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Wisconsin Parent

Summer Road Trip With Kids (tips and tricks)

Jun 26, 2014 10:08PM ● By Abbie Chaffee

*Carbonated beverages, apples, and peppermint are all great at keeping you alert. Pack them in a special area just for you or your driver.

Entertainment

Being in a car for a full day (or longer) is really boring. It doesn’t matter if you're 8 months, 8 years, or 88 years old. Packing lots of different fun activities keeps even the littlest of travelers entertained.

For our big trip, I packed a gallon size bag with various toys for the baby that I could hand back to her from the front seat. I made sure to chose odd items that she had never played with before. Her favorite play item was a plastic zipper pencil pouch. Go figure!

For the toddler, I set aside a few never-before-played-with items for the trip. She loved a set of alphabet flashcards with a water-filled brush the best

We also brought along:

-stickers

-Crayola Color Wonder markers and pencils

-post-it notes

-a bag of polished stones (which was by far the most entertaining play item)

-books

-our favorite stuffed animal(s)

Before the trip, we took the plunge and bought a portable DVD system for the car. Hands down, this was the ultimate lifesaver. We went with a dual screen system which allowed me to control the movies from the front of the car while the second screen attached to my toddler’s head rest.

*Don’t worry about packing a ton of movies for the trip. Pick up one or two from the nearest Red Box (which you can find at most grocery stores) and simply drop off your watched movies and pick up new ones along the way!

Relax and Have Fun!

This is vacation after all! Enjoy your time and make some memories!!]]>