On the Road Again

My husband is GA born and bred and we are very lucky to have his mother and his siblings living very close to us. But, with the exception of my parents and my brother, all of my family is scattered throughout VA which means a lot of road trips. When we were a childless couple a trip to VA could be accomplished with little preparation, in about 6 hours, stopping only for gas and the bad for you but very yummy fast food. Now that I have two kids getting ready for a road trip takes planning and preparation not seen since D-Day. While I wouldn’t say trips now are easy, I have learned a few tricks to make them a little less painful.

First, I make a very detailed list, broken down by each child and everything they might need, no matter how small. This breakdown makes buying supplies and packing extremely easy. I make a list of outfits the children might need, including socks, shoes, underwear/diapers and I even include the blankets for the Pack-n-Play in that list. I cross things off as I pack so when I am interrupted (and I am ALWAYS interrupted) I know what I have already packed and what needs to go without having to take everything out of the suitcase. I also tend to overpack for my kids as I never know if I am going to be near a washing machine or if I will even have the time to do a quick load of wash. I like to pack two outfits per day for each child. Sure the suitcase is filled to bursting but I like knowing that I won’t have to deal with any muddy or soiled outfits (barring a horrible diaper blowout incident) until I get home.

When I am at home I try to be environmentally friendly but on a road trip plastic is my friend. My 7 month old eats baby food so I like to buy the Gerber baby food that comes in plastic containers. I buy the Stage 1 2oz containers of fruits and veggies even though he is eating Stage 2 because he isn’t able to finish an entire 4oz container of the fruits and veggies. I don’t know what refrigeration will be available so I can get 4oz of baby food in him without worrying about what I am going to do with the leftovers. For his breakfasts I buy the premixed cereal and fruits that come in the jars- heat them and you are ready to go without having to worry about mixing up a bowl of cereal. Pampers makes some awesome disposable paper bibs and Stage 1 makes great plastic spoons that are reusable but cheap enough that you won’t be heartbroken if you forget one at a restaurant.

My brother sometimes jokes that our car resembles a grocery store on wheels when we travel but snacks are a must. Occasional calorie splurges are fun on a road trip but a steady diet of fast food just makes us sick. I like to pack a cooler full of water, juice boxes and a few sodas for my husband and myself. In another bag I pack all kinds of snacks, from chips to dried fruit to trail mix. We really like the fruit bars from Trader Joe’s because they make a quick breakfast or snack and don’t contain a lot of the artificial stuff found in other breakfast bars. When my 3 year old gets hungry he goes from 0-cranky in no time so I have to have something to give him quickly. Snacks brought from home also help in cutting down the travel budget- especially when gas costs an arm and a leg.

I always bring a bag of toys for the kids to play with in the car. Nicholas is getting to the age where he can pack his own bag and while the toys might seem like a mish-mash to me he feels very grown up packing his own bag. I also bring a few surprises along because after a while the toys from home lose their luster. For the surprise toys I hit the dollar aisle at Target, the dollar store, the clearance rack at bookstores and toy stores. The surprises are usually small, non-messy and very simple but because they are new they are irresistible. My son’s favorite travel activity right now are coloring books and the Color Wonder pens. I like them too because I know that his masterpiece will only show up on paper, not all over his carseat. This bag of toys comes in handy keeping a child occupied when we visit an older older relative who has replaced kid’s toys with really expensive shiny and breakable things.

Ever hear the term “music soothes the savage beast?” This is very true when you have toddlers stuck in a car for several hours. I like to bring along a few kid friendly cds to serve as a distraction. Our current faves are anything from Laurie Berkner, Jack Johnson (especially the Curious George soundtrack), Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. We also like to listen to kids books on cd- Nicholas and Jeremy can look at the pictures and “read along.” Often these stories will put them to sleep, which makes the trip a lot easier for everyone. A lot of libraries now carry books on tape and cd, just ask the librarian.

When the bag of toys loses its luster and the kids have to get out of the car, we hit the rest stop. There are always grassy areas by the rest rooms and away from the parking lots where kids can play and stretch their legs. I would love to give a big smooch to whoever designed the rest stop when you first hit VA as they even included a little playground. If we have enough room we will often bring a little soccer ball that Nicholas can kick around. Speaking of rest stops, if you are potty training a road trip can be a challenge. My aunt, who has a 5 year old and a 3 year old, swears by the portable potty you can purchase at Babies ‘R’Us. These potties fold flat when not in use and have liners that you can toss away after the child finishes.

In VA we visit with family but we prefer to stay in a hotel because it works better for us if we have our own place to go to at night and our own space. With a hotel we don’t feel like we are imposing when we bring in all of our baby stuff and the family we are visiting doesn’t feel like they have been invaded. It may cost a bit more in dollars but we tend to stay at the same family of hotels so we can earn reward points which result in free hotel stays. Plus our favorite hotel has a free breakfast every morning so we can go visit with family refreshed and without the morning grouchies. Finally, we always bring a little touch of home with us that isn’t necessary but is very comforting. Nicholas always brings his favorite pair of pajamas and Jeremy has the blanket out of his crib. My husband and I always seem to make room for our laptops and our mp3 players. Having these little touches from home often help the uneasiness that my kids feel when they have all these relatives that they don’t quite remember giving them kisses and pinching their cheeks.

These tips may seem simple or obvious but they have really helped make my traveling life easier. While I write this post we are on our way to VA for my cousins wedding (gotta love that laptop) and so far we are having a great trip. It might be a hassle to get all the stuff wrangled, but it is worth it in the end when we get to reconnect with family and make new memories.