Road Trip Tips With a Toddler (Screen-Free Ideas!) -

Taking a long road trip with a toddler can be a little overwhelming. No one really likes being strapped down for hours but especially not young children who have tons of energy!

We have three kids 3 and under and we have taken more long car rides/road trips than we can count, so I think it’s fair to say we’ve learned a thing or two about how to have the most successful road trip possible.

And just a quick note that we are not anti-screen time at all. In fact, when we fly somewhere with our kids we are almost always using screens on the flight. But we have not used screens on road trips.

It’s ok for you to do what works for your family. But I think I have some good tips and tricks in this article to keep toddlers happy without screen time. You could also use all of these ideas and then use screens as a last resort if you wanted to.

toddler in his car seat on a road trip with mountains and clouds in the window

toddler playing with a sticker book on a road trip

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Here are our tips and tricks for the most successful road trip possible:

Key Takeaways

Figure Out Road Trip Logistics

First, decide when you want to leave. We have always left during the day, but a lot of people find the best option is to leave at night. We personally find that it’s worth a harder day of travel in order for both of us to be well-rested once we reach our destination.

We are mindful about sleep schedules and when we stop. Every time we’ve stopped at the gas station, the car stopping and opening doors wakes them up and they have had trouble getting back to sleep. So we make sure to have plenty of gas (and bathroom breaks in) before the kids fall asleep.

McDonalds and Chic Fil A restaurants have the best options for indoor playgrounds if you can find one. Having access to the playgrounds is a great way to get out some energy and you can grab lunch while you’re there.

Another good option is letting them run around at rest stop. Most of the ones we stop at have open grassy areas. You can enjoy the fresh air while eating a picnic lunch.

Prepare Your Toddler

This is something that doesn’t take much time but makes a big difference. For a couple weeks leading up to our trip, we started talking to our toddlers about the road trip.

I would give them information about the trip. Something like, “we’re going to go on vacation and we have to get in the car for a long time, but we will have coloring books in the car!”

I don’t overthink it and just tailor it to how much information they can handle. Several times, I have thought they were not listening or didn’t understand only to be surprised that they knew exactly what to expect because I prepared them.

toddler holding a pillow looking out the window at fall leaves on a road trip

Organize Your Car

Something we do before every road trip is clean out and organize the car as best we can. With so much to do before a big trip, it can be a pain but it has always been worth the extra time we spend doing this.

To be fair, it definitely does not return home in the same condition, but it feels so good to start out in a clean car.

We keep the toys and snacks within easy reach, have trash bags ready, make sure the charger for our phones is available wherever we are sitting, and try to organize the best we can.

We also make sure we can easily get to the diaper bag with baby wipes and diapers, a change of clothes, and any other necessities.

Entertaining Toddlers

Now for the most important part – keeping toddlers entertained.

When we leave on our trip, I do not rush to entertain them. I do let them sit at first and they’ll usually do this for at least an hour or so.

We almost always leave in the morning, so typically they are pretty content just driving for an hour or so, then we only need to entertain them for a little bit before it is nap time.

We typically have to work harder to entertain them after nap time.

toddler playing with stickers in his car seat on a road trip

toddler painting with a water wow in a car seat on a road trip

Road Trip Bag

One of my favorite activities once my toddler is old enough to understand is creating a bunch of busy bags to give to them every hour or so. Basically, it’s just new books, small toys, or snacks that is exciting to them because they haven’t seen it before.

It creates excitement of the next “present” that they get to open. And it does not have to be fancy. We love shopping at the dollar store or the dollar spot at Target for these things.

Sit With Your Toddler (or Don’t)

One of my toddlers always did better when I sat in the back seat with her, one did worse. If you have space in your car, you can play around with which works better for your family. But you know your kids best and will probably know whether your toddler will do better or worse with you sitting by them.

When you sit in the back with them, you can play with them, give them snacks, and just generally entertain them.

Road Trip Games

Toddlers might not be able to hunt for license plates from different states (my favorite road trip game) but there are still car games that can entertain them. It doesn’t always have to be elaborate.

For our toddlers who know colors, we play I-Spy. And on another road trip, they were entertained by shadow puppets when the light hit our car just right.

toddler playing with an activity book in her car seat on a road trip

Road Trip Snacks

Snacks do keep our kids entertained so we try to pack some special snacks alongside the healthy snacks.

Our kids get very excited for cookies on road trips, but we try to balance it out. If you are also looking for healthier options, here are some of our go-tos:

pouches
yogurt tubes
crackers
pretzels
raisins
hard boiled eggs
fruit (bananas and freeze dried fruit are easy)
vegetable
granola or protein bars
string cheese

Kids Music and Audiobooks

A yoto can keep them entertained for a very long time!

We also play their favorite songs – they love the soundtrack from some of our favorite movies. We also love the Happy Song.

And I love this list of audio books for family road trips.

Mindset

No matter how much you plan ahead, you might have tough times. It’s not because you did anything wrong, it’s because sometimes road trips with toddlers are hard.

But the more you do it, the more seamless it becomes as you find what works for you and what works for them.

Other Tips That Just Help

If your toddler is potty trained/potty training, a good idea is to bring a portable/travel potty then bring plastic bags and puppy pads for liners. This makes clean up easy on the go.

When our kids were newer to potty training, we used pull ups for longer trips. It never caused any regressions for us.

I really like to give my kids new toys, but I do introduce them a few weeks before the trip to make sure they will like them. Then I hide them so that it’s new and exciting. I also pack familiar toys and will hide those a few weeks before, too, so that those toys are also new and exciting. I don’t do this with the cheap dollar store toys, just the new ones meant to entertain them longer.

toddler sleeping in his car seat with the turquoise water of the florida keys in the background

Are You Ready for Your Road Trip?

It’s worth noting that you can do absolutely everything right and still have meltdowns. That’s just kind of the nature of traveling long distances with young kids.

But for us, it’s always been worth it. And that’s why we have taken so many road trips as a family.

But a little preparation and planning ahead of time can really make a big difference + give you the best chances for a successful family road trip.

Hopefully this article made you feel prepared and confident!