A week from today, my husband, two girls and I will be barreling down Highway 101 towards Southern California, my parents’ house, and a big, old-fashioned family Christmas.
Pre-kids, my husband and I enjoyed this five-to-six hour drive down the California coast. We’d stock up on new CDs, road snacks and magazines. We’d have sing-alongs, or listen to books on tape. We’d roll out of town whenever we felt like it, and still make it to SoCal in time for dinner.
Post-kids, it’s a whole different story. With two girls, ages 4 and 19 months, and a Subaru station wagon packed to the gills with board books, blankies, DVDs and those infuriating little juice boxes, there no room left to fart, much less stretch out and get comfy. The journey is agonizingly slow thanks to the potty breaks, stretching breaks, diaper-changing breaks and stop-the-car-or-this-whining-will-make-my-head-explode breaks. We leave right after breakfast, haul ass in between breaks trying to make up for lost time, and barely manage to make it to SoCal before my mom conks for the night at 9:00.
Long-distance driving with kids can be a major pain in the ass, no doubt. But over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks that have saved me hours of frustration and headaches, and saved my kids from a miserable and boring day of driving, trapped in their car seats with nothing to do. Here’s what we’re bringing along this year:
Single serving snacks – The novelty of tiny little containers of chips, miniature boxes of raisins and bags of mini-muffins and fruit snacks goes a long way. They can also help kill time if you insist that kids pry open the wee packages by themselves. WARNING: Avoid single serving yogurt tubes if you like your car even a little bit. Also helpful: a grab bag full of yogurt covered pretzels, dried fruit, fruit juice-sweetened jellybeans and cereal o's from the bulk bins at your local hippie grocery co-op.
Lollipops – I get the vitamin C and Echinacea ones from Whole Foods, with six grams of sugar per pop. It’s like you’re doing your kids a disservice if you’re not giving them at least one pop per hour! At least, that’s what I tell myself. You can also find them here.
Colorforms – Remember Colorforms? Those reusable stick-on thingys that came with cardboard backdrops? I had Holly Hobbie Colorforms. My girls have “Maisy” and “Dora” Colorforms (We got 'em as gifts, but you can get ‘em online at Amazon.com). They're great for mixing and matching, and sticking on the windows and little bare bellies.
Electronics – I don’t know anyone who travels without a portable DVD player these days. We certainly don’t - and we've got an arsenal of kids DVDs to prove it. We also take an iPod loaded with our older daughter’s favorite Dan Zanes songs, the Wilco tunes that we all love to sing along to, and headphones, for when the big kid decides she wants to futz around with the iPod “by her ownself.”
Crayola Color Wonder Paper and Markers – Possibly the best invention since the wheel. The ultra variety pack comes with two 24-page coloring books, a 30-page tablet and six special non-toxic markers that only show up on the special paper, not on little hands, carseats, or upholstery. Available here, there and everywhere.
Earplugs – No matter how great the diversions, at least one kid is guaranteed to throw a major shitfit at some point during the trip. There will also be some whining and complaining if your kids are over the age of zero. Earplugs are your friends. Even the cheapies you can get at Walgreen’s will help provide a buffer for your ears while your child rails against the injustice of being buckled down for hours on end. My pick for Most Important Road Trip Accessory.
Children's Benadryl - I'll say it loud and proud: I'm totally not above drugging my kids, if it means they'll relax and maybe even take a nap in the car. My older daughter has allergies, so I don't feel too bad about the occasional preemptive Benadryl assult. WARNING: Some people find that Benadryl makes their kids excitable, so give it a test run before you dose 'em on the road. Available at every corner store in America.
That there's what I'm packin'. Have I forgotten anything? Is there something you think I've overlooked? What are your road trip necessities? Feel free to share in the comments… I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to keep the natives from getting restless. Happy travels!
