Long Distance Trips with Kids
Hello Raising My 5 Sons Readers, my name is Kelly and I run a camping blog with my husband Ryan called www.BeyondTheTent.com. We feature our family travels and write about tips, camping gear reviews and we love to throw up a video of our crazy 5 kids every now and then. Thanks for letting us visit with you all today.
I have a camping blog, but that doesn’t mean I have traveling with kids down just yet. It is like an art making sure everyone is happy or at least not crying all at once. I have learned some handy tricks to make life a little bit easier while on the road with mini people.
For the Babies
I like to leave our home early enough in the morning, so that the baby of the family is in the best mood. I will pack a bottle, a few hands on toys and a couple of pouches of baby food for him in case he gets crabby. We will plan one stop to let me change any diapers and to be able to hold him for a little bit, so he knows I haven’t forgotten about him. The next half of the drive he should fall right to sleep for awhile. I love driving through nap time.
Talkative Toddler
I don’t know about you, but I have a sweetheart toddler who always has something to say. It is hard to keep her silent during the ride. She likes to sing songs that are at all levels of pitches. She calms down a touch when I pass back an activity box that I make before leaving our house. This box is a simple basket I picked up at Target one day. I put a couple of Barbies inside the box, a book or two, a color book with a small box of crayons and I like to surprise her with a ring pop or some kind of treat.
Creative Kid stuck in the car
My 6 year old is super creative! She is busy building purses out of paper and tape, making up her own silly jokes, telling us stories about our camping trips and so much more. She can be the one who makes or breaks the car trip. To help bring in all her energy I have the activity box for her with her own crafty delights and I also allow her to bring a DS game for limited use when I can’t handle another outburst! Overall, what works with her is to engage with her. I will take time to ask her questions like “What was your favorite part at the campground?” or “Can you make up a song about the Water Park?” She eats it right up. This way I give her the attention she wants without her driving me crazy.
The Teens
I have one 12 year old (she acts like a teen) and an almost 14 year old. Those two will fight about who gets what spot in the car, so I now pick who sits where. I tried the “Shot Gun” game, but that created more issues. We are pretty loud as we make our way around the town, so I have invested in a great pair of headphones to pass around to the older kids. I remember enjoying my music as a teen and I think to keep the spirits high they can zone out for a little bit to pre-approved tunes.
The Group as a Whole
I make sure to pack snacks to pass around to everyone. I also have a plan as to where the best stops are along the way. Like easy historic places to visit or playgrounds to stop at and get the wiggles out. My husband loves to play Disc Golf! I try to find spots that carter to Disc Golf for my husband and the teens as I play at the park with the younger ones. If the trip is more than 4 hours I will make sure we stay overnight at a family friendly hotel.
A family trip is no fun if no one is having fun! I hope these tips help you in your next traveling vacation. Thanks again for letting us stop by. If you want to read more about our trips come on over to www.BeyondTheTent.com Kelly
These are all great tips, especially leaving early. My grandsons best hours are definitely in the morning!