Well, preparing to go on a long car ride. It’s one thing if you’re going on your own, but it’s completely another if you’re gonna be taking the kids with you. Whether you are road tripping to Grandma’s house or you’re heading out on a family vacation, then you really do need to prepare for that car ride with kids in the back seat.
There’s a lot to consider, from packing the right snacks to unleashing car games and making the right stops at strategic moments. You also have to consider whether or not you are going to be using your usual car, renting a car for the trip, or buying a whole new car altogether. It’s always much easier to know that you are taking the used Land Rover rather than the brand new Ferrari on a road trip, especially with kids in the back seat. A used Land Rover is roomy and big enough to carry the whole family, but it’s also going to be less of a pain for you if it gets dirtied up by children’s rubbish at the back. Let’s take a look at some tried and tested trips to get you prepared for a long, hard journey with kids in the back.
- Plan your route, but plan the stops. Researching the best route is one thing, but you need to plan your stops via fuel stations that have amenities. Not only do you need the time to fill up the car, but you need to make sure that the kids that are going to tell you that they need to pee or that they are hungry are going to be satiated and satisfied.
- Pack easy, Grab snacks. You really don’t need to make up pasta, salads or chopped fruit when you’re trying to drive the car and manage the kids not getting a mess everywhere. Packing dry snacks can often help, such as crackers and biscuits, because they can be cleaned up easily with the vacuum cleaner and they can be handed out easily. It might be nice to pack healthy sandwiches, but if your kids are not clean eaters you’re going to struggle clearing up the mess.
- Bring a cooler full of drinks. Have a strategy when it comes to drinks because if you’re handing out drinks too quickly you’re going to end up with children who need to pee every 5 minutes and they’re not all going to need to pee at the same time. Make a point of mapping out all of the toilets on your journey so that you know exactly where you can stop for a quick pullover if necessary
- Pack a change of clothes. You might have a suitcase in the back with your vacation clothes, but you need to also have a grab bag with some changes just in case of soiled clothing. Vomit or anything else that you need are easy to grab. Call it your emergency child bag, because you’ll definitely need one.
