Whether you’re traveling for the holidays or hitting the beach for a family vacation, how you pack matters. A road trip with toddlers and babies can be stressful if you don’t prepare properly. Luckily, we’ve done it a few times, both with our daughter as a six month old and an 18-month old, so we’ve seen a few different scenarios and noticed what works in each. Save this list for later to reference while packing ahead of your next road trip!
Road Trip Packing Strategy is Key with Toddlers and Babies
It’s important to optimize every last inch of space in your car if you need it all. However, that starts well before you get to loading the car up to go.
Use as Little Luggage as Possible
Think “Tetris” when packing inside the house, not just once you’re trying to fit it all in the car. We use as few suitcases as possible so that we have more room for other things (i.e. baby bottle caddies, pillows, strollers, etc.). And trust me, there’s many more of the ‘other things’ versus suitcases once you have kids.
Keep the Kids’ Things All Together
I’ve found that the kids easily have more stuff than either my husband or myself. As such, I give them the big luggage and fit everything of theirs in there that I can. We’re talking clothing, shoes, toiletries, sound machines, toys, blackout curtains, feeding supplies, even the pack and play if it’ll fit. That way everything they need is in one spot because you know it’s always way more of an emergency to find something of theirs when it comes up later.
Ensure Electronics are Fully Charged
Don’t get into the car with an iPad on low battery. While you’re packing, a major checklist point should be to ensure all necessary electronics are charging or have fresh batteries. This includes iPads, sound machines, Baby Shushers, tablets, gaming devices, toys or anything they may want to play with during the road trip. I know there are different philosophies on screen time out there, but it’s truly a life saver on long car rides. Alexis only watched the iPad for maybe 3 out of the13 hours we were in the car coming home from Florida, but it SAVED US in those final three hours when she was getting fussy.
Another excellent tip: if your child’s at-home sound machine makes an on-the-go version I HIGHLY recommend getting it. Alexis uses the Hatch Rest and they recently released a Hatch Go that recharges and can hang on the handle in the back seat. It made simulating her usual at-home nap scenario much easier. She doesn’t love car seat sleeping so this was a very worthwhile investment for us. It gives her the same familiar sound as her nursery which really helps soothe her into a good slumber.
Secure the Kids Safely, but Also Effectively
Aside from the obvious safe car seat practices I also recommend a few tricks to keep the peace. When kids lose their toys, snacks or other items they get fussy fast. Howe we prevented this: once we had Alexis secured in her car seat I padded a light blanket between the door and the side of her seat so if toys fell that way she could still retrieve them herself. This was HUGE. It wasn’t as big of a problem when she was a baby, but now that she’s a toddler she’s flinging things and we can’t jump back there mid-ride to get them. We also swear by these toy straps and attached toys to them so she could use the straps to get them back.
If you do utilize an iPad there are a few gadgets I recommend setting up ahead of taking off, too. Firstly, get the iPad situated on the iPad mount in the back seat, possibly even with the programming ready to go behind the shut off screen as necessary. Also, they make bluetooth remotes that can operate an iPad or iPhone from afar so you can control them from the front seat, those might be something good to look into if you can’t reach the device from your seat.
Once you’ve hit all the essential safety checks, do yourself a favor and perform these few sanity checks. You’ll thank me mid-ride!
The Best Kind Toys for a Road Trip with Toddlers and Babies
Believe it or not, there are definitely right and wrong toys to provide toddlers and babies on a road trip. Or at least I believe so, in my experience. Try these kinds of toys on your next family road trip for a more peaceful ride:
- One piece toys, small parts will get lost all over the back seat out of reach
- Brand new toys, grab some new toys ahead of the trip and stash them until you take off, they’ll be extra entertained learning a brand new toy
- Toys that can attach via a toy strap (these are the BEST toy straps for car seats, strollers, wagons, etc.)
- Interactive, thought provoking and attention grabbing toys; we used these on our 13-hour Florida trip:
Remember, noisy toys may sound annoying but listening to screaming and crying is ALWAYS worse. Kids are always better off loud, but entertained and happy. The noise and light-making unicorn piano I shared above was easily one of her favorite toys and it wasn’t even loud/annoying.
General Tips for an Easier and More Organized Stay
Through trial and error we’ve learned many good practices when on a road trip with toddlers and babies. These are some of my favorites:
- Utilize the “secret compartment” if you have one. Our Equinox’s trunk floor lifts up to reveal additional space. It’s houses the spare wheel, but there’s plenty of space to pack other things, too. For example, we pack diapers, non-perishable souvenirs, pool toys, or other things that don’t need to be climate controlled here.
- On the flip side, if you store things like snow brushes, cleaning supplies or other cargo in the trunk that you don’t need on this trip, leave them home.
- Once at your destination, use one empty luggage as a hamper to keep all of the family’s laundry organized.
- Do laundry on the trip, when able. We were back in our Airbnb around 8:00 every night in Florida to keep Alexis on a bedtime routine, so we did laundry some nights while we enjoyed ice cream on the balcony. This allowed us to pack less clothing, leaving room for other essentials.
- If room is tight but you want to buy souvenirs try “replacing the space”. By that, I mean you probably needed room to bring diapers and snacks to the vacation, or other items that got used on the trip, that aren’t coming back. This creates a fairly even space swap for souvenirs.
- Pack things back up during your vacation. Bought souvenirs that you don’t need on vacation? Done with the pool? Pack dry toys back in the car. This’ll take some burden off the big pack right before leaving.
- Leave designated car ride toys in the car during the trip. This saves space in the Airbnb and the toys will be like new again for that long ride home.
Optimize the Car Ride Home
This section is specifically for you, parents. Don’t spend hours doom scrolling in the passenger seat. You’re going to have plenty to do when you get back home, trying to settle back into a normal routine. Here are a bunch of things you can do on that long drive home besides getting lost on social media.
- Tackle your to-do list (whatever you can do virtually)
- Catch up on a Podcast
- Write a review for your host on the rental platform
- Write Babyquip/equipment rental review(s)
- Organize vacation photos, delete duplicates, etc.
- Send photos to family and friends as needed/promised
- Pay bills
- Catch up on missed emails
- Read email newsletters that came in during vacation
While not a to-do per se, I also recommend adjusting your car’s audio to play out of the front speakers only (if your car has this feature). By doing so, your little can focus on their toys and/or nap in back with less noise and you can still listen to your podcast or music up front.
Travel Essentials for Vacation with Toddlers and Babies
Every family has different needs, but here’s my glossary of general toddler and baby items I’ve found extremely useful on any one of our vacations.
- Our Favorite Travel Stroller (SO easy to push one-handed, smooth ride, comes with rain cover)
- SlumberPod
- Nanit Travel Stand
- Nanit Travel Case
- Travel Hatch
- Hatch Go
- Travel Blackout Curtain
- Baby Bottle Caddy (we optimize this space by also packing breakable snacks in here)
- Baby Bottle Sterilizer Bags
- Formula Container
- iPad Car Mount
- Travel Toddler Food Scissors
- Car Seat Cup Holder Tray
- Keep Going First Aid Kit (we keep ours in the glove compartment)
- Solar Buddies
- Cool Down from Sun Bum (if your vacation is beachy and/or sunny, bring this and store in the fridge for cooling after-sun relief)
Taking a road trip with toddlers and babies doesn’t have to be scary, and I hope this article helps! We love our kid-friendly adventures and recommend them to anyone interested in taking some of their own.
We’re gearing up for our first flight with both of our girls next fall and I’m already thinking about what we may need. Though it’s a ways away, it’s a blog post you can certainly look forward to seeing. Have you taken your babies and/or toddlers on a plane yet? Leave all of your tips in the comments, please!
