It may be time for the annual family vacation, or just a couple hour trip to grandma’s house. If there are young children along for the ride, either trip can be long and frustrating for everyone involved. Being cooped up in a car, especially if it includes being buckled in a car seat, is not exactly the afternoon that a child would plan for itself. Most parents do not enjoy a ride that involves fights, complaining, screaming and the “Are we there yet?”s that often accompany a trip with young children.

A few steps can be taken to lessen the agony of these car rides and help turn them into an enjoyable part of the family vacation.

Timing

Perhaps one of the easiest changes to make involves the time chosen to leave for a longer than average trip. Try to leave at a time that coincides with the child’s nap or bedtime. Make sure the youngster is dressed comfortably. A good choice in clothing would be sweats or pajamas, these items will help ensure the comfort of the child. It is also important to feed the child before starting a long journey. This will help eliminate any complaints about hunger later on down the road.

Remember to bring a drink, a small child will definatly ask for one. Juice and water are a couple of good suggestions; they will not go bad quickly and are drinkable warm or cold. Put the drink in a sippy cup even if the child normally does not use one. This will prevent spills, therefore, keeping the child comfortable. Nothing is worse than sitting in a wet car seat and not being able to move away from it.

Special Bag

It is important to children to have their favorite playthings with them at all times. Since a child will plead to bring toys with them and will need them to fight off boredom, let them pack a special bag. A good idea is to let the child pick out their very own “trip bag”, duffle bags or canvass bags work great for this. After the bag is picked out, let the child make it special. Let them decorate the bag with markers or paint, this is what will make it the “trip bag”.

Next, let the child pick out a small number of things that they would like to have in the car with them.

Allowing a child to be in charge of this “very important” part of the preparation for the trip will fill them with pride and help to keep them calm in the car.

Half-way Present

If the trip is more of a family vacation type and will involve most of a day to complete, it may be nice for the childe to receive a “half way” present. This can be anything from a new book or new toy, dollar store items work well for this type of gift. The gift is not as much of a distraction from the car ride as the presentation is. Wrap it up with pretty paper and ribbons. Do not forget to praise the child for being well behaved while cooped up in the car. The child will be happy and occupied long enough to provide the parents with some much-needed quite time.

Make Ahead Activities

Some children need to be prepared for a change in routine, while some like to feel they are helpful in the preparation of such a wonderful trip. These types of children could benefit from making their won travel activities and games.

A great way for children to help with this is to use felt boards and felt pieces to make a scene that they can have adventures with. There is nothing else that is needed for this project. The felt with stick to itself without any other materials.

You will need:

1 Cookie sheet

Felt, in different colors

Cookie cutters or other shapes

Magnet tape or Velcro tape

First, let the child chose the theme of the board and pick out the colors of felt to be used. Cut a piece of felt to fit inside the cookie sheet. Attach this piece of felt to the cookie sheet using the magnet or Velcro tape. The next step is to cut simple shapes from the felt. The easiest way to do this is to trace cookie cutters onto the felt and then cut them out, this is a step the child can help with. Cookie cutters come in a variety of themes and sizes. Let the child decorate the shapes using markers.

The game is now ready to keep a child entertained for many, many miles in the car.

Some suggestions for this project are:

Tic-Tac-Toe

Paper dolls and accessories

Cars, Airplanes, Trucks, etc.

Checkers

Let the children have fun making this project and they will let you have quite time in return.

Snacks

A trip with children cannot possibly go smoothly without snacks and treats. They are as important to a successful trip as gas and tires. When choosing snacks, it is important to pack items that are nutritious, not too messy and that the child likes.

Some good choices would be:

Crackers and cheese

Fruit and cereal bars

Oatmeal cookies

If a cooler will be brought along for the trip, pack string cheese or apples (depending on the age of the children).

Trail mix is usually a hit with young children. It is easy to make, fun to eat and is easy to clean up if it is spilled. This is something else that children can help make in advance of the upcoming trip.

To make “On the Road Trial Mix” mix equal parts:

Cereal (child’s favorite)

Raisins

Chocolate candies

Flavored crackers

Peanuts (again depending on the age of the child)

Place the items in a large container, shake and distribute into lidded bowls or zip lock sandwich bags for the trip.

Extra Outfits

Packing extra outfits is important, especially when traveling with younger children. Even a child that never has an accident could end up needing a new outfit. A child that does not like to get dirty will decide now is the time to change their ways. Always expect the unexpected when dealing with small children, take the time to pack an appropriate extra outfit.

Time to Play

Young children do not do well buckled up in a car and tempers tend to run high. If it is at all possible, it is highly recommended that an impromptu stop be made at a park or rest stop along the way. This will allow the children and the adults’ time to stretch, use up some energy and breathe fresh air. This does not have to take too much time; a half hour to 45 minutes is enough for most children.

Who knows, an unexpected nap may be the reward.

Conclusion

Taking the time and putting in the extra effort into trip planning when traveling with small children will reap the reward of a mother and calmer car ride for the entire family.

Implement some or all of the suggestions for a long road trip, depending upon the age of the children.

Everyone will be thankful that the trip that was almost as fun as the vacation itself.