I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Hi There Friends!
We have taken a rather insane road trip every year for the last 7 summers. I am writing this blog on day 4 of this year’s trip which is our shortest in a long time.
When we first started our road trip it was with a drive to Oregon to visit my Dad. Patrick had jumped off the stairs in the front yard and sprained his ankle just one day before we headed out so he was in a boot and Riley was 3 and while it was very clear to us that something about the world just didn’t work for her, we had no idea what it was at that point.
On that road trip it was me, my awesome nanny Erika (a former student with awesome levels of patience), and the kids. On that trip we learned the benefit of tip #1.
Tip #1 – ALWAYS bring car food . . . never bring bananas.
Kids in cars are hungry. Mostly they are bored, we will talk more about that in a bit, but when they can’t move, they will want to eat. Food that can be eaten in the car has to meet some very specific qualifications that have been perfected over the years.
- Car foods should not melt. If it melts it will not be useful in the car, it will be gross and messy and result in crying.
- Car foods should not have a strong smell. The smells you are trapped in a car with will last forever, I still can’t handle the smell of bananas and it has been 7 years. Seriously, no bananas, ever.
- Car foods should be easily handled by the children in question. Nothing with complicated wrappers or too small where it is dropped frequently, etc.
- Car foods should not be sugary. No one needs a hyper kid strapped into the carseat just vibrating to be freed as they try to navigate a highway in unfamiliar territory.
Tip #2 – Hydration – Do it even though it means more bathroom stops!
While having some healthy snacks on hand that your kids will eat is important, having a plan for proper hydration is vital. A dehydrated kid is a seriously unhappy kid who is more likely to have breakdowns both in health and behavior. Remembering and planning for that is really important! Plus, bathroom stops can be a good opportunity for movement and adventure! You never know what you will find when you need to find a restroom quickly! Some things to keep in mind:
- Being hydrated isn’t just drinking water. Water should be rotated with something containing electrolytes in order to stay properly hydrated.
- Soda and juice count, but not really. The sugar in both soda and juice requires water to process and that means that your body isn’t really getting the liquid it needs to run vital processes, so keep sugary drinks to a minimum if possible.
- Consider buying a bulk container of water bottles and keeping them in the trunk, that way there is always water. It will be warm if you are driving in warm months but warm water is easier for your body to absorb anyway!
- Pack a cooler or insulated bag with your family’s favorite healthy hydration options like Body Armor or Vitamin Water Zero/VitaRain for our family. Get some instant cold packs and throw a couple in each day to keep drinks from getting too warm.
Tip #3 – Entertainment – variety and multiple options save the day!
I have no idea how my parents did it, but for me, survival of a crazy road trip (sometimes we have been gone 20+ days) is making sure I have thought about how my kiddos will be entertained. Some of the things I have found helpful have changed over the years due to the development of new technology/network abilities, but these are the things we still don’t leave home without.
- Headphones for everyone! There are times when you just don’t want to talk to these people anymore and you don’t want to listen to their music and you just want everyone to leave you alone! Over the years we have used some different types of headphones but when Riley was little I loved these Cozyphones! They were soft, she’d fall asleep wearing them and I could set the volume to “not ear damaging” levels.
- Visual Entertainment – When I first started road tripping this was literally a DVD player that I put onto the back of the drivers seat for Patrick to watch as we drove from Granby to Denver or Steamboat to visit friends. Then it was me uploading movies onto an ipad for Riley and changing them out at night because only one would fit. These days Riley uses our Amazon Prime/Netflix accounts and arranges for things she’d like to watch offline and sets up her own ipad and that is only used when there is no cell service . . . which is more often on West bound trips than on East bound trips. When there is data it’s more YouTube and TickTock. Patrick literally plugs in his computer in the back and plays Mindcraft this year . . . last year it was Fortnight. having a good car adapter is vital – this is the one we have used the last three years.
- Phone games – There have been years when the kids and I played PokeMonGo across the country and this year it is Harry Potter Wizards Unite. These games are fun because ALMOST everywhere we stop we can catch something or do something . . . there have been times we have even taken some odd detours in order to catch something rare. It is something fun we can all do together when we aren’t speeding down the highway. Even when we are on the road, phone games like puzzles, etc. can be entertaining and occupying.
- Car games from the “olden days”. Sometimes it’s still fun to play the alphabet game, the license plate game, “I Spy”, or sing songs together. Those times with no cell service are prime times for these kinds of distractions and while it can feel “inconvenient” when it happens, these are some of the most fun memories over the years.
- Car Karaoke/Dance Parties – When you are getting to be a drowsy driver and the kids are tired of doing this sitting in the car thing, there is nothing better than some over the top car karaoke/dance parties. Turn the music up, sing loud, seat dance and get yourself and the kids moving, even a little! It can be really helpful during that last hour of a long driving day when you just need to stick with it to get there!
Tip #4 – Audiobooks – fun to listen to and might even quiet the questions for a few minutes . . .
I am all about the audiobooks. This is something that started with my Dad, I still remember listening to books on the way to Iowa and back when I was a teen and the selection and range of interests since then has only improved. Between services like Audible and even downloads available from your local library you can find some awesome audiobooks to listen to with your kids. On Audible, there is a free trial and I find I save a lot of money with the Gold Membership that gives me credits each month since I use my Audible a LOT!
The other thing about audiobooks that I discovered is a secret. While my kids will 100% talk through whatever music is on, they don’t interrupt the audiobook nearly as much! So, if you have answered your 500th query about when you will get there or why we are still in the car, maybe a good audiobook will save your sanity like it has saved mine over the years. Here are a couple of my favorite series from over the years with fun stories and good narrators that catch kiddos attention!
- Harry Potter – We have listened to all 7 books multiple times over the years and the miles and I still love every minute of it . . .
- Artimis Fowl – This fantasy series is less well known although with a movie coming out of the first book I suspect that won’t be true forever. These books have lots of action and adventure and a great, strong, female character in Holly!
- 39 Clues – These books are fun and have some really fun geography and history built in that the teacher in my LOVES. The characters are a young brother and sister and the series is written by a bunch of different authors so sometimes it takes seriously unexpected directions that make it fun to listen to even for the adults in the car.
- Disney Descendants – Did you know that there are books that not only go along with the stories told in the movies but ones that happen in between? My Disney girl really enjoyed getting the “secret” info on what happened between the movies and we are waiting impatiently for the next movie.
Tip #5 – Prep your first aid kit – you probably won’t need it, but if you aren’t ready, you will definitely need it . . .
Having a first aid kit, or as it’s known in my world, a “Med Bag” is important for all parents, but especially for those with medical issues like our family. While our “Med Bag” has included a WIDE range of things over the years, here are the things I don’t ever head out without.
- Pill organizers with pills already in them for however long we are going to be gone. Trying to take ALL the pill bottles with us is INSANE, so I just sit down and put the medications into pill containers (buying extra if needed) so that I just have the already dosed out meds to hand out each morning. This also lets me know if we are going to run out of anything along the way and allows me to prepare for that and make appropriate plans!
- Something for muscle stiffness/aches and pains. We use Doterra’s Deep Blue the most these days so we always have that one in the bag along with Patrick’s ketamine compound cream (prescription) to help us survive the challenges of long days in the car.
- Dramamine! You never know when a case of car sickness is going to hit, whether it is the kids version for younger kiddos or the regular version for the older ones, I always have this on hand just in case. We have tried natural things over the years including peppermint gum and ginger candies and while both are helpful if caught in time, dramamine is my backup with Scopolamine Patches (prescription) in the bag as well just in case.
- Antihistamines – I always bring Zyrtec, Zantac, and topical Benedryl as they are ones that are a part of our lives anyway but you never know when you are going to run into something that flares up an allergy. From mosquito bites to sunburn to unfamiliar plants or detergents used in hotels, being prepared to settle things back down is of vital importance!
- Bandaids/Antibacterial Cream or Foam – This one is pretty typical but you’d be surprised how many times we have wound up out of bandaids when we needed them! Falls and incidents happen on adventures, so I always make sure we are fully stocked on these basic essentials before we head out.
- Kinesio tape – As an EDS family we tend to fall apart and you can’t carry a brace for every area on every trip, it would require a whole additional bag! So KT tape is always a part of my list. With KT tape I can support just about every joint and the spine so if something is hurting, gets out of alignment, or subluxes/dislocates as we go along our adventure I can quickly find a video and tape it up to provide temporary support.
- Oska – This one is a PEMF device that I will talk more about in other posts, however, if you are someone like me that experiences feet/ankle swelling when you are driving a lot, this one is a tool you might consider if you are going to do a bunch of driving. For me it means the difference between feet that have Patrick looking up “Can feet explode” on his phone to being able to wear my shoes the whole vacation without any trouble or compression socks.
The level of work that goes into planning a road trip, whether it is a simple one like that first one or a more complicated one including multiple meet ups in multiple cities/states like they are now, is a bit like battle strategy and while these tips aren’t all of what is needed, they are a good start!
What are your favorite tips for surviving a road trip with kids?
Look forward to hearing from you!
Love Always, Meg
