Toddler Essentials for Family Road Trips

We moved from Atlanta to Nashville almost 6 years ago and since then have made probably 50 road trips back and forth to visit family and friends. Our drive can last anywhere between 4-7 hours depending on traffic. In addition to the road trips back home, we love making short day trips and long weekend trips. Because we have three children, I'm always mindful of making sure they are comfortable and somewhat content. After all, my happiness on a road trip really depends on their happiness.

At 11 and 12, our older two children are pretty much satisfied with a movie and snacks. Our toddler Hollis however is a completely different story.

Hollis has never been the greatest traveler. As an infant he would scream and hold his breath anytime he was put in a carseat, and that included small 10 minute trips to the grocery store. Once he was old enough to recognize the car seat, he would scream before I even got him through the car door! I dreaded going anywhere with him so for the first year of his life we limited our travel. Once he got older and started understanding the concept of the carseat a little better, we got back into our routine of travel. Even then. he still was only content for a couple of hours before I had to start pulling out my bag of tricks. Hollis is now almost 3 and we still struggle keeping him happy during the last hour of road trips. His most common request is "Mama, hold me!" which he repeats over and over and over again!

Below I've listed a few of the strategies and products that have significantly helped reduce our toddler road trip meltdowns. In my personal opinion, if you know you will be taking a variety of road tips, spend money on really good travel gear that is going to meet the needs of your toddler and the other car riders.

If you have a toddler that doesn't like to travel, driving at nap time or at night will definitely be your best course of action. Hollis now has no trouble now falling asleep in the car, but honestly we can only rely on him staying asleep maybe an hour or two at the most. The one thing that has helped tremendously is a reclining carseat. Infant seats are already in a reclined position, but as your toddler ages, the seats become more upright and sleeping can be difficult. Their head will slump down or to the side making it impossible for them to be comfortable. And I don't know about you, but I just can't stand to see their neck in that position! Neck pillows are a joke. Hollis would never let me put it on him when he was awake, and if I tried to put it on after he fell asleep he would wake up. Overall fail for toddlers! We love our Graco Slim Fit 4-in-1 carseat. I've given a full review on the Graco Slim Fit carseat which you can read here, and while there are many features I love, one of my favorites is how easily it reclines. When Hollis falls asleep, I turn around from the passenger's seat, pull a small lever underneath the base, and the seat rolls into a reclined position. Graco has a wide variety of reclining carseats to choose from depending on your individual needs.

Most kids enjoy music and Hollis is no exception. In fact I think he may have a music career in his future! Over the years we have found a few songs that keep his attention. We keep a play list on our phone and during the difficult times of the road trip these songs play on repeat! Here's a quick tip: think outside of the "Daddy Shark" box or you will go crazy, I promise!! We usually download songs that have a happy feel, but aren't overly energizing. Think acapella music or folk tunes. If you child is entertained by music, I highly suggest downloading a few songs that are calming and you can all enjoy listening to.

Distraction is a wonderful tool. I find that this is only a useful tool at the beginning of the meltdown. If they are in full meltdown mode this won't work!! When Hollis is just starting to get cranky or ask to get out of his seat, I will ask him to find something red or see if he can find the cloud in the sky. I usually steer clear of yes or no questions because let's be honest if he is given the choice between yes and no, the answer will always be no!

New toys are always fun! Instead of investing in a noisy toy or bulky item similar to other things you already own, think of items they have never seen before or usually don't get to play with. One of Hollis's favorite things is glow sticks. I get the larger ones that fit well in his hand. he loves watching the glow and the bubbles move up and down!

The name of the game is comfort. If you are traveling during the hot months, think of ways to the car a little more cool. A few of the smaller items I suggest purchasing are car shades and a portable travel fan. You may be thinking, "Um, Miranda we have A/C" and yeah, I hear ya, but I can promise the 100 degree temps here in the South can definitely cause a car to heat up quickly. The car shades will eliminate the sun coming directly into the car and the portable fan ensures there is cool air constantly blowing into the back seat.

Don't forget that sometimes kids are too over stimulated and their natural reaction is to cry. We often get too overly aggressive on trying to make them content that we are offering too much at once. If you have more than one child their actions can affect your toddlers actions too. Sometimes the best thing to do is stop the car, get your toddler out and hold them until they are content. Then take a short walk exploring some new scenery, offer a snack or a treat you know they love, and put them back into the car.

Cheers to all of your upcoming road trips! Happy Travels!

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