“Are we there yet?” are perhaps the most often heard and dreaded words to come out of a child’s mouth on a road trip. Why do you hear it so often? Your child could be anxious to get where they are going but more likely than not you are hearing it because your child is uncomfortable, restless, or bored. These feelings for your child can manifest in more ways than saying “Are we there yet?” They may become angry, defiant, teary eyed, or start picking fights with their siblings. These behaviors can turn what should be a fun, family bonding experience into a nightmarish, stressful, dreaded experience for both you and your child.
How can you reduce the odds that your road trip experience will turn out to be a nightmare? A little planning and employment of a few “tricks of the trade” are the main ingredients in the recipe for a road trip that all of you will remember fondly.
Just as you plan your travel route, estimate the time it will take to get there and budget for the cost of the road trip you should plan for your child’s road trip too.
First make sure that your child has a comfortable seating area. Is the seat itself comfortable to your child? If the answer is “not so much” then pack a lap blanket, travel sized pillow, and a favorite stuffed animal. Do they have room to move their feet? As tempting as it might be to put the cooler under their feet consider how you would feel after hours of having your knees tucked under your chin. Have you allowed for space for your child to keep their travel entertainment within reach?
What travel entertainment, you say? Each child should have their own toys and games for the road trip. Age appropriate entertainment can offer hours of creativity, fun and education for your child. A backpack filled with a writing journal, coloring activity books, magnetic games, card games, stickers, word search, mazes, peg games and books is a great start. Going the non-electronic route eliminates the problem of dying batteries or the need to recharge.
Second you should plan plenty of pit stops into your trip. This is not only for the obvious bathroom breaks but to allow your child some fresh air and time to burn a little energy. Bring along some energy burning devices like flying disks, a foam ball, a kick sack or a jump rope. Depending on the age and energy level of your child you might plan on these breaks every hour or two.
OK so your pit stop is over. Are you left with a child who is still a little hyped up? Here is where some of the “tricks of the trade” come into play. When you pack your child’s entertainment backpack divide it into two bags. One bag you give to your child at the start of the trip with a few items in it. Keep the other bag with you. Following pit stops or during those long in-between stretches introduce your child to another new item from your bag. Knowing that they will get a “surprise” after a pit stop will make getting back into their car seat easier.
Third, don’t forget that your child will need to eat. Like they would let you forget that. Stopping to eat is often not an option for each meal and snack time. Pack items that you know your child likes. A road trip is not the time to introduce your child to a pimento sandwich and agave juice if they normally eat peanut butter and jelly and drink apple juice. Pack a roll of paper towels, pre-moistened towels for hands and faces, an extra bag for garbage and a few zipper lock bags to save leftovers.
A few “tricks of the trade” for mealtime:
Bring drinks for your child in pull top bottles. What is wrong with a juice box or sip cup? Consider that a sip cup sometimes ends up upside down and that juice boxes and pouches are “accidentally” squeezed. If that happens, at the very least you will have a sticky, wet car and the worst a sticky, wet, unhappy child.
