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Traveling with Toddlers: How to Entertain Them Without Screens

By , December 3, 2024

I am a mom of three glorious children ages eighteen months, three and five. My family and I make semi-frequent road trips to Tennessee to visit family. Fun, right? Well, not always! From my own experience, I thought it would be fun to share things that I have learned to help make these grueling trips a little less grueling. I have composed three tips for traveling with toddlers to help you navigate driving long distances with toddlers without the use of a screen or tablet. I will also share own road trip blunders and learning curves too!

Tips for Traveling with Toddlers: Pack Less Toys

More toys equal more fun, right? Wrong! On our first road trip to Tennessee, I put a small bucket of toys (mostly little characters, books, and an interactive animal sounds book). Our son, around three turning four at the time, played the longest with a tin lunchbox filled with little dinosaurs. My daughter, around eighteen months old at the time, bounced between the books and interactive animal book. As it turned out, they didn’t need such a wide assortment of toys!

The next trip we made was within the same six to eight months and, once again, I packed too many toys. I packed a basket of books and a basket of toys. On top of that, they each got their own backpack full of trinkets. Well needless to say, more toys ended up on the floor more than their hands. It was a game of “mommy can you get [insert toy here].” This time, I realized that having more options doesn’t mean they will get more use out of them.

What Toys Are Best to Pack?

A car ride is a great time to get creative with activities. Recently, I packed toddler-safe scissors and blank printer paper. It was a huge hit! The mess was easy to clean up, plus they were working on their fine motor skills. That is a win-win!

Another idea is to pack away what books and toys you will take about one to two months before the trip. This way your little(s) will forget about them and then be excited to see them again.

My third suggestion is to allow your child to use those normally “off-limit” pens and highlighters. That makes scribbling a lot more fun! You could ask your child(ren) to draw a picture of you or a picture of what the trip looked like to them.

Tips for Traveling with Toddlers: Load Up on Snacks!

Our travel tummies are always hungrier than our house tummies! Having a plethora of snacks at the ready is crucial for a long car ride. This is the day to indulge in the dye-free fruit snacks and the zollipops. If you check out the latest post on how to avoid harmful ingredients in food, you’ll see some ingredients to avoid while shopping for your trip.

What Snacks Are Best to Pack?

Some of my go-to snacks are meat sticks, dye-free fruit snacks, and veggie straws. I also make muffins the night before to grab on the way out the door. No one is ever upset about it! (Try out my favorite recipe for mini chocolate chip muffins if you’re interested.)

Tips for Traveling with Toddlers: Give Them the Tunes

My last tip is definitely going to make you say, “oh great.” But honestly, give up your car stereo! When you’re traveling and want to avoid handing them a tablet, the music is theirs. However, you are allowed to limit the wonderful sounds of Laurie Baukner. Take turns with them! You can listen to ten or fifteen minutes of a podcast, or your own genre of music, and then they get a chance to listen to their songs.

What Songs Should You Listen To?

Our kids favorite at the moment is Danny Go. His music encourages the kids to move their arms and legs and get some energy out, which is perfect for a car ride! You could also try audio books. Of course, if you have children under three or four, they may not prefer this. You are better off allowing them to have the music!

Traveling with Toddlers Requires Flexibility

Traveling with toddlers really comes down to being flexible. If you have a realistic perspective of the journey, you will know that traveling is never smooth and you have to pivot when possible. On a more recent trip, my fifteen-month-old took a veggie straw and choked. This caused her to vomit everywhere, resulting in us pulling over on a very busy freeway and being scared half to death!

At the end of the day, as long as you get to your destination safe and healthy, that is what matters most. What are your best tips for traveling with toddlers? Share them in the comments!

About Katrina McDonald

Katrina is an aspiring homemaker and sourdough enthusiast with an addiction to good coffee - both morning and afternoon. She and her husband, Vince live in South Jersey with their three wonderful children: Grayson, Audrey and Vivian. She and her family enjoying listening to music, baking cookies, and sharing the gospel.

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