We’re preparing for the cross country trip of our lifetime in 2 weeks where we move from Idaho to Raleigh. Not only am I trying to plan a 5 day road trip with 3 kids that’s actually fun and memorable, but I’m also especially sensitive to the fact with each passing hour, we are getting farther away from their lives and our former home as they (and we) know it. So I guess I just want it to be especially fun? I know meltdowns are inevitable, and I can’t plan every minute of the 35 hours we’ll be in the car, but I’d love to hear your road trip with kids tips!
We don’t have a DVD player in the car, but I’m open to getting a portable one. All the girls have iPads that they can use, but I also don’t want it to be Roblox central for 9 hours a day (and they all tend to get car sick after 30 minutes on them! Eek!)
One mom told me to not hand out a treat every hour, but just give them their bag of treats at the beginning and I loved that idea. But I’m also not-so-secretly wondering if my kids will eat ALL of their treats in the first 30 minutes and then what! Another mom told me that she brings a kids potty chair on long road trips for little ones and I’m definitely not above that! The only thing I have purchased so far was this fidget toy set that they already found and traded most of the parts at school. (Apparently these are the pokemon cards of today? haha).
Bottom line, I’m all ears. We have been using roadtrippers.com to plan some fun stops along the way–but it’s all the time IN the car that I’m sweating about!
More fun things this week!
Last week, we shared our exterior reveal (with the cost) right here, but this video that our team pulled together this week, really shows the extent of just HOW LONG the process was. (Totally teared up watching it transform in 5 minutes).
This is a little random, but this apple slicer is the absolute best! Thinner apple slices, mixed with the blade cover that we close to complete the slice fully during use–well, it’s all enough for me to talk about an apple slicer on my website.
My favorite coffee table wicker tray is finally back in stock!!
We duped everyone with this daily dupe!
My new favorite jeans I can’t stop wearing.
This living room took my breath away
Having a few friends over this weekend and this dessert is on the menu!
Weekend Sales
Abercrombie: Up to 40% off select styles! (perfect workout tank)
Ann Taylor: 40% off select styles with code COMPLIMENTS (these are so fun)
Anthropologie: Extra 25% off sale items! (need to find a place for this!)
J.Crew: 30% off kids’ styles with code SHOPNOW (I couldn’t NOT get this for the girls!!)
Nordstrom: Half-Yearly Sale now through 6/6! (saved my picks here and here)
Overstock: Memorial Day Blowout last chance! (cutest adirondack chairs)
Target: Patio Deals! (love this)
Williams Sonoma: Cutlery Deals! (the prettiest knife block)
BEST TIP I’ve ever received.
Give each child a roll of quarters. The quarters are theirs to keep. Anytime a disagreement occurs you can just calmly turn around and ask for a quarter. Whatever they have left over after the trip is theirs to keep.
So many good tips in here already. Both of my sons get carsick and dramamine is crucial. It also helps them sleep in the car too. We’ve done many 12-15 hour road trips with them from Pennsylvania to the south. Each stage of life is different for what works.
A favorite activity currently (6 and 3) is picking out a Redbox movie to play on the DVD player. They love the independence of having sole authority of the movie and picking out a special snack to eat with it.
We plan a mid-day break/attraction to split the drive up, maybe a national park or a playground. We tend to let them eat in the car so they can get their energy out vs. siting in a restaurant. After dinner, we get into pjs and drive a few hours. This only works if your kids transfer well while asleep. A hotel with a pool is a big hit if you stop early.
I’ve done trips with tons of toys and they’ve played with a fraction of it. So, I now give them agency of picking what they want and that helps. We like the Melissa and Doug reusable sticker books a lot, Wikistix and my kids like audiobooks they can follow along with it. (One trip if I heard the Hungry, hungry caterpillar again I thought I’d drive off the road =)
Good luck. Your girls are at an age this could be super fun!
iPad mounts for the back of the car headrests are the best for car sick kids. Looking up at the screen and not down makes a world of difference. Just download movies/shows, what they each individually like, and a set of headphones for each makes for a nice quiet ride at times.
We also like to get on the road early so the kids can sleep for a few of the driving hours so the time goes faster. Lastly pick hotels w pools to end your day. Nothing tires kids out more than swimming.
When my family went on road trips, my parents would start driving around 3:30 AM – my brother and I would get into the car in our PJ’s and go back to sleep! I think they enjoyed the quiet car for a few hours. Then we’d stop around 7:30, get dressed, and have breakfast somewhere. Also- we ALWAYS stopped at hotels with pools. Zero exceptions. One parent would take us to the pool to get out our end of the day energy while the other napped, and then the next day they’d switch. Good luck on your move!
Good morning!
I don’t usually email people with suggestions, but I feel your pain with the road trip-car sick situation! My daughter gets car sick. Boat sick, elevator sick, train sick, you name it sick!!
We bought her the relief band. It is awesome! You just charge it, put a little gel on the wrist and wear it like a watch. She has been able to do road trips, boat trips, she even says elevators aren’t so bad now! I hope that helps.
As far as activities go, we always pack a big surprise bag full of little activities and treats, then we make a silly travel map. We get a big piece of paper and start with our house at the top, I draw while the kids tell me what’s next, like, “then we’ll drive through big mountains in Colorado!” Silly big mountains go on the map, etc. I put in as many things as I can think of, filling it up from corner to corner. We then refer to the map at every stage of the trip and use it as a guide for when to pull out a new activity! Even a little short story read out loud by someone’s favorite stuffed animal becomes super fun if you do silly voices. You can have fashion shows with little things like Polly Pocket dolls, or do a dog show with their stuffies, bring hair bows and kerchiefs for them! Bring a tiny tea set and have car-seat-high tea every day (maybe even pack little white gloves for the girls). Find new song lists, camp songs or fireside songs and learn them together, then have contests to see who can sing them in the silliest voice (maybe have a list of suggestions ready if no one can think of anything on the fly, like, sing it like Cookie Monster! Or sing it like a mouse!) It’s all about bringing joy to the situation and teaching your kids that they can make every adventure beautiful!
Even if saying that way sounds cheesy:)
Ok! I hope you guys have fun!!
Best of luck to you and your family in your new home. Diane