Parents: Prepare For Your Next Summer Road Trip With Little Ones

Father buckling his son into carseat

You love your kids, but taking road trips with them can be stressful. Between keeping them safe and entertained, you can feel overwhelmed. Make your next road trip fun and easy by preparing ahead of time. Check out these tips to prepare for your next summer road trip with your little ones. Then, you will look forward to hitting the road.

Keep Kids Fed and Hydrated on the Road

Something happens as soon as kids get in a car. They somehow become incredibly hungry and thirsty, even if they just ate and drank. Prepare for this by packing snacks and water for the road. Use reusable containers to hold different types of snacks, plus water bottles you can refill on stops. Then, when the chorus of “I’m hungry” starts, you can reach for the snacks and pass them out.

Pack an Activity Bag

Kids are also easily bored on road trips. While you might enjoy taking in the scenery, kids normally don’t feel the same. They need more than gorgeous scenery to pass the time, so pack an activity bag to keep them entertained. Include crayons, a coloring book, and some card games like UNO and Go Fish. You can throw in some small toys, including a travel LEGO set, for long trips. Be sure to include a nice mixture of activities, so they can go from one to the next on long car trips.

Bring Movies Along

You can also keep your kids entertained by bringing some movies along. If your car has a DVD player, you can use that to play movies. If not, consider downloading movies to a tablet. Then, your kids can scroll through the movies, find one they like, and press play. Kids often get so engrossed in the films they watch that they forget to ask, “Are we there yet?” That’s a huge relief to parents.

Have a First Aid Kit on Hand

Safety is essential, so have a first aid kit on hand as well. It should include all of the staples, such as Band-Aids and antibiotic ointment. Then, if your kids have a minor accident during the trip, you can patch them up and keep driving.

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Pack Extra Charging Cords

You also need to make sure you have plenty of chargers for all the electronics. The fun will come to a screeching halt if your kids can’t charge their portable devices. You will also run into trouble if you’re using your phone for navigation and the battery dies. Have enough chargers to go around to avoid fights.

With the proper preparation, family road trips are a blast. Use these tips so your next family road trip will go off without a hitch.

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