Roadtrippin' with the Kiddos
I have loved taking road trips since I was a little girl. Traveling up and down the highways always meant good snacks, good music and great memories. As an adult, it is has also been second nature for me to hit the road whenever the occasion calls or whenever the mood hits me. I adapted my children to this lifestyle early on. Both of them started taking road trips with me as young as 8 weeks old. Even before I became a parent, I decided that I wanted to afford my children with experiences and memories to last them a lifetime, which includes travel and various enrichment opportunities. For some moms, the idea of traveling with small children may seem daunting and overwhelming. However, with experience and added practice it becomes easier each time. I’ve been doing it so much that I practically have traveling with little ones down to a science. In addition to following normal safety guidelines (i.e. give yourself adequate travel time, make sure your vehicle has proper maintenance, remain aware of your surroundings, etc.) see my top 5 tips for traveling with small children below:
1. If you can, take an adult traveling buddy with you! Having the additional man power (LOL) and support when traveling with little ones helps tremendously. Having someone that can give a bottle, calm an irritated toddler or be the DJ helps to make the trip more enjoyable and slightly less stressful. If you’re a single mom, enlist your mom, dad, sister, friend, cousin or whomever to keep you and the kids company. Unfortunately, having an adult travel buddy isn’t always feasible. In my husband’s industry he works most weekends and some holidays and isn’t able to travel with us as much as we would like. About 90% of my road trips with the kids are solo trips. I will admit that initially after having each of my children, I experienced some apprehension of traveling alone with them, but it was very short lived. My independent nature wouldn’t allow me to stay in that place for too long. I realize that traveling alone with small kids was very doable and that I just had to be smart about it.
2. Start packing early! And be strategic! Small children need so much equipment day in and day out. In an effort not to forget anything, I create a packing checklist for each trip. Having a list helps me to remember to pack the things that are essential, reduce over packing and helps me to eliminate any unnecessary spending on forgotten items once I get to my destination (been there, done that). Once I have my list, I start packing as early as a week prior to my trip. As moms, we already have so many daily tasks associated with running a household that you don’t want to spend an enormous amount of time on packing. I used to do this and I would be TIRED, before it was even time to leave (Plus I naturally move slow so it seemed like packing took forever!!). Now, I pack as I go over the course of the week and the night before leave I’m primarily packing last minute items such as toiletries. For me this helps to eliminate any anxiety and helps get the trip off to a good start.
3. Snacks on snacks on snacks!!!! I don’t know about you, but my kids love snacks. Snacks help to keep the kids satisfied, less irritable and more likely to travel with minimal complaining. I try to keep the snacks healthy, but I’m not too strict when on the road since snacks are also my favorite part of road tripping. Bucee’s is one of our favorite places to stop for snacks and gas. It is like a convenience store on crack plus they are known for having the cleanest restrooms on the planet! A huge plus when traveling with kiddos. If you’re ever near Bucee’s, be sure to try they’re fudge, turkey jerky and candied pecans, a few of my faves!
4. Speaking of restrooms… I absolutely despise public bathrooms unless they’re Bucee’s. LOL! When I’m traveling solo, I would hold “it” until I got to where I was going. That would be beyond cruel to do to my babies so I made it a point to find clean places to take them to use the restroom and change diapers. When I do not necessarily need gas, I like to take restroom stops at hotels along the highway. I usually walk right in, speak to the front desk staff and go right to the restrooms located in the hotel lobby. We handle our business and make sure we say bye to the front desk staff on the way out. I have never been given any issues; the restrooms are always clean and usually private. So if you’re a public restroomaphobe like me then this is the way to go.
5. Remember why you’re taking the road trips in the first place and it will make it all worth it in the end! I like to take my kids on the road for shared experiences, the opportunity to spend time with them, to show them new things and to make sure that we remain connected with our loved one that do not live in our area. I know they’re young now and they may not remember these earlier trips. However, as they get older they will already be in the habit of traveling which will make it easier for everyone involved. I thank God that both of my children are really good car babies which still allows me to do one of the things that I enjoy most.
Even if you’re not super big on traveling or taking road trips, I find often times new moms are crippled with fear of engaging in the things that they once loved because they do not know how they can manage to do so with kids. After briefly dealing with that same fear myself, I’m learning that we can still do the things that we loved and having kids should only enhance it. I can be more valuable to my children by continuing to be myself and not by becoming a hermit in the name of motherhood. I’m thankful I get the opportunity to bring my kids into my world and by exposing them to the things that I enjoy such as traveling, spending time outdoors, working out, aimlessly strolling through Target, ya know, the usual. My prayer is that they will grow to love it just as much.
With the holiday season upon us, it is the perfect time to pack up the kids and hit the road. I’ll be taking on my biggest travel adventure this upcoming Christmas with the kids! I can’t wait to share what’s next for us!
Drop any travel tips that you have below in the comments!