9 Unusual Tips for a Long Drive with Kids

Most people have no doubt: driving is the worst part of the trip. You spend hours in your car and it’s almost impossible to read or work there because you can start feeling uncomfortable. Of course, you can use your smartphone to distract yourself. In this case, you can watch a recently-released Netflix movie, , or listen to a podcast. But what if you are traveling with a child? In this case these 9 tips will be helpful.   

Pull an Elastic Band on the Backseat

It sounds strange, but this way you can get rid of all the leftovers and crumbs, which will certainly accumulate during the trip. You just shake out the sheet – and that’s all. And no one will wipe their hands on the seat. 

Stock up on Word Games

In order not to have to painfully invent riddles on the fly, learn the rules of several fun games before the trip, which do not need anything except words and sometimes a pen with a sheet of paper. Such a list can be found, for example, here.

Buy Gel Stickers

They do not leave marks on the glass, are inexpensive and can be made into different patterns. For a child, these stickers can take up to 25 minutes, and that’s not a small thing! By the way, on the plane, they are also very useful. 

Never Forget About the Curtain on the Rear Side Windows

If you have not bought a special curtain in the store, just find an old scarf or a lightweight sheet and pinch it in the window – nothing worse than driving with a child exhausted by the hot sun.

Buy Lots of Inexpensive Little Toys

Every 20-30 minutes you can give the kids something new – to drown out the “I’m bored” and “When are we going to get there? The same goes for food: fruit puree in tubes, pita bread with hummus or cream cheese, boxes of chopped tomatoes and sweet peppers – children in the car are always overcome by a vicious appetite.

Tie a Bottle to the Car Seat

There’s nothing worse than having to twist out of the front seat to try to fumble for a dropped bottle in the middle of a child’s screaming fit. Try to find a piece of string or ribbon with a carabiner to tie it down securely.

Stock up on Empty Bags and Wet Wipes

Kids get sick in the car, kids in the car wipe their sticky fingers on the seat, throw stumps and wrappers on the floor, and then you’re all together wondering who died under your seat. To avoid all this, you need to grab some empty bags and a few packs of wet wipes – and keep it all handy. And don’t think that this stuff is sold at any store along the way – as practice shows, the simplest things may not be there. 

Take Extra Clothes in the Car

Again, remember the nausea, sticky hands, and toddlers who tend to fall asleep and pee right in the car seat. It’s better to get a couple of changes of underwear for each of your kids than wiping up bodily fluids with your own shirt.

Make Playlists for Each Family Member

Of course, the kids will start screaming for only their favorite songs to be put on, but then the parents will quickly become frenzied, and it’s a long drive. So you can alternate: 30 minutes you listen to what you like, and the next 30 minutes you play cartoon songs.