Driving with Kiddo: 6 tips for tear-free, toddler-friendly road trips

Scenes like this from the Icefields Parkway - not yours to behold when you're trying to beat the crying clock of your bambino. Photo credit: Walter Lam/Flickr/CC
Scenes like this from the Icefields Parkway – not yours to behold when you’re trying to beat the cry clock of your bambino. Photo credit: Walter Lam/Flickr/CC

As I drove north on the Icefields Parkway, the western spine of Canada (aka the Rocky Mountains), the road trip was a blur. I was racing against time: trying to get to my destination before my then five-month-old woke up hungry and angry after being in a car for WAY TOO LONG on this seemingly NEVERENDING (translation: two days) road trip.

We sped by so many sights – Castle Mountain, Crowfoot Glacier, Mount Chepheren – instead of stopping to bask in the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies like all the other happy-looking families, we didn’t. There was just one panicky thought on repeat in my head: ‘When is this road trip going to end?’

We were on day two of travel across British Columbia and part of Alberta to go see my partner in central Alberta. Here we were on an incredibly beautiful road trip that people from around the world pay big bucks to come and do. Frankly I didn’t enjoy the scenic surroundings because I didn’t pack enough supplies or give myself enough time to get there. We ended up having to stop in David Thompson, kiddo balling his eyes out and mommy very frazzled for a snack, leg stretch and calm down.

Fast forward a year. Many road trips – Tofino, Victoria, Kamloops, Lesser Slave Lake, Calgary, Drumheller – big and small later, we are starting to find our family travel groove. I once interviewed Micheal A. Palmer – an international traveller, family guy and author. He travelled across Canada with his wife and THREE, yes, three kids a few summers ago and had all kinds of wisdom to share. The uptake: plan, stop often, eat healthy. You can read more here.

The summer of 2015 we explored Alberta. After a few slightly stressful trips, I decided to try to start learning from our four-wheel journeys. Whether I’m driving alone with our little dude or we’re on a trip with the whole fam (mama, daddy + tiny tyrant), if I implement the six tips below, it makes for a tear-free trip. 

Pack your goods away in groups. My portable office in the Glovebox.
Pack your goods away in groups. My portable office in the Glovebox.
Get organized

When you have a kid you have a lot of stuff. Bum changing stuff, clothes stuff, play stuff, eating stuff, adult stuff. So we try to keep our stuff organised. This means using space wisely in either of our sedans (we own a Volvo station wagon and a trusty gold Jetta TDI named Hayzeus). Everyday travel stuff goes into our Glovebox backseat organizer: wipes, spare face clothes, toys, adult granola bars, baby snack bars, etc. For the big people we have a trunk organizer. I especially love the Glovebox Grab’n’Go Buddy. It’s a portable office – it keeps my laptop, magazines and any important papers sorted. Whether you use these sweet Glovebox organizers or your own system, the key is do a little upfront packing/organising before you go.

FirstAid

Be prepared

Get a First Aid kit. Always have a couple extra blankets on hand. Pack a spare change of clothes (for your and kiddo) in an easy to access spot (for example: not in the bowels of your trunk). ALWAYS HAVE A PACKAGE OF WET WIPES. ALWAYS. You never know when vomit/coffee/poutine gravy explosion is going to strike. Plus – if you do end up stopping to hike/bike/explore and get a cut or scrape, you always know that your first aid kit is always stocked.

Plan your route before you go.
Plan your route before you go.
Plan your road trip route

In the days of smart phones and GPS coordinates this sounds like a no-brainer right? Well guess what? Phones can die or there may be a pocket of bad reception. Check out your route beforehand, know generally where you’re going. Or if you’re a bit old school like me – print out a map to reference in case your electronics go kaput.

Load up your favourite albums & podcasts for hours of ear candy.
Load up your favourite albums & podcasts for hours of ear candy.
Stay entertained

For us this usually means podcasts, music, singing and having a grab bag of toys behind the passenger seat, below our son’s feet. Kid toys include: his favourite books, cars, musical toys (cringe-worthy I know, but if it keeps them happy, just chill), favourite stuffy or three and any other toys that are small and easy to play with. I’m a podcast geek and really love listening to: Amy Porterfield’s web marketing tips, Criminal, Serial, Elise Blaha Cripe’s craft podcast and the Strombo Show. For music: pack your phone/ipod/CD case with tunes you know your little person loves.   Our current roadtrip playlist includes a mix of CANCON gold plus some dirty hipster blues and pop: The Kerplunks, Bobs & Lolo, Basia Bulat, Dan Mangan, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and Colemen Hell (because mama needs to car dance sometimes and this makes the child happy).

Blueberries are delicious and easy to eat on the road. Photo credit: Roger H. Goun/Flickr/CC
Blueberries are delicious and easy to eat on the road. Photo credit: Roger H. Goun/Flickr/CC
Pack finger food & H2O

Chop up fruit and veggies. Grab your fave semi-healthy snacks. Make some mini-sandwiches. Avoid the grease factor by essentially packing a couple of easy to eat-by-hand lunch options. If you’re a frequent pee-er then avoid coffee, tea or large smoothies before the trip. For the constant-stop-to-pee adults:  opt to snack on juicy fruits like grapes, melon, blueberries or oranges to stay hydrated between sips, instead of gulps, of water.

Stop often

This is especially true for long trips. Get out, stretch your legs and admire the scenery. Road trips are not meant to be a sedentary sentence. Implicit in this road trip tip is: give yourself enough time to stop. The times we haven’t scheduled in time to stop, let our little guy have a little run around a couple times during the trip have been disastrous. Leave early, be realistic about travel times (including stops) and have fun. Remember: you’re on this journey to see friends, family or visit a special place. There’s no point arriving in a fluster with a cranky family.

~~~~

A few months after my first big cross-province road trip between BC and the ‘berta, we drove south to hang with family for Thanksgiving just east of Calgary. Our phones were charged, we checked our route beforehand and there were ample snacks. The CANCON playlist played, we danced and dug through the bag of toys,books and finger foods. And the trip was TEAR FREE. Yay for learning something.

Try these 6 hacks for a tear-free, toddler-friendly road trip.
Credit: Grand Porter/Unsplash
Do you have any family road trip hacks? Share your tips and tricks in the comments section below.

Comments

6 responses to “Driving with Kiddo: 6 tips for tear-free, toddler-friendly road trips”

  1. Marlys Avatar

    Hahahaha, that was indeed a lost opportunity, first time around. Glad you were able to make up for it. Very practical tips too, for everyone with small kids.

  2. Agata Avatar

    I never travel with the kids, but it definitely sounds smart. I totally agree with preparing the favourite postcasts. When I’m driving 12-14 hours straight to Italy audiobooks keep me awake! One trip = one book read which is a wonderful thing! I recently listened to Thomas Mann, Dr Faustus, George Orwell, 1984, and Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margaret.

    1. mpost Avatar
      mpost

      Thanks for the suggestions Agata – those all sounds like great audiobooks.

  3. Kevin Wagar Avatar

    Hi Miranda!
    Great advice! We have travelled with our children across Canada and the World and it’s amazing how important it is to have snacks and drinks available at all times! We just returned from a 9 day trek around Jordan with our 2 and 4 year olds and we found that bringing a camel pack is a great way to keep the kids hydrated. Our 4 year old loves the responsibility of carrying his own while our 2 year old just loves drinking from the hose 🙂

    1. mpost Avatar
      mpost

      What a great tip – I’m pretty sure once our little guy is big enough, he’d like one too. I hear you: snacks tucked into every pocket/corner are a must.

  4. orangewayfarer Avatar
    orangewayfarer

    we dont grow blueberries here in India. Just eat them in muffins. Beautiful description you have given. I have till date only heard new mothers complaining. Your post was a nice bout of optimism!

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