Awhile back I gave my best tips for taking a road trip with the kids, and while I mentioned the backpacks we pack, I didn’t go into much detail about what was inside them and why. Today I’ve partnered with Walmart Grocery to give you a little more insight into what is in our kid’s road trip bags.
Activities and Books
We like to pack activities for the kids that promote the use of their imagination, like animals, books, journals, and color crayons. We don’t usually pack more than 10 crayons so if they are spilled or lost I don’t find a rainbow in my backseat later. I would also advise you to avoid toys that are too heavy when thrown, a choking hazard, sharp or dangerous to the child or car, or toys that make lots of repeated noises (that you can’t stand to hear for more than 20 minutes at a time).
Food and Snacks
Along with their water bottles, we always bring an assortment of snacks. The longer these take to eat, the better.
- Cereal is smaller in size and the bag lasts forever, even when they repeatedly ask for more.
- Cashews we bring along because they are more filling than other foods, and they taste better to sneak bites of than cereal.
- Breakfast bars work when trying to make it to a next meal or to delay a meal by an hour.
- Smoothie Pouches also work to delay a meal, or replace one entirely if spacing is not idea (i.e. a late breakfast and early dinner).
- Fruit Snacks are our go-to bribe food. If you are patient I will give you a fruit snack (which is really half of a fruit snack). They’re always last-resort.
Tools of the Trade
These items are always helpful in the car, or on any sort of trip.
- Baby Wipes work great for cleaning hands, tables, high chairs, surfaces, car seats, etc.
- Window clings work great for keeping the sun out of their eyes and can be added or removed without unrolling a window.
- An iPad is our sanity saver. It’s an absolute last resort for us, like when we’ve been in hours of traffic and can’t handle an angry toddler for the last 20 minutes of our drive to Solvang.
These bags are also very similar to what we would take on a plane for the kids, and usually don’t feel overpacked or lacking. The sanity saver items are kept with us so they are not readily available to the kids.
What sorts of items do you pack for your road trip? Do you travel with kids? If so, what do you pack for them?
This post is sponsored by Walmart Grocery. To learn more about Walmart Grocery and how it could add more convenience to your life, please visit their website. All opinions, text, and images are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make life here at Team Wiking a little sweeter.
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