always keep an extra set of clothes and laundry bags with me.
Laundry Bags
I prefer packing extra clothes in these mesh bags, so I can see who’s kids’ clothes it is. Once we do an outfit change, I can just put the dirty clothes in the bag and put them straight in the laundry once we are back home, without having to touch any of the dirty laundry.
5. Portable Potty
If your toddler is ready to use the potty, a portable potty on the road is a must to pack. I like this specific potty because it folds up in seconds and is very easy to clean.
In case your toddler is not yet ready to use a potty, don’t forget to pack a portable changing pad.
Portable Changing Pad
While public restrooms offer changing stations, I personally prefer to just change my little ones in the back of the car or somewhere where I can lay down on this changing pad and I don’t have to worry about my toddler falling off a changing station.
This one is amazing, as it is waterproof and has a wipe dispenser included, and fits in pretty much any diaper bag. The large pockets give you enough storage, for extra diapers, toys and wipes. There is a padded pillow; to keep your little one comfortable during diaper changes.
6. Toddler Headphones
While I don’t let my toddlers watch a ton of TV at home, they are allowed to watch movies on long car rides. Headphones will keep you from going crazy, as you don’t have to listen to the same songs over and over again. My kids get super excited when they get to use their headphones and look forward to it since they really don’t use them unless we are traveling.
These exact headphones also come in boy colors and are super comfortable for little heads. They are very affordable and hold up pretty well compared to other brands we’ve used in the past, which literally stopped working after the first use.
7. Motion Sickness Relief
This might not be a problem for every child, but I still wanted to include it in the essentials road trip list, because I’ve you’ve never done a long road trip with your toddler, you might not even know if your child gets motion sick after that many hours of being in a car.
My daughter who is 4 now, always had trouble with motion sickness, and we had many incidents of vomiting in the car and therefore avoided long drives until I found out about motion sickness chewable for kids. This particular brand is formulated for children 2-12 and it has been such a lifesaver! You can find these at your local pharmacy, or I usually pick them up at Target.
I hope this post was helpful and will make your next road trip with your little ones a bit easier. If you have anything that needs to be added to this list, feel free to leave a comment.
If you are looking for travel tips with kids, check out these blog posts:
{ 7 helpful tips when flying with toddlers }
{ Tips when traveling to Santorini with a Baby }
This post was all about the 7 must have essentials for road trips with toddlers.
