School is out for the summer and temperatures are rising, that means that it is time to start planning some fun summer trips. When you have children, planning a road trip requires a little bit more than figuring out your final destination and determining which songs are going to be on repeat.
Whether this is your first road trip with kids, you’re going a further distance than you normally do, or you’ve added a few children to the family since your last road trip, today’s blog is for you. We are going to touch on a few of the things that you can do to prepare for any road trips you have this summer. Let’s dive in.
Factor in Stops
It doesn’t matter how far you’re traveling, bathroom breaks and regular stops are one of the most important things that you need to plan for when going on a road trip with children. Bathroom breaks are absolutely necessary during road trips, regardless of how old you are! When you have children, however, you definitely want to make sure that you’re factoring in the time needed to stop and use a restroom into your travel plans.
Aside from bathroom breaks, planning stops is great because it gives children an opportunity to get out of the car and move around. Sitting for hours on end can be challenging for anyone, but by incorporating fun stops into the trip, you have a great opportunity to get out of the car, stretch your legs, and break up the monotony of the long drive.
Bring Activities
As we mentioned earlier, road trips can be long and boring — especially for children. If you’re not wanting to hear “are we there yet?” for hours on end, then you’re going to want to ensure you have plenty of activities to keep them busy. Lucky for you, there are so many activities that you can choose from. Anything from books that they like reading, word searches, movies, or video games, are fantastic options to bring along for the trip.
One thing that you do need to take into consideration is the fact that you’re driving. Motion sickness is something that both children and adults struggle with. Regardless, the last thing that you want is to hand them an activity that is going to leave them nauseous and miserable for the entirety of the drive. If you know that they’re going to wind up getting car sick, it’s better to find an option that won’t and stick to that.
Pack Snacks
A requirement for all good road trips is a backpack loaded with quality snacks. When you have kids, however, there are certain things that you’re going to want to consider when choosing which snacks are going to be best for a car ride. For example, you’re going to want to pack things that are easy to throw in a backpack without having to worry about spilling. If your kid loves applesauce or yogurt, try and find some pouches that make it easy to enjoy these snacks on the go.
Aside from liquids, you should always be considering how messy these snacks are going to be. Cereal, check mix, and chips are always common choices when picking out snacks, but you should also make sure that the items that you are bringing are going to be easy to hand to each child and won’t make a huge mess. Snack bags and travel packages are also made for these types of snacks, so you should definitely look into them.
Keep Everyone Comfortable
Long trips in the car aren’t always as luxurious or comfortable as flights, but when that’s the most affordable mode of transportation or that’s the experience that you want to give your kids, you definitely want to ensure everyone is comfortable. Car seats are padded and comfy, for a while, but once you’re on the road for a couple of hours your kids are going to get a little uncomfortable.
In order to make sure that everyone is comfortable while in the car, you want plan for comfort as well. Some of the best ways to do that are by packing travel pillows and light blankets so that they can sleep when they get tired. At the very least, packing these types of things helps them get cozy.
You also want to make sure that your kiddos are wearing comfortable clothes during your drive days. If they’re wearing anything that is too tight or hot and isn’t easily removed, you can almost guarantee there are going to be some fits that happen.
Order Your Kids Car Seat Protector
The team at K4 Dynamics knows that you’ll be able to prepare the perfect road trip for you and your family. From the bathroom breaks and snacks to activities to keep them busy, you have got this! With that being said, the one thing that you can count on happening during a road trip with children is a little bit of a mess.
The best way to manage the mess that’s bound to happen is by purchasing one of the kids car seat protectors made by K4 Dynamics. These are absolutely fantastic for catching any crumbs that may miss your child’s mouth or any crayons that get lost along the drive. By having one of these car seat protectors in your car, you can ensure that there isn’t a bigger mess to clean up afterwards.
Browse the selection of products that we have available online at K4 Dynamics. We will ensure that the rest of your road trips go without a hitch.