Car Travel with Kids

Road Trips

I’ve talked a good bit about my travel plans for this year. So far, we’ve covered traveling with kids on an airplane. You can grab some ideas on that here. But I feel like we need to talk about car travel with kids. I know, I know, no one likes the idea. But I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks to make traveling in the car with your littles easier on everyone!

Toys for the Car

It’s really important to have lots of activities for your kids when you’re traveling. Especially in the car. But having to reach for dropped toys isn’t ideal when you need to keep two eyes on the road and two hands on the wheel. So here are some of my favorite (EASY) toys to maintain for car travel with kids:

First up is my tried-and-true LCD writing tablet. My kids absolutely love these! Another great coloring option for the car is this mess free coloring book. These are great because your kids can be creative, but you won’t get marker all over the back seat!

I also love these sensory toys and this maze board. Both of these are great for keeping the kids occupied, and practicing fine motor skills and problem solving! You can also use a busy board to accomplish both. Having plenty of options is KEY to car travel survival!

Organization

To stay organized, you can grab these back seat organizers. They’re great for holding tablets, headphones, sippy cups, and all of your small travel items. Car travel can be tough on parents, so being organized on the up-front will make everything so much easier!

Practical Items for the Car

Some of the more practical essentials are a snack spinner. I have these and love them. I just load them up with snacks before the trip so that we can just open them up and the kids won’t be hungry.

I also highly recommend getting a travel potty with disposable liners, so that when an emergency rises, there are no accidents while you’re searching for a place to stop to use the bathroom. I have two toddlers, one who is newly potty trained, so when they have to go THEY HAVE TO GO RIGHT THEN! And obviously if you have a potty, you need some wipes! Not just for potty emergencies, but just any kind of messes that could arise unexpectedly!

It’s also a great idea to have a travel seat with a tray, so that if you need to stop for a lunch break, you can keep them contained while they eat.

Comfy Car Rides

Car travel is a great time for a nap, amirite? Grabbing some kids travel pillows is smart, because it keeps their heads from flopping all over the place while they nap. We can’t have that while we’re just trying to reach our destination. And we’re definitely not trying to cut our car naps short!!!