This past week we took a quick road trip over to Indianapolis because my husband had a work meeting. He travels for work frequently, most of the time he has to travel for extended periods of time or long distances so normally we don't get to tag along. However, this past week was different, it was just a quick 48 hour trip so it was the perfect opportunity to go as a family. The idea of checking out a new city and staying in a fancy hotel sounded exciting and a nice change of pace compared to our daily routine. Don't get me wrong I love routine and believe our daughter and family thrive in routine. I could (and probably will) write another blog post completely about our daily routine. But anyways, the thought of getting a chance to create some excitement and go on an adventure together was a welcomed one. There was only one catch- a THREE HOUR car ride to our destination.
Most days our daughter has a hard time making it 15 or 30 minutes across town. And I totally understand why she has trouble and gets fussy the longer she's in her car seat, she wants to move her little body and play. She is currently 13 months old so her gross motor skills are developing rapidly and she wants to put them into practice. So even thinking about having to travel three hours in a car with her made me anxious. I knew it was possible and others have done if before, if they can do it so can we. Here are some tricks I used on our journey that were helpful. I'll let you sort through and see what may or may not work for your family:
WHAT I FOUND HELPFUL:
Bring snacks - (if your kiddo is old enough) About half of our trip was me passing back snacks to her. I brought along teething crackers, regular crackers, cheerios, and her water. Now her car seat was covered in crumbs but I'll take that over a crying baby.
Bring an activity basket- this is just a little basket (or bag) that fits behind the drivers seat. My husband drove so placing it behind his seat allowed me to reach behind and pass her the different toys I packed. For this trip I brought small board books, soft stuffed toy, pretend car keys, Lovevery toy switchboard, cup with lid, and shaker ball. This activity basket kept her entertained for at least 30 to 45 minutes of the trip. Depending on your kiddos age the type of toys may be different, just try to pick toys they will be interested in but haven't not played with in a while.
3. Timing- Try to hit the road when it's close to your little one's nap time. Now this one can be tricky, sometimes schedules just don't allow it and you have to leave when you have to leave. But if you can, try to give them plenty of awake and activity time before it's time to go, so by the time they are in their car seat they will be tired enough to take a nap along the way. This most recent trip our daughter would not got to sleep. I think there was just too much going on and she was interested in looking out the window, but in the past she has slept for our longer trips.
Now I wish I could say our daughter did great the whole trip and was happy to sit in her car seat for a long drive, but that is not the case. About 45 minutes to an hour in she started to get restless, so we had to make a pit stop about one and a half hours into our trip. (I've read from various medical websites that kids shouldn't sit in a car seat for more than two hours, but fact check that yourself). So we stopped at a Starbucks, grabbed a coffee, and stretched our legs. I walked around Starbucks with her and let her burn some energy. Then once we got back on the road she was a little more willing to sit in her seat with all of the goodies I packed for her.
I am the type of person that tries to have the perfect plan, but as I've entered motherhood I've learned that things don't always have to be perfect. I had the ideal road trip planned in my head and tried to be prepared for any scenario but sometimes it just doesn't happen exactly as planned. All I can do is be prepared as possible and internally know that stuff comes up. Kids are figuring out the world around them and aren't throwing a fit in the back seat because they are "being bad". For our daughter, she wants to move and practice walking for example, she isn't upset because she intentionally wants to get under our skin. This road trip isn't part of our daily routine and she is learning to go with the flow so that may mean there are some tears along the way.
Overall, the destination is worth the journey. We had a great time exploring a new city and learning through experiences. We went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum, we explored a new park, and got to experience all of it together. We also learned that road trips with a toddler are possible.
Have you taken a road trip with your baby or toddler? Visit the EMAIL ME section and tell me all about it and what worked for you. If you have any questions you can also send them to me there.
Until next time!
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