Tomorrow is the day- the day we leave for our cross country road trip. My father-in-law flew down to drive with me and our three kids from Tampa to Texas. Let me tell you the 10 simple steps I took to prepare us for our 16-hour road trip with three, 3 and under.
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1. Completely cleaned the car
Last week, I emptied every nook and cranny of our van. Including the the center consul and the glove box. I also choose to use this opportunity to wash the car seat covers and clean the seats themselves. I haven’t done this in about a year- they were pretty gross. Afterwards, I took the van through a car wash that has industrial vacuums included.
Once I washed and vacuumed the car, I wiped down all the surfaces. For me, this meant using a squirt bottle and a mixture of water and our absolute favorite baby soap and a kitchen towel to get it squeaky clean. After cleaning, I used a mixture of fractionated coconut oil and orange essential oil to polish the surfaces.
I bought a simple salt shaker and filled it with a combination of baking soda and orange essential oil and placed it in the drivers side door for a natural air freshener. The car looks (and smells) so amazing. I feel more confident knowing we are going to start our trip with a clean space.
2. Went shopping for cheap entertainment
I don’t know about your kids but mine have a tendency to leave toys behind. Since our trip is long, I wanted the kids to have something fun to do while we travel, that would not be the end of the world if we lost.
I went to the Dollar Tree, Target dollar aisle, and Wal-Mart and was able to come up with some inexpensive games that I could make at home for the trip.
I was also able to pick up items that I think will be invaluable like this lap table our twins can use to color and eat on during our 16-hour drive.
3. Used the inexpensive items I picked up to make car toy tins
I know, I know! I said this was 10 SIMPLE things. However, I promise making the toy tins was one of my favorite parts of prep for this trip. I thoroughly enjoy making educational items that my kids can use to stay busy and engaged their minds.
I will have a free how to coming VERY soon that includes shopping lists and step-by-step instructions on making the toy tins.
4. Packed our lunch and beverage cooler
One of the things that our family does on road trips is eats out of a cooler for breakfast and lunch. When you are traveling with five people on a budget, stopping for every meal is just too expensive.
Our lunch cooler usually has pre-sliced salami and cheese, everyone’s favorite drinks, and some fruit. Our lunches usually consist of “little kid charcuterie” – or meat, cheese, crackers, and fruit. My kids associate this meal with family movie nights in our carpeted living room. It is one of the only times they are allowed food in this room so its a sweet treat for them.
We typically do a quick stop to create the lunch plates. This usually coincides with a gas stop. We drive for another hour or so then stop to let everyone get out of the car, use the restroom, and stretch their legs. We have found that eating meals in the car helps pass the time for our toddlers. But, it does usually require an adult to be sitting in the backseat with them.
5. Packed snackle boxes
I think almost everyone is familiar with “snackle” boxes. It is snacks packed into a tackle box. My kids love novelty when it comes to their food. On our trips, we use snackle boxes to keep them entertained.
Ours our usually filled with a mix of different types of crackers (Ritz, Goldfish, ect.), treats (marshmallows, M&Ms, sour worms), and healthy options like homemade granola or snap peas.
6. Created a playlist
Every good road trip has a great playlist. For this road trip, I wanted a playlist that mixed my favorite songs with our toddlers favorite songs.
So, will we be listening to Jingle Bells by Dolly Parton on this trip: ABSOLUTELY. One of our 3-year olds loves this song. It makes him happy in the car. I know that every time it comes on he will grin from ear to ear.
7. Packed our bags
I think there are two kinds of people in the world: those that pack a week ahead and those that pack the day they leave.
I fall into the pack ahead category. So, a few days ago I made a list and began packing. I have three categories of bags: rest stop bag, overnight bag, trip bag.
The rest stop bag is the items that we need to take into a rest stop. This includes diapers, wipes, and diaper cream for our 18 month old and changes of clothes for each of the kids. While I am not expecting any big issues, I always want to have a change of clothes for each kid in case we need it.
We will load the bags (Step 10) into the car this evening so they are ready for our 4AM departure time.
8. Prepped our kids for the trip
Toddlers need to know what is coming next. Our days are SO much smoother when we prepare the kids for the next steps. So, over the past few days I have been talking with our toddlers about our trip.
We have discussed how we will be in the car for a long time. I have told them how I made games for them. They know we will be staying in a hotel and that I have packed their favorite blankets and pillows to help them sleep. I will let you guys know if this helps them throughout the trip.
9. Plotted our trip (sort of)
I never plot exact places to stop. If the kids are traveling really well, we may continue to drive. BUT, I always have an idea of what is coming. I want to know potential places to stop along the way and where we should avoid.
For us, this means that we have a list of 4-6 cities with one or two hotels that are options for us to stay the night in. It is a lot of work to do it this way, but having this list makes me more comfortable with adjusting our plans if the kids are just done.
10. Load up
The night before our trip we load our bags into the car. This way, the only thing we have to load in the morning is the packed cooler, which we store in our extra cooler.
So, there you have it. The 10 simple steps to prepare for a road trip with toddlers. Do you have something I missed? Leave it in the comments!