Road Trip Survival Guide: Tips to Keep Children Happy while Traveling

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Thinking about traveling either by opting for a road trip or by air can be stressful for any parent mainly due to the fear of inevitable tantrums the kids may throw during the journey. However, there's a solution or say solutions in case of kids in the form of backup plan or plan B, for everything and even for this. I go on lots of road trips with family (really long ones at times), and of course my toddler son accompanies me along so every time I have to ensure that his 'car essentials' are within a hand's reach. I aim to keep things as much organised as possible, to ensure that I am able to enjoy a pleasant journey.

First things first - Stock up on snacks!

A full tummy can do wonders! Ensure you keep your child's favourite snacks, especially something that they can eat on their own. Of course, this depends on age but talking more specifically of toddlers you can take them along for grocery and ask them to pick their own preferred snack. This way, the chances of eating without creating a drama is more prevalent. I make sure to keep snacks that aren't messy and ones that BabyN' can eat on his own such as crisps and biscuits.

Rule No. 2 is Entertainment!

Now this comes in various forms as 'entertainment' is quite a broad term and may have a different definition for every toddler. You can keep the child's favourite book or a toy. Just make sure not to keep anything that might give you a headache later and you know what I mean, right? If both doesn't work, then the tablet is ALWAYS a lifesaver! BabyN' enjoys watching his favourite shows that my husband has downloaded on the BBC iPlayer on the iPad and can watch it up to an hour because after that, he starts feeling bored but an hour's break for me is quite refreshing. Just make sure the tablet is fully charged! Besides that, you can introduce your own random 10 minute game or play ideas. For instance, ask the child to tell the colour of the shop boards that he may see on the way while you're passing from a busy street full of shops or show them animals pasturing on the green fields that come on the way. Boys, more particularly are also interested in cars so you can maybe ask them the colour of the cars or the type of vehicle seen on the road - sports car, truck, bike or anything else that you come across.

Nappies, Wipes and other cleaning stuff.

I don't know why, but BabyN' has recently developed the habit of throwing up. Whenever he eats something and he feels too full, he starts acting up and starts coughing after which the drama happens. I now make sure that the wipes, plastic bags and extra clothes are just on an arm's length and I also carry an air freshener so that can be sprayed in the car to make the rest of the journey bearable for the other members sitting in the car.

Take a break

Road trips can be fun as well and it's totally up to you how to make them sane for yourself. Generally, the highways have services available and they've got a variety of fast food brands and coffee shops where one can stop for some time. Sometimes the services are quite big and have a small play area for kids as well, which works as a complete refresher for everyone. If they don't have a play area, then I mostly stop at McDonald's to get a Happy Meal for BabyN' so he feels a bit entertained with the new toy as well as his fish and chips. Also, having a scooter in the trunk is a great idea too, getting kids out and rolling around on two wheels can help them burn some of their unused energy.

Sit at the back seat with your toddler

On road trips longer than 1.5 hours, I sit at the back seat with BabyN' just to give him company and to ensure he's happy. Kids tend to get bored very quickly and need change at very frequent intervals. So, I just keep him busy with food, iPad or games when I sit with him. Also, at this age he has now started asking questions which is of course not something which is frowned upon but does get slightly irritating when it exceeds the count of 10! My personal experience is that kids tend to be happier while traveling when they have company and someone to talk.

Travel Pillow

It is much apparent that kids will fall asleep on long trips and since they need to sit and sleep, their neck tends to fall on the sides which might be really uncomfortable for them. The best idea to avoid this is to get a travel pillow to ensure the neck remains stable.

Image: Trunki

Lastly - Follow the packing list!

Make a packing list and ensure you've got everything readily available with you. This should definitely include dry snacks, water and a bottle of juice as well as the child's favourite toy, lots of wipes and extra clothes. Now this may sound repetitive to you all, but that's my way of stressing on it and making it sound how important this point is to keep children happy while traveling, especially on road trips.

If you have any tips to keep children happy while traveling then please let me know in comments below and make sure to enter the giveaway to WIN a Kids's Trunki Travel Pillow.

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Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post and the competition prize is sponsored by Holiday Gems UK. All responsibility for the competition in terms of the prize is on them. The prize is a Trunki Travel Pillow but the design may vary from photo. Giveaway is open to UK residents only & ends on October 11th, 2017.