Road trips can be a great way to relax and disconnect from our daily routines especially in summer, but going on a car trip with your infant can be a bit more challenging. Either if you are only driving for a few hours or several days, here are some fantastic ideas of things to do, so that the ride does not only go smoothly but is also a lot of fun.
1.) While one drives, make sure that the other person sits in the back, so the baby is taken care of, from preparing bottles to changing diapers, this will avoid unnecessary stops and meltdowns. The person that sits in the back should try to sleep when the baby is sleeping, so that when it's their turn to drive, they are refreshed.
2.) Babies, as toddlers do not have a lot of patience, keep that in mind. Make sure to take regular breaks. If you are taking a shorter ride, it might be a good idea to make most of the driving during nap time.
Another good alternative, though maybe not so much for the driver, can be to do most of the driving at night. That way your baby might sleep through most of the journey and you can enjoy the day at different stops with sightseeing.
3.) Distract with fun snacks and mealtime: pack your babies favorite healthy snacks! Make sure your baby doesn't go hungry. Snacks can be: whole organic grain cereals, organic fruits chopped into bite-sized pieces.
4.) Planning is everything: Make sure you have a checklist of everything you might need for the journey, this could include: a small portable changing pad with enough diapers, bottles with formula and or breastmilk in a cooler bag or portable fridge (for more information about keeping formula cool check our article here), enough baby wipes, two or three of your child's favorite versatile toys, a bucket in case of car sickness and an extra blanket… We always have an excel with our travel essentials written down where we can add items we felt were missing on our last trip.
5.) Make it fun! After all, vacations should be all about family time. Though the actual traveling can be a bit stressful, it is also a great way to create fun memories. Play fun music that you can sing along with, make your baby laugh with fun simple games such as Peek-a-Boo can do all the difference. Other games we love to play with our little ones are:
- Bubbles: prepare the bubble formula with nontoxic and organic dish soap and keep it in a non-spill container in the car. Blowing some bubbles can calm your baby straight away! Make sure to not over-do it so it does not interfere with the driving.
- Where is your nose? If your baby is old enough, it's a fun but also teaching game to ask your baby to show you were nose, feet or other parts are.
- Puppets: All children no matter what age love puppets, bring some finger puppets and create your own little play.
- Our children LOVE picture books. Make sure to bring one or two and read it to them.
Either if you are traveling by car, van or RV, we hope these few tips will make your road trip a fun one.
What do you take on your road trip? We would love to learn from you 😊