Road Trip Time
I have very fond memories of road trips as a kid. We lived in Arizona and all of our extended family lived in Utah. We used to make the 12 hour drive several times a year. I remember packing up my bag that fit under my seat and loading up in the van. Without fail the long drive would end curled up sleeping without my shoes. My mom would gently shake me awake and say, “Wake up, we are at grandma’s.”
I received a Safety 1st carseat and compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.
Now we live in Arizona, and my kids grandparents all live in Utah. We make the same trip of my childhood several times a year. I sentimentally pack bags for my kids, full of surprises and treats, we wear our jammies and enjoy the time spent together sardined in the car for 14 hours. I always vowed I would not leave before sunrise like my dad, and yet we drag the kids out of bed before the crack of dawn to start our day.
My kids get to spend their days playing with grandmas and grandpas and rough housing with Aunts and uncles. I love that my kids are forming such fun relationships with our families, for me that is what summer is all about. Late nights up playing games and laughing. Roasting marshmallows and camping out in the backyard, visiting zoos and swimming. We play hard for a week or so and then we load the kids back up and dry them home.
These trips are long with toddlers and being the mom is whole different story. I still cherish the memories we make, but with a bit of stress on the side. One thing I am so grateful for is knowing my kids are safe and secure in their carseats. We have the Elite Air 3-in-1 and onBoard 35 Air+ infant carseats from Safety 1st. Both of them feature the Air Protect or Air Protect+ system which provides full body impact protection. Just knowing that they are protected gives me the peace of mind to really relieve some of my stress on these long road trips.
What kind of summer journey’s have you been on this year? Let us know and tag it #oursummerjourney!
No road trips this year but I remember the long trips to visit family in another state. My dad liked driving at night so we usually left around midnight or 1 am. This put us at our favorite restaurant for breakfast, just across the state line. What great memories.
Memories of driving long distances can definitely bring back fond memories. Of course, we all did the “Are we there yet” – “How much longer?”. But your right, most of the time, we fell asleep as well and then had to be woke up at our destination. The new car seat from Safety Elite Air 3-in-1 looks like a great car seat.
Sadly we’ve been too busy in town to plan or take a real summer road trip this year. Good to see you were able to and keep the kids buckled in and safe.
These both look like great seats. You have to have good seats if you’re a regular traveler!
My husband’s first car seat was just metal bars and a thin seat. Crazy
You know something funny…. We raised our kids BEFORE seat belt LAWS! Oh yes, I thought and knew seat belts were a very good idea- BUT being a child of the fifties myself, we were sort of lax about the belts!
SO, when WE went on road trips, sometimes, they were free in the Van! We had five kids and we bought one of those 17 Passenger HUGE Vans, like you get rides in at the airport!!!! We LOVED that thing. Each kid could bring a friend with! They could bring their bikes with! For long trips, cross the nation, we would take out the seat right behind the driver and we had a foam mattress we laid down, for napping.
Yes, we were quite lax about being belted in. Thank God we never had that accident. We would NOT dream of doing such things to day.
We’re out of the market for Step 1 & 2, but I would have invested in this one when she was born to have everything we needed! Great.
I have taken a long road trip this year to Michigan from Texas. I fly there to visit my sister for a week and a half, then we drove back with my niece and nephew. We had a great trip, but being in the car with two young kids you need to be prepared. Having the right car seat/booster seat helps a ton.
We have this car seat and love it! What a fun summer you had!
Car seats have evolved so much since my kids were young. They are so nice and sleek now and are much easier to install. This looks like a great car seat.
That seat looks so comfortable. So important for even the littlest member of the family while on a road trip (comfy babies and toddlers are quiet ones, and you can keep your eyes on the road with less distractions).
Car seats have certainly come a long way. I remember a time when they were half the size, half the protection, and three times the difficulty to get into the car!
I wish I’d had a car seat like that when my son was little. His car seat was a clunky, uncomfortable thing that was really difficult to get into the car.
That’s the greatest car seat ever. Not only does it look super safe, it looks super comfy!
No summer road trips here. I used to handle the 5 hr trip to go snowboarding but after having kids, just an hour in the car and I’m antsy
As a ‘roadtripper’ this looks like a great seat! Safety and comfort for those long rides!
I really wish I’d had a chance to travel more this year. We went to Philadelphia last Summer and it was amazing. Can I just say I wish my car seat looked as comfy as that?
No real summer journeys here. I wish we had though. I do think that a comfortable car seat can make a trip for kids though. If they aren’t comfortable, no one will have a good trip!
First off….Those are the cutest kids ever! The car seat looks absolutely comfy. I wish they would have had these around when my kids were young. I’m going to share with my cousin who is going to have a baby soon.
That car seat looks awesome. Road trips with little ones can be fun, but need a lot of planning. Thanks for your awesome post!
We just got back from a summer journey and had a blast. I love that car seat that you are using. I think that a comfortable car seat makes a big difference, especially on road trips!