Top three tips for car travel with kids
Anyone with three children under the age of eight is the bible where parenting advice is concerned and when it comes to car travel, the more info we can get the better.Helen James A.K.A. @mamalovestoshare/@i_heart_kmart gave us the lowdown about one of life’s great mysteries - keeping kids entertained in the car.
“Even the shortest road trips can result in siblings bickering” admits the mum of three who often relies on old-school go-to games like spotto to take the edge off. It helps to keep the kids engaged and looking out their windows James told carsales.com.au.
James also concedes that devices like iPads are great for time out. “I download their favourite shows before we leave the house so we don’t have to worry about getting internet access in the car,” she says.
For longer road trips, some extra forward planning is where it’s at and James has three top tips.
DJ Kids
Before a long road trip James gets the kids to help in compiling a play list of songs they love – and then you let Bluetooth do the rest! “They love being able to sing along to songs they recognize and often make up little dances to go with them.” laughs James.
Snack Box
Whether you’re young or old, snacks are king. For kids they’re a necessity. For parents, they’re a powerful bargaining tool! “I pack the kids bento style boxes so they have a varied choice of snacks such as savoury biscuits, fruit, veggie sticks, pretzels and yoghurt pouches. I also keep a stash of lolly-pops in the glove box - these are great for bribes when the car starts to get a little rowdy!” confesses James.
Sleep Aids
Getting your kid sleep patterns aligned is like the unicorn of parenting prowess. It’s rarely witnessed. James has three kids, so getting their sleep patterns aligned is simply not happening. Some of them want to drop off to sleep when the others still want to chat/play/talk, which is of course frustrating for the sleepy one. What to do? “Each of the kids have their own sleep mask and noise cancelling headphones they can pop on when they want to switch off and have some quiet time.” says a straight-talking James. And we are down for this.
Related: What are the best ways to keep kids occupied on a road trip?
Related: Where should I take the kids this weekend?
Related: Car cleaning hacks: When kids vomit in the car
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
