Travelling with Tots

Do you remember doing long distance trips as a kid, asking "are we there yet?" every five minutes? If you're not looking forward to re-living the experience from the parental perspective, here's some tips on long-distance car trips with toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Plan Ahead

Make sure you have a bag full of healthy snack foods and entertainment options in the front with you, as well as a spare nappy or underpants and wipes. You can pass back snacks or toys one at a time, stretching the amount of time before they exhaust everything in the bag. Having the pants-change and wipes in the car saves hunting through the boot by the side of the road in an emergency toilet stop, and wipes are great for cleaning crayon or food off sticky hands and faces.

The time of day you're travelling can make a huge difference, too. For children that are quite happy to sleep in the car, planning to drive during nap-time is ideal. They'll arrive at their destination well-rested and ready to play, and won't feel so bored in the car if they're asleep. But for children who don't like sleeping in the car, driving at naptime or night can be disaster - they get overtired and upset instead of falling asleep. Yes, it does happen - I have three kids across the back seat of our Ford, and there's always one or two ready to keep their sibling/s awake with singing and chatting. For the non-sleepers, I find playtime is better than sleeptime - they can go straight off for a sleep when we arrive if necessary, and just need more entertainment options to get through the drive.

Healthy Food Options

The last thing you want is a toddler bouncing off the car walls, so skip the high-sugar processed foods. Packing sandwiches and fruit is a good start. When they need a break for other reasons (eg toilet or boredom break), you can make it the lunch/dinner break at the same time, with no need to wait til you get to the next highway food stop. For in-the-car eating, try to avoid crumbly or sticky foods that are a mess to clean out of car upholstery - try muesli bars, sultanas, fruit, plain non-crumbly biscuits, rice crackers, or fruit straps (fruit leather). If you can bring along something that is not on the usual menu plan at home, it will have novelty value that keeps them happy for longer.

Easy Entertainment

Keeping kids entertained in a confined space isn't easy. But with a little planning, it can be done without resorting to portable DVD players. Bring along a mix of favourite feel-good toys from home, plus a few new or not-seen-for-months options for the inevitable "I'm bored" moments. My kids have loved mini etch-a-sketch toys since they were babies, and they can't draw on each other so that's a bonus... they also love colouring books and small notebooks, but I give them pencils or crayons to avoid texta art on their baby brother.

Story CDs with read-along books are great - they love the pictures long before they learn to read, and it makes a welcome respite from non-stop kids music. A mix-CD of pop songs that my pre-schoolers like is another alternative to kids music that won't send the driver insane.

Avoid toys that have small parts likely to be dropped on the floor every five minutes, unless you enjoy reaching behind the seat to pick it up again. Wooden puzzle toys can also be fun, as long as they're the chunky kind with no choking hazards. My two year old can be quite happily amused with a bag full of hats and shoes to play back-seat dress-ups. And pre-schoolers are starting to get into role play, so bring along suitable props - a little blackboard and chalk to play teacher, or doctor's kit. A few toy animals can be fun, along with a toy camera for taking photos of the safari.

You may find that you don't need to buy anything new to bring on your next trip. Have a look around at home - are there toys that have been put in storage and would have novelty value if they appeared again? Borrow story CDs from the library, or swap with friends. Home-made snacks are almost always healthier than anything you can buy on the road, and often better than pre-packaged options in the supermarket.

Don't forget to take lots of breaks! Drivers need a break every two hours, and kids need to get out and stretch their legs that often too. Factor in plenty of time, and you'll arrive feeling more relaxed than if you try to avoid the extra stops for toddler-sized bladders or attention spans.

Happy and safe travels!