I have now traveled with my toddler... and we definitely had our ups and downs.
We traveled about six and a half hours each way to the beach and back, and I definitely had to do some prep work for it.
One of the biggest assets to the road trip was the travel basket. The day before we traveled, I picked up a couple of new books and cheap toys. I also pulled out a couple of toys that Adam hadn't played with in a while because I rotate his toys every so often. Here is a list of the items in his basket:
- Three plush balls
- Musical toy (his favorite toy)
- A bucket with a shovel and rake (which we also used at the actual beach)
- Two small flags (he likes to wave them around - only $1)
- Large handheld mirror (only $1)
- Four board books (so he couldn't rip the pages)
- Giraffe squeaky toy
- Maraca (only $1)
- Tractor with four animals that sit in it
I kept all of these in a basket right next to his car seat so he was able to reach in and grab his toys without them flying all over the car. He did toss the toy on the other side when he was done with it and grabbed a new one, but he never emptied out his basket before we made a stop, so we were able to refill the basket with everything and he never went without.
I also bought a "SippiGrip", which worked great! Like I said, Adam has a habit of tossing his items into the opposite corner when he is finished with them, so this allowed him to be able to continue to have access to it even when he thought he was finished.
We made sure to leave right when Adam woke up (and was changed and dressed of course). I put his Cheerios and blueberries in a shallow plastic cup so he could self-feed on the road. He did end up with several Cheerios and one blueberry squished in his seat, but they were no issue.
Then he started exploring the basket. Most items he had never seen before, so he took them in hand and played with them and tried to figure them out. He fell asleep right before it was time to stop for gas and lunch, so he wasn't happy about that at all, but was okay once the food came. Unfortunately, I didn't let him stretch his legs as much as I should've during this stop because he was very upset when we got back in the car. We could tell that he was tired because it was nap time, but also because he was tired of being in the car.
Note - on the return trip, we allowed him to walk around the parking lot before and after we ate lunch to stretch his legs. He took getting back in the car MUCH better.
Unfortunately, you can't always be prepared for everything or you can't really help a baby who's only issue is that he's tired. So Adam had a meltdown for about 15-20 min before his nap on the way down. I gave his paci (which he only gets when he sleeps now) and eventually he fell asleep and stayed asleep until we arrived at our resort.
On the way home, he had a meltdown during the last 20 min of the trip. He had just woken up from his nap and was not happy to still be in the car. We did our best to get home in a hurry. Once we pulled in and got him out, he was a happy baby again!
Finally, I always made sure to have a cup of blueberries on hand. These are his favorite foods and, luckily, are not messy at all. When I felt his was getting restless, I would hand him a blueberry, one by one. It took time for him to get them from my hand to his mouth and even more time for him to eat it, taking his mind off of being in the car or being unhappy.
I definitely suggest getting your toddler a couple of cheap, new toys at the very minimum as well as some snacks to get him/her through - even if you normally don't let them snack all day like us. Hopefully, my successes (and failures) help you on your travels.
Now it's your turn to share with me! How did you get through your road trip with a toddler? What did you use to keep him happy? What would you do differently?
