Entertaining a Toddler on a Road Trip
Summer is a time when we pack up the family and hit the road. Sometimes we visit family, or hit a theme park, but wherever we go, we end up spending a ton of time in the car. With 5 kids, I’ve taken plenty of road trips, in fact, over the last 17 years, I’ve only taken one trip without kids.
My kids vary in age from almost 16 years old to 19 months old. My older kids really don’t need much distraction. They have their electronic devices, books and games. In fact, I’ll have to take all of their distractions away at some point so they will actually look out the window or talk to us. But, with my toddler, I always need to make sure I have plenty of things to entertain her and keep her happy, because honestly, what’s worse than a long car ride with a cranky and bored kid.
Here are a few ways entertaining a toddler on a road trip.
Cookie Sheet Magnet Board
Last year’s Disneyland trip was made so much better with the magnet boards we brought along. I grabbed a couple cookie sheets at the dollar store, along with magnetic letters. My kids had fun spelling out words and writing messages to each other (I did have to take the boards away from the older kids since their messages weren’t very nice). My younger daughter used the letters as people. Best part was, the letters stuck to the cookie sheets for storage.
Painter’s Tape
Toddlers love peeling and sticking things. Painter’s tape (the blue tape you use to mark off lines) is perfect for the car. It doesn’t leave any sticky residue and it peels off easy. You can use it to make funny faces on the back of the car seats, give each other mustaches, make roads for toy cars or just let them stick it all over their body. It’s easy to clean up, and toss when play time is over.
Snacks
This one seems obvious, but there are also creative ways to make snack time fun in the car. Find fun small containers to put snacks in. Maybe make the snacks themed to your destination, like fishy crackers for a trip to the beach, or character themed fruit snacks for a theme park trip. Whatever the snack, be prepared for it to be on your floor or in the car seat. Don’t stress, it will just vacuum up.
Surprise Presents
Everyone loves presents, and toddlers love presents and most of all, ripping open presents. Take a trip the dollar store and wrap up some fun small presents to surprise your toddler with along the way. My family has a tradition of purchasing a bigger new toy especially for the trip. My older girls love getting a new doll, or an app for their tablets. My youngest daughter loves stuffed animals, but I find that they usually take up too much room. Elks & Angels Cuddle Bear is perfect for a road trip.
I received a Cuddle Bear and Little Cuddle Bear in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.
Cuddle Bear is a 100% Australian Sheepskin bear with baby safe eyes and nose. Since Cuddle Bear is only one inch thick, it’s perfect for storing in a diaper bag, rolling up in a suitcase or stashing in the pocket of a car seat. Cuddle Bear is made of sheepskin, which is naturally resists dirt, bacteria and never holds odors and is considered by the medical profession to be hypoallergenic. Cuddle Bear is also designed for babies.
Mischa grabbed the Cuddle Bear and immediately hugged it. It’s a great size for her to hold, and she loves rubbing the soft bear against her cheeks. It’s really pretty cozy to hold onto. I would love to lay down on a huge Cuddle Bear and watch T.V. I was able to roll up the Cuddle bear pretty tightly and put it in my bag on a recent road trip. Cuddle Bear is available in 2 sizes, Cuddle Bear and Little Cuddle Bear. You can pick up Cuddle Bear from their website or at various specialty stores.
Wherever you are heading this year, enjoy every minute. Even the hard times will be pleasant memories in the future!
I have a road trip coming up this weekend. I’m loving your magnetic board and painter’s tape activity ideas. Simple brilliance.
We will probably end up at Orange Beach in Alabama. Can’t wait to take a road trip with my family, it’s only about 2.5 hours but I’m sure the kids will get board and I’ll have to pull out some of my tricks to keep them entertained.
It is a tough trip with a toddler.
What great tips!! I never would have thought of the cookie sheet with magnets before!
These are such great tips. This would definitely make road trips easy and fun.
We made a cookie sheet magnet board late last year and it’s still something that comes in handy – great tips!
Great tips. I never would have thought about painters tape but it sounds like a fun way to entertain the kids and you don’t have to worry about it ruining the car.
Thanks for sharing this great tips! We take road trips quite often.
We use the cookie sheet board idea and I LOVE that painter’s tape idea – that’s a new one for me!
Glad I dont have any toddlers to worry about. lol I do have the grandchildren though!
Great tips! The magnetic board is awesome and inexpensive! My kids used to fall asleep quite a bit in the car and then drive us nuts in the hotel room! 🙂
The snuggle bears are cute and I like that they are thin! Now that is a great idea! I also love the idea of painters tape!!
I hate traveling with my toddler. She doesn’t travel well. It’s always such a headache. But I love the Cookie Sheet Magnet Board idea! I have to try that next time!
Great tips! While I don’t technically have a toddler anymore, roadtrips can be trying.
Great tips! I will have to pass these along to my friends with toddlers!
These are all great ideas. Traveling with kids, especially toddlers, can be a hassle. I love finding new ideas to keep everyone entertained.
Great tips, we are going on vacation soon and driving with our 5 kids from Florida to NY, what a LONG drive with little ones! We always do the presents, we give them when we reach a new state.
We just got back from a 13 hour road trip….oh the torture no matter which way you put it!
Oh I love the idea of a surprise present! I bet that makes the kids super happy!
Great tips! We road trip to my daughter’s geneticist every 6 months (300 miles each way) and now that she’s older, I know I will be using your wise list!
You MUST keep toddlers entertained on any extended trip. If you’ve flown more than once, you know what happens when a toddler gets bored! I especially love the cookie sheet magnet board.
I am totally going to try the painter’s tape idea next road trip! What a cute and cuddly bear!
Surprise presents go a long way to help!
I love all of your ideas!! That cookie sheet magnet board is brilliant.
Great tips for sure! I think the painters tape is pretty interesting! I don’t have kids but I am sure it works wonders on keeping them entertained!
I am headed to Maui in less than 2 weeks! I hate being in the car myself for my 2 hr total commute to/from work so I can’t imagine a road trip with the kids. Awesome tips though for when we actually do 😉