Keeping toddlers entertained during a long road trip can feel daunting. Between all the snacks, toys, books, and activities, the mere thought of keeping an active 2-year-old in a car seat for more than an hour sounds terrifying. With COVID-19 making it difficult to travel with kids, many families are resorting to car travel for a change in scenery. Road tripping cross country with kids can much easier than you think with a little bit of planning!
Our family just got back from a trip to California and we did a 12 hour+ drive (14 hours including stops) from Texas to Southern California. To be honest, I was dreading the drive and anxious about all the worst-case scenarios weeks leading up to our trip. Lucky for us the kids did great and didn’t mind the drive at all! With all the snacks and toddler car activities we had planned we wouldn’t skip a beat doing another long road trip with kids. Below is my packing list for a road trip with toddlers and some things to consider! With COVID rules being different in every state make sure to do your research at stops to know which states are open, and which are closed. Most places will require masks in gas stations and restaurants, so if you don’t have masks for your little ones, purchase some on amazon.
12 things to pack for road trips with toddlers
1.) BRING A PORTABLE POTTY. Account for frequent stops & potty breaks. Bringing a portable potty, toilet paper and bags can make for easy clean ups in case you need to stop on the side of the road. You just never know when you’re going to need to stop for an emergency #2 and some rest stops can be really gross, so having an alternative little potty can be extra handy.
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2.) SNACKS. When you have a toddler, snacks are both entertaining & time-consuming. Think about some unique snacks that your toddler doesn’t get very often and offer them one at a time as they get fussy. If you have an older toddler consider making a snack box filled with little things that they can choose to occupy them. I used this snack box of our son Miles who is 3. Tip: Keep all your snacks organized in a basket or cooler and keep them up by your feet. Don’t forget to bring a trash bag and wipes/napkins!
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3.) PLAY TRAY. I purchased 2 trays from the Dollar Tree that had edges so that when the kids played with toys or ate a snack they can keep everything on the tray. This tray made for easy to clean up and was simple for the kids to have a surface for activities. These trays were easy to use and the kids used them when they would color or eat a snack.
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4.) SURPRISE ACTIVITY BAGS! Head to Target dollar spot/ dollar tree and buy a small surprise/activity for every hour of the trip! Place the surprise or activity in a paper bag and number it, that way you know how many surprises you have left. Every hour or whenever the kids get fussy give the kids their surprise bag! Watch as they light up with excitement as they open their bag and play with whatever toy is inside, it makes the hours go by faster and the kids are more patient as they wait for their next activity or surprise.
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5.) IPAD CASE & CHARGER. I really refrained from giving the kids their iPads until it was absolutely necessary just because I didn’t want them to watch hours and hours of tv. I purchased the kid’s iPad cases with a strap that allows you to hang their iPads to the back of the headrest and it was a lifesaver! Preload the kid’s iPad with movies on Netflix, Disney Plus, and games! Don’t forget a really long car charger!
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6.) MELISSA & DOUG COLORING PADS. These things are amazing! It is a spiral coloring book that comes with a white marker and when the kids color on the pages it reveals the colors on the page. They are SO entertaining and best of all mess-free. I packed both of the kids 2 books each and they enjoyed coloring and doing all of the activities in each book.
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7.) BOOKS. Order a toddler book bundle from Amazon depending on your Childs interest. These book sets are inexpensive and typically cover a whole topic, like princesses, or animals. Give your child a new book every hour and read through the book with them. The book bundles were perfect for us because we were staying at my parent’s house for 2 weeks and we do bedtime stories. Instead of reading the typical crowd favorites every night, we would read some new books we brought for the road trip.
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8.) PLAY DOUGH. Although it can get a little messy a single container of play dough and a few small plastic animals can take up A LOT of time. Let your little one press the different animal shapes in the play dough, and learn about animal tracks in the dough!
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9.) REUSABLE STICKER PAD: this is another Melissa and Doug item that I can’t say enough good things about. The pad comes with stickers where you put different characters into a scene. The stickers and be reused and moved around to make new scenes or outfits for the different characters. Plus these stickers don’t damage your car windows if your toddler puts them on the window!.
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10.) MAGNET DOOLE BOARD: My kids love these. I purchased small doodle boards so that they could easily keep them in their laps. If you purchase a bigger one, you can also use it for magnet games/ puzzles!
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11.) BUSY BOARD: If you have a toddler who loves buckles, zippers, buttons, and things this is for you! A learning activity board keeps little minds occupied while they develop fine motor and problem-solving skills zipping, buttoning, and buckling items. My daughter who is two years old loves locks, so I purchased a board with locks and keys for her and it was a great way to break up the long road trip.
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12.) CLEAN UP KIT: you never know what’s going to happen. Spills and messes are inevitable with little toddlers. Pack a bin full of gallon-sized zip lock bags (for spoiled clothes, diapers, and trash), Lysol spray, disinfecting wipes, and paper towels. Keep everything together so you know where it is when you need it most.
I hope this list was encompassing and helpful for any of you road warriors out there!! Travel safely and good luck!! I promise it won’t be that bad! You’ll get to your final destination and will be so happy you did the drive!
Parenting Toddler activtities Travel Tips
