I remember the first time I took a road trip with my oldest when she was 2 years old. I was so stressed out about the thought of keeping her occupied for the three and a half-hour drive that I brought at least thirty toys and books with me and probably a least a dozen snacks. She went through the toys and books in probably thirty minutes and I tried recycling them again and she just wasn’t having it. But she did great just looking out the window and eventually just fell asleep. I was amazed and then I felt foolish for my overplanning.
Fast forward 6 years and my family is getting ready to set off on around the country road trip with our fifth wheel, truck, and four children. Our youngest was again a toddler at only two years old. Weekly road trips of 4-6 hours in the truck with our 2-4-year-old over the past two years have taught me many great road trip tips for traveling with toddlers. It’s also taught me a lot of things that you should avoid as well. I think some may surprise you.
How to Road Trip with a Toddler
Setting up your vehicle for success
First of all it is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to rear face your child in a proper car seat with a five-point harness until they are at least two years old but longer if you can swing it. Many people prefer to keep their children rear-facing until they are up to five years old. I’m not going to get into a debate here about what is appropriate. Plan to research and study the recommendations and importantly double-check to make sure your car seat is installed properly. You can read the latest up to date recommendations on car seats here.
You will want to organize your car so that things are neat and easy to reach and most importantly are not distracting to the driver. Especially if you may be traveling alone with your toddler.
Some of our favorite car organization tools include:
You can also take a look at our van tour video to see how we prepared for an eight-hour road trip with a 7,5,3 and 1-year-old. This was back before our big RV road trip as a family and we traveled cross country often in our 2012 Toyota Sienna that had a DVD player. It was heavenly compared to being crammed in a truck like we are.
Planning
Make sure when you are in the planning stages of a long road trip with a toddler to plan a lot of stops for little ones to get out of the car and rest. If they are still nursing you will want to remember to plan some stops at a rest area or gas station so you safely nurse your baby or toddler when the car is not moving.
It’s good to plan out some activities for your toddler but you will want to also keep in mind their natural schedule to help minimize disruption and for your benefit to maximize good moods on your trip. Arriving at your destination with an over-stimulated toddler who has watched too much screen time on their trip, has avoided nap time, and not eaten enough nutritional foods could be a sad recipe for disaster.
Often time we would plan our route for a late departure and let the driver sleep during the day so he could safely drive at night when the toddler is asleep. This made for an easier overall drive but was difficult on the parents because they arrived tired and not well-rested yet they had an energetic toddler ready to play. I do not necessary recommend this route but it has gotten us through some time crunches when we had to travel for 15 plus hours in a day to get to a family emergency. It was really rough on the adults and also it leads to safety concerns as drowsy drivers are just as dangerous as intoxicated ones. So you use your best judgement on what is best for your family.
Avoid or limit screen time
This is going to be a personal preference area. But I will say we were team screen time in the car with our Toyota Sienna as it had a DVD player. We absolutely loved watching Disney movies on our once in awhile road trips. But we always found the kids to be bouncing off the walls when we got there and just mean and grumpy.
When we headed off on our RV country trip we found out pretty quickly that when we took away iPads and screens we connected way better as a family. We listened to musicals, the whole Harry Potter series, we played road trip games, had conversations, and marveled at the beauty of the country. Overall the whole road trip experience went so much more smoothly and enjoyable and since then we are 18 months in of screen-free road trips and are not looking back. Check out this related post: Entertain a Toddler on a Roadtrip
Activities to keep a toddler entertained on a road trip
Toys and books are great options for keeping toddlers entertained on a road trip. The best options are self-contained and mess-free. Here are a few of our favorite books and toys for toddlers on the road and you can check out a full list of toddler toys for road trips that kids love with this post: here: Best Toys for Travel with Toddlers
Feeding a toddler on a road trip
A happy meal is fun once in awhile but for a child’s nutrition sake it should be used as a treat and not a crutch while traveling. You can make it fun by packing healthy and nutritious snacks and plan breaks at parks with playgrounds for a road trip picnic.
Avoid sticky and overly sweet snacks in the car and pack an appropriate snack container to maintain messes. We love to stick to a water bottle for every child that we can refill at gas stations when we need to. This minimizes they amount of sugar they consume and spills aren’t as big of a deal. Sometimes we add Pure Lemon lemonade packets for a little fun.
A really good travel cooler can keep snacks cold and at a safe temperature for your road trip with your toddler. You can pack some homemade lunchables, cheese sticks, apple slices, carrots and other healthy age appropriate toddler snacks. Just make sure to avoid chokeables and if you feed a toddler in the car use a toddler car seat mirror so you can monitor their eating and keep them safe. It’s best to plan snacks and meals when you are parked for maximum safety.
Check out this related post: Best Travel Snack Containers for Toddlers
How to break up long road trips with a toddler
Half the fun is getting there. If you have a couple days to spare on your road trip spacing our the travel days or breaking it up with a couple hotel stays can be a really fun and memorable family vacation. It also helps make the long road trip with a toddler more enjoyable if done in short spurts then in just one big lump sum. We always enjoyed taking a day or two extra on the way there and then just heading straight home at the end.
Toddlers are some of the hardest travel companions because they don’t always communicate their needs well and usually like to be fairly active. Plan to stop every 2-3 hours at a location your toddler can be safely active. This probably does not include a gas station. Rest areas can be a great pit stop as they usually have grassy areas and picnic tables. It’s important to keep a close eye on toddlers at rest areas but they can be quite convenient. A favorite is always a fast food restaurant with a play area or a park in a town near the interstate. It’s great for the whole family to get some exercise and stretch their legs.
Potty Training a toddler on a road trip
Potty training is a whole new beast for even experienced parents so I’m going to say that I would highly suggest waiting to potty train to after a big trip or a few months before you plan your trip. But even if your child is potty trained there are a few things you can do to prepare in case you find yourself in an emergency situation where your child needs to use the restroom and there are none available.
Always pack an extra pair of clothes and underwear for your toddler and a pack of wipes even if you are confidence in their potty training abilities. Sometimes kids fall asleep and accidents just happen. An extra garbage bag is also important to put soiled clothes in.
For boys it’s a little easier to pull over or bring a long a portable urinal. Girls you can pack a portable potty and some liners for easy on the go potty stops. You just want to make sure to consistently ask how they are doing and if they need a potty break so you can plan accordingly.
Some parents like to preemptively use pull-ups on their toddlers while traveling even in they are confident in their potty skills.
Motion sickness issues with toddlers
If you know your child deals with motion sickness, you will want to be prepared during long road trips. You want some toddler safe options at your disposal. I like to keep in the car and diffuse peppermint essential oils when I knew we will be on twisty and curvy roads. I also keep a roller bottle so I can apply some to the temples and back of the head. If you have toddlers (2 and up) who you know struggle on road trips you can give them children’s version of chewable Dramamine 30 minutes before you leave.
You may want to check with your pediatrician to double-check what options are available for you. There is also a lollipop that is great for kids who are starting to feel nauseous on the road. We like to keep these in the front seat glove box- but we do question sometimes if our kids are actually feeling sick or just want a lollipop. You may also want to keep a few sick bags around just in case of emergencies. Sometimes I like to carry them in my purse, not just on a family road trip because as a mom you never know what you will deal with when traveling with little ones.
Best road tripping with toddlers destination ideas
Taking a trip with toddler can be a great option for families who want to spend time together, get out of their normal routine and pattern and make memories. There are many places that are great for traveling with kids but toddler might not enjoy as much. Long car rides can be rough on toddlers so look in your regional areas for good destination options and make sure to plan a lot of good pit stops. Here are some ideas of places you might like to take a trip with a toddler to:
Mammoth Cave Tours for Families and Toddlers
A Parent’s Guide to Wisconsin Dells with Toddlers
Tips for Visiting Dollywood with Your Family
23 Fun and Free Things to do in Niagara Falls
Oregon Coast Road Trip: 25 Things to See and Do
Essential Things to Know Before Going to Legoland
9 Things to Know Before Going to White Sands National Park
Joshua Tree National Park with Kids
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL Guide for Families
10 Things to Know Before Going to Siesta Key Beach, FL
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