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Traveling with Toddlers
Thanksgiving is almost here! Some of you may be traveling by car to visit relatives and I know traveling with children is not always easy. There are so many things that can go wrong! I feel like after a road trip with my children, my car will never be the same. Some how food and drink spills end up everywhere, including the ceiling. Be prepared for throw up and blow outs out the diaper. I’ve had to experience this more than once on different occasions. In the event this occurs, don’t be in a hurry, find a safe place to get off the highway, clean up the baby or child, and soon enough you’ll be back on your way. A clean towel is nice to have, not only for cleaning up the mess but I’ve used it to place in the babies car seat so my little one didn’t have to sit in a dirty car seat until we got to our destination and I could wash the car seat cover.
If you leave with a full tank of gas, this might save you from having to stop the car while the children are sleeping. Mine always wake up when the car stops. I purposely do not speed if I have sleeping children as I don’t want any reason to have to stop the car, especially by getting pulled over!
Snacks and entertainment are the keys to a successful trip. In my opinion, the less messy the snack the better. Crackers, cheese sticks, cereal, chips, bananas, raisins or craisins are better choices than strawberries and raspberries that can get smushed or anything sticky.
I highly recommend bringing along some puppets. They can be a fun way to pass the time. Babies and toddlers love them and a local Fort Worth mom makes some adorable hand made sets that could provide good quality entertainment in the car. Her name is Erin Mitchell and you can find her on Facebook to order!
She can make many different kinds from farm animals to super heroes!
Another entertainment suggestion is the Baby Signing Time videos! Even if you don’t plan on teaching your little one sign language these videos are the best! They are award winning, great for language development and are educational as well as entertaining.The next video recommendation is surprising, because I am not a fan of Barney, however Barney, Let’s go to the Zoo was filmed right here at the Fort Worth Zoo and isn’t a typical Barney show, therefore it is actually tolerable and even entertaining.
Handheld toys such as a Leap Frog push button item below is an example of a good toy to bring along because at first they will enjoy simply pushing the buttons and getting a response, then as they get older it will grow with your child and they can actually play the educational games that it is intended for. The best thing about Leap Frog items is that they have an on/off switch so there aren’t annoying sounds coming from the diaper bag. Finally, if you have an iPhone or iPad there are some great apps for babies and toddlers. We enjoy Starfall ABC, all of the Duck Duck Moose developed ones, Pooh’s Birthday, Talking Gina, Fisher Price Laugh an Learn, Endless ABCs, Pat the Bunny, There’s a Monster at the End of this Book, and the Disneyland app is full of exciting activities! Sometimes the hardest part of car travel is the last thirty minutes. I try to bring along a sucker or some kind of surprise to get passed this last hurdle. I hope you are able to plan your trip around naptime, as that will help if the child can sleep part of the way, although the best laid out plans are never guaranteed to work so I wish you luck and safe travels!
Tricia Schniederjan, is a Fort Worth girl born and raised, Tricia is a runner, scuba diver, snow and water skier, hiker and kayaker. Her love of exploring has taken her on many adventures with her 5 children which has led to her becoming an expert at traveling with children. She is a UT Austin graduate, an optimist, peace keeper and enjoyer of life.
