Strollers Lab

How To Make Successful Road Trips With Toddlers

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Have you ever planned road trips with toddlers? Many people suffer anxiety to go on long road trips with toddlers. Because the infants can feel irritable due to the long journey. Even your baby may also feel sick due to the journeys. This may result in the loss of your entire family vacation.

Thinking of the problem of your child are you thinking about excluding your family vacation? You should never do it. We are going to share some nice tips here that will help you to enjoy road trips with toddlers.

Tips for successful road trips with toddlers

We’re going to discuss some effective tips here to make successful road trips with toddlers. These tips are collected from those parents who have already gathered experience on road trips with their toddlers.

1. Prepare your transport before a long road trip

Before starting the long journey, check whether your car is fit for running a long time or not. When you go on road trips with toddlers, check out all the parts of your car with an experienced person beforehand.

By this, the chance of undesired problems will be less in the path. Your family road trip will be fun. If your car is not suitable for a long trip, then it is advisable to rent a different car without taking the risk.

2. Try to drive at night

Drive tonight is most convenient if you want to go on long road trips with toddlers from my personal experience. Last summer, I did a 3-year-old daughter with a 6-hour by road. My baby feels nauseous on the journey.

Because of this, we decided to drive at night instead of during the day. The advantage is that the baby gets asleep during the whole trip and even we need not take a snack for a break, and I and my husband enjoyed companionship with each other.

3. Stay with your baby all the time

Don’t leave the baby alone for any time and for any reason. It really can be risky if you leave him/her alone in the car. Many accidents are heard due to this reason on road trips with toddlers. If you are on a family road trip you will also have family members with you.

In that case, if you go away, ask someone else to stay with your baby. Even if you want to stop for filling the gas or take a bathroom break, it is not right to keep the child alone in the car. If you have no one to look after the baby then you should take him with you.

4. Check the car seat before use

The car seat should be arranged for your child before going on road trips with toddlers. If the journey is long, the baby will not feel comfortable in the regular seat of the car.

Take the help of an experienced technician to set your seat properly in your car. You can also learn how to set up a children’s car seat from the technician. If needed, you can also fix the seat as demand.

5. Don’t forget to take the first aid box

Not only is it necessary to keep a first aid box at the time of road trips with toddlers. It is important to keep it with you wherever you go with your baby. Even if you are flying with a baby, do not forget to take the first aid box.

Getting hurt by stumbling, knee-elbow hitting, allergic problems, cold-flu, these are very normal for babies. So if you have some expertise in First Aid, then you can solve the problem easily if you need it during the journey.

6. Take some toys also

Whether you travel by day or night, it is very normal for a baby to wake up. In that case, do not forget to keep some toys with you to keep the baby busy. In my opinion, this is one of the most important products in your road trips with a toddler’s checklist. Give emphasis on those toys that your child likes to play usually during the toy selection.

Take some of his favorite books. Try to take such kinds of toys that can engage your baby for a long time such as video games, baby DVD players, etc. Toddler generally loves to play with such toys.

7. Take some comfort item

Family vacations mean spending some time away from home in comfort. There is no doubt that this vacation will inspire your mind. So away from the convenience of the house, it does not feel bad. But when you are on road trips with toddlers then the situation is a little different.

Your child may not be able to enjoy the whole trip as you leave the house comfortably. So take some things that will feel at least good or comfortable. Such as blankets, binkies, and other comfortable objects.

8. Train up your baby for toilet

It is very important for you and your baby, especially if you want to go away somewhere for a vacation with the toddler. Do not forget to take the travel potty and toilet seats if your child is potty trained completely. If he is not completely potty trained yet then keep enough diapers, disposable cloth, paper, etc. close to your hand.

9. Keep full the tank along with the stomach

Generally, it seems that the baby took a nice nap after eating on a full stomach. So you can manage the time in such a way that you start your journey just after feeding the baby, then the child will be busy with his nap and you will able to pass a long path.

You should also fill the car tank before starting your road trips with toddlers. Otherwise, there may be a problem if gas is lost on the way. Because the gas refining center may not be universally available.

10. Take a lot of snacks and water

One more easy way to keep children busy is to keep their favorite snack items in adequate amounts. If you are going for a long road trip with toddlers then take more snacks that your baby loves to eat. Take plenty of water and juice also. Don’t forget to keep some disposable paper plates, a one-time glass, and a knife also.

11. Don’t panic with babies’ tears

If the children are out of their familiar environment they may feel uneasy and cry. Along with for a long time travel they may get tired and feel sick and cry out. There is nothing to be afraid of the baby’s excessive tears.

What is the reason behind this try to find out first? Then try to remove that reason. A baby may also cry because of hunger. So check that too.

12. Take a small break from time to time

If you drive with your toddler for 3 hours or more, take a break for a short period of time instead of continuing. Get out of the car at break time, take a walk with the toddler, and pick up the selfie. Try to make the long-way journey happy and enjoyable. By this you and your toddler, no one will be tired.

13. Pack some tissue, wipes, and paper towel

At the time of the road trip with toddlers, you should pack some more things like some tissue, wipes, paper towels, etc. Many people may think that they do not need to talk about these daily necessities. But I forgot to include these small products many times when packing for our vacation. And later I miss them and understood their importance of them.

Not only are these small things, but it is also important to take a stroller for your toddler. You can see much about the best lightweight stroller for travel.

14. Choose a comfortable outfit for your toddler

During a road trip with toddlers for a long time, it is important to have comfortable clothes for the baby. Otherwise, the child may feel uneasy and in a short time, he will feel disturbed. Not only that, take one more set of comfortable clothes for your toddler. If necessary, you can change the baby’s clothes in the car.

15. Set a backup plan in advance

Take one or two such items that you would not like to allow get your baby but which can make him calm within a few minutes. For example, my 30-month-old daughter loves to watch rhymes on a tablet and she becomes calm during watching her favorite rhyme. But usually, I don’t allow her to watch something on the tab.

Road trips with toddlers are undoubtedly a difficult task, but following the above-discussed tips, you can enjoy a pleasant tour with your family.

Tips to keep them healthy after long road trips with toddlers

After long road trips with toddlers, it is a challenging issue to keep them healthy and active. For having a long road trip, if your toddler becomes sick after reaching your destination, then not only your enjoyment of vacation will lose but also your kid may become sicker at your return time. So, follow the bellow tips and keep your toddler active and healthy on your vacation.

• Choose healthy snacks:
  During vacation, most of the time children’s first choices of food are various types of snacks. So you should choose your child’s snacks with intelligence. Try to feed homemade to your baby. He will be safe from various bowel diseases.
• Make a nice schedule of sleep:
  During the trip, you and your family members spend time busy in the daytime. But it is important for everyone to have a nice sleep at night to overcome fatigue all day long. So every day should go to sleep according to a specific time. If your toddler is under the age of 6, then you should maintain his usual nap time along with bedtime.
• Choose the local meal:
  If you are traveling abroad, encourage children to take the local food instead of the usual junk food. Various studies have found that local foods are far healthier than many fast foods such as fried chicken, and pizzas.
• Try to stay away from the sun:
  From 10 am to 3 pm, the sun’s heat is high in different open spots like Sea beach. If you want to go out with your baby at this time, use sunscreen and keep him covered with sun-protected hats. Sunburn can be very painful for your baby, so apply the sunscreen again every 2 to 3 hours.
• Carry first aid box all time:
  Just do not have to use sunscreen, keep the Fast-Aid box in order to avoid excessive loss due to unexpected accidents. If you carry your first aid box, then you will be able to give a treat when the baby gets a small wound during play. Smaller injuries cannot be bigger if you can give immediate treatment.
• Keep your safety first:
  It is necessary to maintain safety in addition to enjoying a trip anywhere. For example, do not allow your child to swim in the swimming pool alone. She/he must have to wear a life jacket that fits perfectly. You should stay with your kids during swimming and boating. If you are going hiking then don’t forget to take knee and elbow pads.

Following the above tips, hopefully, your kids and other family members will remain active and healthy after a road trip with toddlers.

Important checklist for road trips with toddlers

It is important to have everything you need for your child to have a comfortable trip. But during packing, we forget the many useful things because we don’t make a checklist in advance. So for your convenience, we have a checklist of potentially necessary materials to go on road trips with toddlers. You can do your packing work by reconditioning it.

• Diaper with a diaper bag
• Changing pads
• Wipes and tissue
• Plastic bags
• Blankets
• First aid box
• Hand sanitizer
• Small bottles of all toiletries item
• Toothbrush and toothpaste for The toddler
• Small toys and books
• Toddler’s extra comfortable outfit
• Outerwear and bathing suit
• Sippy cup and water bottle
• Sun protection hat and sunscreen
• Lightweight travel stroller and car seat
• Socket protectors
• Laundry soap
• Nail Cutter
• Portable crib
• Travel pillow

Packing Tips for road trips with toddlers

• Divide your checklist into two parts: staff to pack from home and Product that has to buy.
• Start packing from few days before travel day.
• Keep a small empty box in your bag. You can use it for taking leftover food at a restaurant break if your toddler doesn’t take food enough.
• Cross-match the essential gadget list before leaving the home like camera, phone, socket protectors, phone charger, etc.
• Pack the liquid goods in a plastic bag. Such as toiletries bottles, water, etc.
• Keep a comfortable extra outfit in your handbag. It may need, in case.

Don’t miss our: International travel packing list guide.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you are going on road trips with toddlers, some common questions may arise in your mind. Here I’ve listed such kind of some common questions with suitable answers which you may ask.

How can I keep engaging my toddler during travel?

You can take some small toys and favorite books to keep engaging your toddler.

Which stroller will be best for my baby?

Any lightweight collapsible or easily foldable stroller will be best for your baby.

Which time will be best for the road trip with toddlers?

It will be better to choose your toddler’s sleep or nap time for travel.

Warnings for road trips with toddlers

• Don’t forget to consult with your pediatrician before starting to travel. Make sure to follow the instruction (if any) from your end and the other family members.
• Don’t forget to do wide research on the road plan and the destination. If the weather is not completely friendly for your toddler then you should postpone the trip.
• Check the car seat perfectly before starting the journey. If it is not enough comfortable then replace it immediately.
• Give special attention to packing snacks and food. Remove all foods that cause your baby’s allergies or other problems. Many foods can be vomiting the baby. It’s also important to exclude them from the list.
• Never ever leave your baby alone in a car during taking a break from driving.

Bottom line

Perfect planning for road trips with toddlers can make your travel successful and allow you to collect a lot of sweet memory. Just follow our tips for road trips with toddlers and related instructions and make your family vacation just wonderful. Store a lot of loveable memory in a frame with your toddler and family and enjoy it for lifelong.