Are we there yet? She's touching me. He's looking at me silly. I have to go to the bathroom....
Does this remind you of anything? Say, maybe a road trip with your wee ones? Or maybe just your significant other...? I joke, I joke.
A regular reader recently asked me for some organization tips for their vehicle especially geared toward all the "stuff" that they travel with for their kiddos. At first, I was a little nervous about this topic because, like most of you know, the only kiddo I travel with has four legs and is very. very. furry. But, I started to do some research and really enjoyed putting this post together. Here are five tips to help you keep your sanity on your next journey - whether it's five minutes to the grocery store or 8 hours to the in-laws.
Nothing ruins a road trip like a flat tire, an auto
accident, or a potty mishap. Since we can't completely avoid these situations,
the key is to be ready for them if they happen.
Pack an emergency tote or basket to store in the trunk.
Include one complete outfit for each child, non-perishable snacks, bottled
water, a blanket, a disposable camera, a flashlight, and a first aid kit or
supplies.
In case of an accident (or some flashing lights reminding you to slow down), it's important to have your paperwork organized in your glove box so you don't have to dig through a mess to find it. Chances are you're going to be flustered in that situation, and digging through papers is not going to help. Use a coupon organizer to hold your auto registration, insurance information, and road side assistance card. It may also be helpful to add emergency contact information and any allergies for each of your family members. You can often find these organizers at the dollar store!
No matter how prepared you are, there are bound to be messes when you travel. Having some items with you to quickly and easily clean them up will make your trip less stressful.
Use a plastic cereal container lined with a plastic bag as a small trash can in your vehicle. This keeps trash contained until you get to a spot to dump it.
To keep extra plastic bags on hand, store them in a recycled cleaning wipe container, tissue box, or coffee can.
Speaking of cleaning wipes, keep a tub of cleaning wipes or baby wipes in the car for clean up. To avoid the mess of crumbs that often comes with snacking on those longer car rides, try to pack crumb-free snacks like dried fruit, string cheese, to-go yogurt, apples, bananas, etc. Less mess!
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Keeping the young ones busy is key to a peaceful trip. Try playing fun road trip games like i-spy or the alphabet game. You can also find a ton of free printables and other game ideas just by searching Google.
For independent activities, reading books, coloring books, and flashcards are great. Stock a clipboard with blank paper, writing paper, coloring pages, or activity pages. This keeps them all together and gives your kids a "desk" in the car.
Flashcards can be stored in ziplock bags or recycled plastic containers.
Crayons, colored pencils, and other drawing utensils can be stored in a recycled wipes container or a pencil box. Or use those stick on shower baskets stuck on the windows to keep crayons and other items in reach of your little ones.
Utilize a magazine file to keep books together. You can stash the holders between the seats or on the floor. These can easily be made out of an old cereal box if you wanted to avoid the expense of purchasing them.
How do you keep all this "stuff" organized? How about a hanging file system. There are many options here including sewing one of your own (patterns are all over the internet) or buying one.
You could also use a shoe organizer (found at the dollar store) or a fabric tote bag to serve the same purpose.
If you are traveling with more than one child, sometimes it's helpful to give each of them their own stash of activities and snacks. Not only will this make it easier for them to reach, but it will eliminate common arguments about who has what and who wants what.
Pack a tote for each child with a pack of wipes, books, drawing utensils and paper, electronics, snacks, and a sealable water bottle. You may also want to add a blanket and a favorite stuffed animal for naps. Stash the tote bags between the seats for easy access.
In lieu of a tote bag, you could use a fabric drawer or a plastic tote.
I hope these tips prove useful to all of you and help you to have fun and safe road trips this summer!
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