Kids In The Car: Your Family Roadtrip

Going on a holiday with the children has the possibility of being extremely stressful. While there are many modes of transport, there are also many different ways of ensuring your family stays happy (and sane) while you’re on your way.

If you’re taking a road trip to your destination, you should be prepared that many miles make for cranky children. Parents aren’t much better so what you should work on doing first is figuring out ways to keep those cooped-up kids complacent and cooperative. You can manage a road trip with ease with these handy tips:

1. Safety check the car before you go. Check the car seats are in properly and make sure you have a first aid kid in the boot. It’s also a great idea to have an emergency bag with you full of spare clothes, snacks, water bottles, and flashlights in case of being stranded.
2. Bring phone charges and battery packs for phone chargers – these nifty little devices can be bought with a department store voucher you can find online.
3. Plan well in advance for a good night’s sleep before you go. Rest is not only essential for keeping your eyes on the road, but it’s good for your tolerance levels. If you’re in a car with children for an extended period, they can get tired, bored, and cranky so if you’re sleep deprived you’re less likely to have patience!
4. If you have more than three kids, consider hiring a larger vehicle. Not only will you have more space for your stuff, but you’ll also be able to split them up if any fights break out.
5. Don’t forget to bring extras of everything. If one of your children is a baby, you’ll need extra nappies on hand in the main part of the car instead of the boot.
6. Think ahead about your rest stops and if the journey is an excessively long one, consider booking a night in a hotel on the motorway. You can then recharge overnight and so can the kids.
7. If you can, split the driving duties. Not only can you share the driving load, but you can also share the parenting and distraction of little ones.

These tips aren’t exhaustive. Road trips are tough enough for grown-ups never mind little children, but with these tips, you can ease the difficulties of the journey ahead. If you also ensure snacks and drinks are in non-spill flasks and lock boxes, you can save either your car or your rental from a lot of bother and cleaning. You can have an easy journey but it takes careful preparation and a lot of hard work.

The best bit of all? You can come out of the journey the other side having learned something. Whether you choose to go for another road trip is something else but you can easily decide to change how you plan the next one. If it’s a disaster, you’ll at least know how to do it all next time around!