Pages

Friday 16 March 2012

Kids Road Trip Survival Kit

So I am going on a 14 hour road trip with a 3.5 year old and a 6 month old.  I know, I know, a little crazy.  Or am I?

I have never been on such a long drive with the two of them before and I am a little scared.  I am going without my husband and with my mother to boot!  Crazy I know.....

To keep my toddler happy I have put together a road trip kit to bide these long hours.

Inside this road trip survival kit you will find:

  • Colouring books and crayons
  • Colouring pages from the Internet
  • Stickers
  • Dry erase markers
  • Printables from the Internet.  These include: Sign bingo, license plate games, mad libs, lines and dots, scavenger hunts, and tic tac toe.  I will be placing these inside a plastic sheet cover and using the dry erase markers on them so we can reuse them.
  • Books
  • Bubbles
  • Vtech ABC Text and Go.  This is one of our go to electronic games.  I also have a small laptop with some kid shows on it, but that is my last resort that I like to keep hidden for extreme meltdowns.
  • Aluminum foil for modeling
  • Etch-a-sketch for drawing
  • ABC magnets and a baking sheet.  The baking sheet is smaller and the magnets stay great on it.  This sheet can double as a table for her.
  • Pipe cleaners for making fun shapes
  • Chalk and black paper for drawing
  • Treasure bottle - an empty plastic bottle filled with 30 small items and rice.  I have written down the items and she must try and find all thirty of them.  I found most of the items just lying around: Feather, penny, crayon, bubble wand, raisin, button, paper clip, marker lid, screw.
  • Surprise packages -3 per day filled with a small toy or snack.  They will be given out every few hours and they are marked on a map. 

I also have the following in my emergency kit:
  • iPod with adult and children songs
  • Baby wipes for messes
  • Plastic bags for soiled clothes and garbage.  I have these stored in an old paper towel tube that we can reuse for something else along the way.
  • First aid kit with band-aids and Tylenol
  • Handy change of clothes in case of accidents
  • Pillow and blanket to make the car more comfortable
  • Toys for hotel = cups to play in the bath, 1 book, and a stuffed animal
  • White noise machine to calm upset children
So that's what we have prepared for this road trip and we have another planned for this summer.  I am hoping to figure out this round what works and what doesn't so I can improve my survival kit for future trips. 

What do you think I should add to the Kids Road Trip Survival Kit? 

Happy parenting,
Jean 

1 comment:

  1. This is perfect! Thank you! Heading out on a 6 hr (one way) road trip in a few weeks with a 6yo, 4yo and 4mo. This list is great.

    ReplyDelete