HOW TO SURVIVE A LONG CAR JOURNEY WITH KIDS!
The summer holidays have arrived and with that comes adventure, sunshine, lots of rain and excitement for long car journeys. We know that the idea of a long car journey with children can fill some parents with dread. So we’ve come up with a fool proof list of how to survive long journeys this summer. This is how to keep them happy and entertained on a budget!
ACTIVITY PACKS
We have seen lots of different activity bags on the internet (Pinterest is your friend if you are on a budget!). Some of our favourites use reusable tote bags – plain ones can be bought quite cheaply if you don’t have any spare. Get the kids to personalise their own bag in the seat! Fillers can include crayons and pens, a colouring book, small toys stocking filler toys, (if you don’t have any its worth visiting a charity shop locally who usually have a 10p box of them!).
SNACKS, SNACKS AND MORE SNACKS
The holy grail of long car journeys with kids has to be snacks. No one wants to hear…
‘Mum I’m hungry!’ on repeat for a 8 hour car journey.
The secret to snacks is make up small lunch boxes and get your kids involved with deciding what goes in them. We love bento style boxes like these Yumboxes! On a budget? No worries we also like to make our own bento boxes using cupcake cases in a normal lunch box and putting the individual snacks in each one. Perfect!
Things like raisins, bread sticks, crisps, carrots, cucumber, hummus are all great snacks to go a long side some sandwiches too. Avoid any food that can melt or get too sticky.
Having water throughout the trip is essential, we like to keep large bottles of water behind the seats so we can refill the kids bottles with ease. Avoiding juice is a good idea as sometimes this can irritate car sickness. Make snack time fun by adding in an extra treat like a little Lego man to keep them occupied whilst nibbling, fun is best!
ENTERTAINMENT
Get the kids to pack a backpack. They can add in their favourite toys and then you can add in extra essential travelling items, colouring books and crayons (avoid anything that needs sharpening). Sticker books and additional stickers, a book to read or kindle (age depending), a plain sketchbook for any artistic kids out there, a travel game like guess who or uno, a favourite teddy and blanket to keep them cosy! Films and games can easily be downloaded onto a tablet as well as all their favourite programs to keep them all entertained. Just be careful with how much time they spend as this can trigger travel sickness too!
We also think that audio books and having a special playlist for each child, fun packed with their favourite song and stories goes down a treat.
Have you seen this nifty Pipity https://www.pipity.com packs before? How cool!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Pack a little “get better” kit for when you are on the road. Filled with the usual first aid kit items. Pop in anti-sickness bracelets in case the children are travel sick. It’s also good to carry extra water, clothes and nappies and a towel and kids paracetamol, just in case!
What are your ESSENTIAL travelling with kids items? We would love to know how you survive long journeys!
Author: Helen Loder
Co-Director of Sevenoaks Mums