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Youre driving how many hours with three children? Looks of horror or sympathy often accompany this reaction when our friends learn we are taking yet another road trip.
Sure we enjoyed flying, when there were only two of us. But soon after our first child became a full-fare airline passenger at the age of two, we realized that driving would be far less of a strain on the family budget. We purchased a minivan and our destiny was sealed: we were officially a road trip family.
With a little advanced planning, the journey can be something of an adventure rather than an ordeal. Here are eight tips for planning an extended car trip with your children:
1. Kids enjoy being a part of the planning process. Involve them in mapping the route and talk about the attractions you might visit. There are even child-friendly maps and atlases available for your child to track the journey.
2. Pack water bottles and juice boxes in a small ice chest, along with healthy (and not too messy) snacks like cheese sticks, grapes and pretzels. Packing entire meals is a good option if you are adverse to the idea of fast food, but the trade-off is youll probably have to squeeze a larger ice chest in your vehicle.
3. Get your toddler or preschooler accustomed to going to the restroom when everyone else does. For the very newly toilet-trained, consider bringing a potty chair that can be used in an emergency. And dont forget to bring along hand sanitizer and toilet seat covers for rest stops and gas stations.
4. Let your child choose two or three favorite toys that will fit in their backpack or tote bag. Avoid toys with lots of small parts that can easily be lost. And if youve ever tried to remove melted crayon from upholstery, youll know not to leave any crayons in a hot car.
5. Provide special travel games or activity books that are new to your child just for the trip. Rather than giving them several toys at once, doling out individual toys at intervals throughout your journey will help your child appreciate each new thing and increase its enjoyment.
6. If youre fortunate enough to have a DVD player in your vehicle, allow your child to pick out a few movies and bring along a never-before-seen movie or two in addition to the favorites. Headphones can be invaluable for those times when the driver wants to listen to a CD or audio book without being drowned out by the kids flicks.
7. Allow time for stretch breaks. This could mean a longer meal at a restaurant with a play area, a romp in the grass at a rest area, or a short walk around a scenic viewpoint. We find that our grown-up legs need to work out the wiggles just as much as our little ones do. If youre driving for more than a day and staying overnight at a hotel, find one with a pool or playground for the kids to burn off energy. Theyll have something to look forward to and should sleep well that night.
8. Keep a positive attitude. At some point the kids will probably whine or get restless. An impromptu game of I spy or Twenty Questions or even a silly song can often break the monotony.
Too soon the experience will be over and lifes routines take over once again. The memory of the endless expanse of highway fades and youll find yourself making plans once more for the next family road trip.
Celia Fielding is a mother of three and Communications Director for traveltoys4kids.com, an online store featuring award-winning activity books and games for families on the go. Her family recently enjoyed a 15-hour road trip from Central Texas to Arizona.
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