Woohoo! You are all packed up and ready for your road trip with all your kiddos. The snackie cups are filled, the cooler is stuff with juice boxes, the DVD players are filled with movies. You head out on the open road only to realize you’ve fallen victim to 5 common mistakes parents make when traveling with kids.
Leaving First Thing in the Morning
In your head you’re planning out your trip and set a goal to leave at 8am and drive for so many hours before stopping and so on and so forth. Well let’s just stop here because you’ve already made your first mistake. Leaving “first thing in the morning” is a terrible idea. Your children are waking up and are ready to play first thing in the morning so why would you ever want to start the trip off with cranky kids?! Instead make plans to leave right after lunch or at midnight while they are fast asleep. Not only will you make a huge dent in the road ahead, you will be able to stop and enjoy happy, well rested children.
Letting Your Child Pick a Snack Every Stop
You’ve stopped for a potty break and to let your little ones burn some energy only to have them eye googling every sweet treat in sight as you make your way to the restroom. Whatever you do, DON’T give in! Feeding them sugar is like feeding Gizmo after midnight. They go nuts and become bored and become agitated which calls for more frequent stops. Instead set a goal that they can have one sweet treat once you reach the halfway point or every new state border you cross.
Forgetting the Baby Wipes
I don’t care if your child is 1 month old or 11 years old, baby wipes clean everything! Dirty hands? No problem. Juice spill? You’ve got it. Feet prints on the windshield from your spouse lounging? Done. Baby wipes are just made to go hand in hand with road trips and if you forget them, you might as well start lining up a car detailer now.
Keeping the Same Seating Arrangements
Though this can get tricky with car seats, keeping the same seating arrangements can be a bore for children. Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you have to sit in the front seat. When your little ones start to get restless why not hop in the back seat for some tickle and snuggle time. Maybe pry the technology from their hands and read a book to engage their minds for a little while.
Not Labeling You Child’s Things
Let’s say your final destination is staying with a family friend thousands of miles away from home who also has kids around your child’s age. Chances are, they also own many of the same or similar items that your little one does so what do you do? Label it. Label it left and right and make a checklist if needed. I had the opportunity to test out StickerKid labels and they seriously have been a game changer. You can choose between lots of designs, fonts, colors, etc. They not only have stickers but also iron on labels! These bad boys help me keep all of my children’s clothes separate from the other 3 children who wore the exact same sizes as mine. Not to mention, I’ve washed the clothing with the iron on labels as well as the sippy cups with labels multiple times and they have yet to have fallen off!
How many of these mistakes are you guilty of?