Okay, so we did a thing. Florida bound for 3 days which was an 8 hour drive! Did I mention we have a toddler?
So basically you're thinking there's absolutely no way you could take your toddler on an 8 hour road trip right? It took my husband and I a few months to actually figure how we would be able to pull it off. We did though!
I have a few tips and tricks for a tantrum free road trip to your destination, making it a little less chaotic.
○Portable DVD Player
This was a total life saver! It won't hurt to drop more than $60 on a DVD player for your car. Moana and Frozen on repeat! I still have the songs playing my head.. Not kidding.
○Snacks,Snacks and more Snacks!
Yes, you've probably heard this tip a lot and it's one for the books, because it really does work. Snacks of all sorts. Fruit loops, gummies, chips (Yes I'm aware it's all unhealthy) rules don't apply on long road trips. Don't judge.
○Human Interaction
Aubree needed my company. And while sitting in the back seat can be uncomfortable for an adult riding long distances, it made her feel content being able to see mommy's face. Having someone to hold hands with and play peakaboo.
○Rules Are Meant For Breaking!
When on long roads trips one must know, rules do not matter! Throw them out the window! Yeah, you read it right. This means the constant snacking, naps, screen time. None of it matters when your toddler is restless from being in their sit for long periods of time. Trust me on this.
○Naps on Top of Naps
She took lots of Naps! It's important to let them sleep almost the whole trip, this way you have less temper tantrums along the way.
Leave in The Middle of The Night
At first this seemed like a very bad idea. I thought "her sleep schedule will be messed up", "she'll wake up and never go back to sleep, this will be a disaster". After thinking about it, it's actually genius! She slept almost the entire trip and when she wasn't sleeping she was probably thinking about sleeping. We thought it be easiest to load everything in the car first, change her diaper and head out, with pajamas and all. Hey, it worked!
Necessary Stops
Bathroom, breakfast, lunch, diaper changes, gas. We used any one of these reasons to get our toddler out of her car seat, letting her stretch her legs. She loved the freedom of being out of that dreaded car (I think we all did).
Music
My child loves music and gave us an excuse to play the radio full blast when she'd get fussy. Girl loves to dance.
Toys
Of course you should pack a few of their fav' toys! Why not? Even if it is the noisiest one of them all. This gave Aubree a variety of things to do, between movies, music, naps and snacks, she was all set and ready to roll!
Before we knew it, we were there! An 8 hour trip never went by so peacefully! Our daughter doesn't even like 1 hour car trips. I'm convinced all of these things really helped 100%. She was a perfect little doll!
Overall the trip was a success! One in which I'm really glad we took after all the procrastinating.
Ally,
xoxo
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