Best Tips for Road Trips with Babies & Young Kids

Let me start by telling what this post will NOT do for you: It will not teach you how to scour Pinterest to design and compile super cute travel packs with individually-wrapped dollar store items and 11 healthy snacks partitioned into those empty pill box containers. Not even a little bit, not at all (#namethatmovie). It’s just not in my nature to do so.

This post WILL discuss some overarching principles that have worked really well for our family, and bring up some factors to think about before you hit the road.

We’ve taken a lot of road trips with our 3 children (current ages spanning from 6.5-1.5). I’m sure you have, too! We have made many errors and learned a few lessons the hard way (I hope you haven’t had to! haha). But isn’t that when family bonding happens??! If not cleaning up messy blowouts on the side of 1-70, then WHERE??

This article is directed at families with babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and early-elementary aged kids. I’ve thought of 11 TIPS I wish I’d known when first starting to road-trip with little ones!

And please (& thank you!) comment at the end of the article all of your tips for road tripping with older (upper-elementary aged) children, we will be heading into that phase soon!

Tip #1: Strategize the Environment Before you Leave

A “successful-as-possible” road trip begins before you even pull out of the driveway. (Wait, did we close the garage??) A day or two before we leave, we think through the following questions:

1. What children do you want to sit near each other?
2. What children do you NOT want to sit near each other?
3. Is the baby within reach?
4. Is there someone with long-enough arms in the middle section that can pass things on to the back row? If not, have you distributed snacks and books ahead of time?
5. Is there a good mirror to let you keep an eye on baby/ OR is there an older kid in eyesight who can give you updates on said baby?
6. Are there any dangling legs that could use some support under them??
7. Are important things within an arms-reach of a parent? (Wipes and snacks for instance. Being packed somewhere in the car is not good enough! Need to be nearby!)

Basically this is all about me minimizing the amount of time I spend upside down trying to pass things back or locate necessary items!!!

Start by:

Before we pack the car up we like to ask our older (preschool and up) kids WHERE they like sitting in the car, and why. We still have the final say on seating choices but they feel heard, and we can minimize complaints as much as possible.

Keep in mind: The seating arrangement that works well for day-to-day school drop-off and trips around town is NOT NECESSARILY the best seating arrangement for hours and hours in the car together. We almost always mix up who is sitting where at the beginning of a trip, and often again half-way through the trip.

Tip #2: Once you’re driving: Let go of what you can’t control

Is your child kicking the seat of your other child?

Is your baby screaming at the top of their lungs?

And most importantly: Can you realistically physically stop these behaviors right now?

Simply asking a toddler to stop screaming when they are already wound-up is … maybe not going to work. 😉 It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still ask it and try to redirect that situation, but when I am mentally prepared to have some chaos ensue that I can’t actually stop, I feel more calm in those hard moments. In the meantime… bring great headphones?? 😉

Tip #3: Be thoughtful about what activities are offered when

Our general strategy for taking road trips with young children can be summarized like this:

Every family is different, but it has worked best for us when we’ve started slow as far as excitement, and worked up to our Big Hitters (EX: everyone watching Moana after dinner, or Octonauts episodes for the last 2 hours until we arrive). It just seems like their brains don’t work as well going the opposite direction.

Here’s where we start and then work up to with their activities:

Begin with very Minimal Entertainment:

• looking out the window
• watching for cows
• chit-chatting with other family members
• (this phase doesn’t last super long haha)

Then progress towards Slightly Stimulating Activities:

• reading books (Sometimes I grab some at goodwill or used stores ahead of time so they are new and exciting but I’m not stressed about keeping perfect track of them; check out our favorite books for ages 0-5 and some early reader series recs here)
• drawing
• following along with the map
• listening to audiobooks
• playing the alphabet game

At which point you could introduce Moderately-Entertaining Activities:

Note: I’ve added Amazon links to some of our favorite road trip tools in this section; these are NOT affiliate links or sponsorships, just passing on honest info and recommendations we’ve used & enjoyed

• Water Wow Reusable Water Booklets
• listening to children’s podcasts (tend to draw my younger children’s attention a bit better than audiobooks- our favorite children’s podcasts can be found in this post)
• sticker books/busy books (more interactive than other books; these ones are fun)
• drawing on LCD writing tablets (we like these ones)

And when those have been exhausted, it is time for Big Entertaining Activities:

• movies
• shows (more captivating typically than movies for young toddlers that don’t get much screen time)
• other tablet activities would fall here too

Obviously we don’t always stick to this plan and it’s not a science. It’s more a general principle that we’ve found works well for our kids.

On a FULL day of driving we may want to cycle through this pattern two times. Or you may just throw in the towel at 8 am and go straight to a marathon of Bluey, and that works too. The goal isn’t to win any parenting awards here, it’s just to get from Point A to Point B with as much sanity intact as possible!

Tip #4: Snacks are your BFF

Snacks are your best friend on a road trip. There’s no way to NOT eat snacks on a road trip with little kids. I don’t trust anyone who thinks this is physically possible. Here are the snack principles that have worked for us:

1. Start with the snacks from the cooler when possible to make sure they aren’t forgotten or don’t go bad.
2. Look for foods that aren’t as messy (crumbly, sticky, melty) and bonus points if they take long time to eat. Bite-sized dry cereals, goldfish crackers, sliced apples, Z bars/Clif bars, Lara bars (really any bars that aren’t overly sticky #Chewy or crumbly #NatureValley #Nutrigrain…) baby carrots, string cheese, and dried fruits work well (but please please be aware of choking hazards for those under 4!)
3. Need someone to stay awake?? Feed them a glacial turtle-paced stream of fruit snacks or baby puffs.
4. Water is the beverage of choice for anyone not in the Pilot or Co-Pilot position. The potential for stickiness does not feel worth it to me!

Tip #5: Make Rest Stops Count!

Some of you have children that like to sit still and don’t have endless energy to burn. This tip is not for you.

This tip is for those of you that can FEEL the tension of multiple children needing to MOVE RIGHT NOW!!

I love those wide-open rest stops where my kids can climb on big rocks and run laps in the fields for awhile. When I’m super on top of it, we google a playground that’s right off the freeway and let them play for 15 minutes while the other parent fills the car with gas, etc.

Please, for the love, don’t use your time out of the car to SIT and eat a meal. Time out of the carseat (for very young children) should be spent doing TWO things: RELIEVING BLADDERS/CHANGING DIAPERS and MOVING THOSE MUSCLES. That’s it. No sitting still. We’ve got plenty of time in the car to sit.

PLUS, if you pick up food and eat when you’re back on the road, that’s a solid 15 minutes of quiet chewing time under your belt. 😉

Okay wait this is feeling too intense, I’m not a MONSTER. We do get out and enjoy fun diners or themed restaurants sometimes on road trips. But…you get the picture. Minimize sitting still and maximize potential to shake out stiff legs & move those muscles!

Tip #6: Overlap your trip with sleeping times if possible

If you have children that are typically late-to-wake and very drowsy in the morning hours, maybe you should leave around 5/6 am and hope that they go back to sleep for several hours!

If you have children that go to bed early in the evening, just keep on driving once they’ve fallen asleep!

If it’s a shorter road trip, try to leave RIGHT at nap time to ensure a few quiet hours of peace.

This could all also backfire. It’s a high risk- high reward strategy that works for lots of my friends but is more hit-or-miss for us. For instance when my toddler and preschooler marched wide-awake into a Colorado hotel room at 11 pm, and then woke up with the sun again at 4:30 AM ready to roll.

Tip #7: Give Kids as much Context and Info As Possible!

My kids love knowing what’s up. That means I try to bring maps to show where we are GOING, and where we are NOW. The AAA roadmaps are classic of course, but even zooming out of your navigation screen to explain the plan is great!

When I’m really on my A-Game I make a quick personalized map on Canva with little icons indicating where our family is stopping for the night in a hotel, where Grandma lives, and so forth. And when I’m on my A+ game I print one per child and laminate them so they last longer than it takes us to leave our hometown.

Even if you think the map is beyond their developmental comprehension, I think they appreciate knowing that there is a plan in place, and they won’t just be in this car forever and ever.

I pull up family photos on my phone to show them WHO we are going to see. I explain the last time we saw them, what we did together, and how old those children are NOW.

I remind WHAT we plan to do on this trip, and WHEN we will go back home. Things that are obvious to you — as the parents and planners– may be less obvious to your toddlers.

Tip #8: Include Highlights & Joy They Can Look Ahead To!

This tip goes alongside the previous one. Reminding them WHO they are seeing and WHERE we are going can be channeled into POSITIVE MOMENTUM!

The overall family vibes tend to be better when there is some positive momentum: something everyone is looking forward to.

Maybe it’s the hotel with a swimming pool! Side note: How is a small, empty, rectangular, chlorine-soaked hotel swimming pool ALWAYS more magical than our outdoor city pools with slides and bells and whistles?? Maybe it’s each kid choosing a snack at the last gas station of the day. Maybe it’s grandma, grandpa, & cousins!! Maybe it’s the zoo you’re going to check out as a family.

Pick a GOAL and remind them of WHY you’re in the car. Although older kids remember these things easily, toddlers and young preschoolers may really benefit from these reminders!

Sometimes road trips are pure drudgery. Getting from one end of Kansas to the other, for example. That’s okay, too.

Tip #9: Safety first!

Not to kill the mood, but it’s a really good idea to consider some basic safety items while away from home. This doesn’t have to be crazy involved or paranoid, but I would suggest having a plan for:

1. Which parent is in charge of which child– each time you leave the car. This will probably happen pretty organically (EX: I’m going to take ___ and ___ to the bathroom while you fill up the car with gas. ____ is still in his carseat sleeping). BUT watch out for kids that decide last-minute to catch up with the other parent.
2. Clearly communicate a plan to your spouse and kids each time you split up: Let the children know, too, where you guys are headed and what the plan is. Also, communicate a clear plan to your young children for if you get separated (Heaven Forbid!). I loved when my oldest memorized my cell # in kindergarten, that is a great piece of info for them to have!
3. Make sure each parent always has their phone with them! This sounds obvious since hello it’s 2022, but one time when we were out I handed off my backpack to Paul but forgot my phone was in there- and it was difficult to locate each other for awhile!

Ironically it is often MORE difficult to keep track of our 3 children when we are BOTH there (like on a road trip). Instead of us each doing the head-count and clearly knowing who is in charge, we are out of routine and our guard is down a bit. Be vigilant! Especially if you have a toddler that is especially interested in large trucks and you are at a truck stop, for instance…just as an example…

Tip #10: Download any digital entertainment ahead of time!

While you still have signal, download any and all entertainment you will want for that day of driving!

You can go to Netflix or Disney+ and download a few shows or movies to have ready. Or hit up the Podcast app and download a bunch of episodes. Or pick out some audiobooks to download from Audible or your library app. The theme here is DOWNLOAD AHEAD OF TIME!

Every road trip we have ever been on, we have lost signal for a decent chunk of time. We were always grateful to our past selves when we thought ahead and queued up some great edutainment for our kids (and ourselves!).

Tip # 11: Wait until everyone turns 4 😉

I’m joking. Don’t wait until everyone turns 4. But… I would be smart about breaking up the trip into smaller chunks if you have children under the age of 2. I personally think the age range from 18 months- 2 years is the very hardest because they are old enough to NOT want to be strapped in for so long when they could instead be exploring the world.

To add insult to injury, they aren’t really old enough to be entertained by books and shows (for too long), and the poor kiddos don’t really have a concept for time yet either. Oof!

But even if they don’t like the car trip, they may still love the destination! I mean, look at this face…

I try to remember that young children change SO MUCH every few months, and the things that are difficult now will be different in a short while. If you’ve experienced some RTT (road trip trauma), you may want to give it 6 months and try again. Time heals most road-trip wounds.

A Word on Babies:

They need to be in a carseat at all times! Be ready to stop every few hours and give yourself grace with that. It’s not the season of life to break records with your speedy travel times. You aren’t doing anything wrong, your life is just on slow motion right now. Like, glacial turtle pace.

AND! Many babies will sleep really well in the car… and then be up all night in the hotel room. It is what it is. Parents that road trip with infants deserve medals!!!

That’s it for road trip tips!

What else am I missing? How do you survive road trips with little ones?

I’d love to hear your tips & tricks in the comments below!

Cover Photo by Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash (of beautiful Arches National Park!)

Not sure which podcasts your younger children will enjoy? I have a few I absolutely LOVE and wrote about them here:

And here are some other parenting, life & travel hacks I’ve written about:

Entertain Your Kids With Minimal Effort (For Tired Moms)

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY SHOWER WHEN YOUR TODDLER IS AWAKE

BEST HOTEL FEATURES FOR BABIES, TODDLERS & KIDS

6 “DO’S” OF TRAVEL WITH KIDS