And then we'll drive back, possibly stopping in our beloved Savannah or discovering a new destination.
Yes, we're road tripping with our spawn. On purpose.
The first time we made the NJ to Florida trip, Hugmonkey was two months old and my brother-in-law didn't even live there yet.
In addition to having to stop nearly every hour for me to nurse Hugmonkey, Ironflower also vomited about 4 hours into the trip, right as we got stuck in bumper-to-bumper D.C. traffic. And yet when road tripping to Maryland for my cousin's wedding came up a few months later, Ironflower and Lovebug were all over it. Hugmonkey still not so much.
But now? Every day he asks if we're leaving for our road trip.
I don't know if it's the break from routine, the total relaxation of screen time rules or what, but my kids loooove road trips. Well, they like the destinations better, but they are no problem in the car. They are just ready for whatever adventure comes up next, I guess. And for them, a rest area can be an adventure - especially if we play tag there.
I highly recommend playing tag on road trips, by the way. Unless the rest stop is really skeevy. Also, never let your kids watch videos in the car except on road trips - it makes the whole experience much more exciting. I know, I know, I'm not one for giving parenting advice. . .but I feel qualified in this case, and it's so rare that I feel qualified about anything. . . . .
1. Videos in the car.
2. Rest stop tag.
3. Pack favorite healthy snacks that are easily accessible. Do not buy junk food at every stop.
4. Buy junk food at one stop only if you desperately need to bribe them.
5. Put each outfit (top/bottom/underwear/socks) in a Ziploc bag so that everything stays sorted.
6. Stay in motels with indoor pools, or really good cable.
7. Treat the road part of the trip like a vacation, not a painful marathon to get to your final destination.
8. Have special toys just for the car, like Etch-a-Sketch, Wiki Stix and art sets.
9. Make them pause the videos and look at the window when you get to new parts of the country.
10. Have a minivan. Seriously.
1 comment:
I totally agree with all of this. Our kids have always been great in the car, but we don't do videos every time we drive across town. Redbox is great for getting a new movie on the run. We pick up in one place and drop off in a different city. We also love magna doodles in the car. Wiki stix would be great! We'll have to do those for our trip this summer.
Great advice! Happy traveling!
Post a Comment