Traveling with little children and babies made easy

Children’s attention span can be very short at times and being in a car for a long period of time on a car ride can be hard for kids and the adults traveling with them.  When traveling with kids and or a baby you have several different options that you can try, have, and do to make life easier so you don’t pull all your hair out at the end of the road trip.

1. Best thing I can tell any parent make sure you plan and prepare for your trip the day before or in advance as much as possible so that you have everything that you need for them before you leave.
2. Schedule bathroom breaks and bring extra cloths just in case of an accident.
3. If traveling with an infant it is best to get on the road when you know they will be sleep for a long period after a bottle.  Most babies that are bottle feed sleep a good three to two hours at a time in between feedings and that is the best time to get on the road so you don’t have to make any unplanned stops in the middle of nowhere.
4. Cooler: These are great to have so you can store all your snacks, drinks, and whatever else you may need just in case they need something along the way and there is nothing nearby to stop at to get something.  Regular coolers are great but they make portable car coolers that you can plug up in the car so that you can store food longer and don’t have to deal with ice.
5. Bottle warmer:  If you have a baby this is another must have.  And yes they make them for your car too you guys.  Make your bottles a head of time and store them in your cooler. When it’s time for a feeding you can just put it in the warmer and be done.
6. Portable DVD player: If you don’t have one you need one.  This is the number one thing that will keep kids entertained while you drive.  Just bring along some of their favorite movies and your good to go.  Best Buy has a variety of them that you can buy that comes with the mounts, so that you can mount it to the back seat of your car and they come with remotes as well.
7. VTech games:  VTech makes a variety of hand held games that are great for kids to play while you drive.  Now these can be kind of high priced in the end worth it. You can find some of the older VTech hand held toys like the VSmile on eBay and in thrift stores all day long with the games that you can buy for cheap if you don’t really have that much money to spend  and or on a budget.  The VTech VSmile and VMotion systems that you buy for your TV at home can also be used in the car as well if you have a portable DVD player and have the car charger for the system as well that you can buy.
8. Pillow, favorite blanket and or favorite toy for when they go to sleep. You don’t want to be caught without their favorite things to sleep with while on the road, it can get very ugly if it’s time for their nap and you don’t have these things.
9. Coloring books and crayons is another good thing to have for kids to keep them occupied while you’re on the road as well.
10. Pipe cleaner: You can get this at any Dollar Tree or Dollar Store for a dollar and in different colors which the kids can bend to make different shapes, letters, animals, and whatever else they can think up.
11. Glow wands are great as well for night driving. Kids will love playing with them in the back seat.
12. Books are another good thing to have as well. If you have a Nook tablet it is even better, you can store a ton of books on there for them and if you get the books that has the read to me feature it will read the story to your child so you don’t have too.
13. First aid kit or medicine for if they get sick while traveling.  

Taking the time to plan your trip out and having some if not all these things can make life easier for everybody involved and make road trips fun for you and the kids.