last year, we took a month long road trip with suki and traveled through 14 states. we drove five to seven hours a day and camped along the way. since then, we have only taken a few, short three hour car trips. when planning for our trip to virginia i was a bit nervous about the car ride. since suki is a very active toddler i imagined it would be a fight to keep her in her seat and happy. after some planning and talking to friends who frequently road trip with toddlers, i felt more prepared and in the end it was a blast. suki loved spending time with us in the car, and she napped very well.
here are a few tips we discovered. ideally you should start your first leg of the trip after an active morning and leave an hour or two before the usual nap time. start with more stimulating activities like hide and seek books or coloring. as nap time approaches, transition to more quite books and music. we like to sing along and suki loves that. after nap time take a break at the first sign of restlessness. do not wait too long! when it is time to get back in the car, after some fresh air and movement, we usually transition by having a snack. this makes it a little more desirable to get back in the seat. at this point it is nice for an adult to switch to the back seat- that is usually me since i do not like to drive. after reading a few books and having fun with toys your destination will be right around the corner.
favorite road trip foods:
raw cookies
dried fruit
rice crackers
apples
sesame sticks
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