Travel bug with a toddler

[Hammlin]

I'm getting major cabin fever. Bacon Bits is 1 this Sunday and I'm ready to travel. Tips, tricks, blogs etc would be awesome!

[DaBlonde]

I'm going to hit the obvious stuff first.

For the car:

• Soft toys or picture books that Bits really enjoys
• Drinks and snacks in very small, individual serving containers, because they will get dumped out.
• Twice as many wipes, diapers and clothes than you thought you needed

For the destination:

• Go for free or cheap. Bits will have as much fun throwing cheez-its at the ducks in the park as he will walking around an actual zoo.
• Start with close places unless Bits falls asleep readily in his car seat.
• Let Bits out to run around for awhile before strapping him into a stroller or expecting him to sit through anything.

[Trixie Falsae]

plenty of rest stops where the kids can get out and run around for a bit. Don't try to go to far in one day. The journey is just as fun as the destination if you can shoot for 6-8 hours travelling a day.  Bring familiar toys as well as something new to keep them occupied. Read aloud or bring an audio book.

 

I routinely travelled cross country as a kid and loved it.

[Hammlin]

This is great- thanks!!!

[CalebTheTiger]

I've travelled a ton with my three kiddos - twin 3 yr olds and a just-turned-one year old. My #1 piece of advice is to BUILD IN EXTRA TIME. If you think it will take 5 hrs - plan on 7 hrs. If you do, you will have a more enjoyable experience getting there and you won't feel stressed that you're behind time. Kids tend to drag out car trips - they need time out of their carseats and you need time to regain your sanity. Until your little ones get used to long stints in the car, it can be stressful needing to stop so often. So, we just plan on it.

 

Visual stimulus is also important. I recommend DVD players, mirrors, or some sort of mobile that gives your baby something to look at and doesn't easily bore. In the car, kids can go through a million toys. They get bored sooo much faster.

 

Some form of audio calming agent is a lifesaver. For my kids, I'm a musician and so are my parents - so we played our music over and over because our kids loved it. At the moment, it's "The Bare Necessities" that plays about 100 times a day. If you do need to hijack your car audio system to keep your little one happy, I've found a pair of earbuds with my favorite music/audiobooks to be quite helpful to stay the monotony.

 

Hope that helps!

[Hammlin]

I love all of this! Thanks!