Nate and I love taking road trips with our family! Right now, we only have one son who is two years old. Since he is two, his car seat is forward facing, which I believe gives us a big advantage.
To learn about how our road trips went when he was a newborn, click here. You should also subscribe to my email list to hear about how our road trips will be in a couple months when Baby #2 is born!
Anyway, having a forward facing car seat means that Parker, our son, can see us and be comforted a little more easily because of it. In addition, it’s way easier for us to hand him things when he can actually grab them.
We took Parker on his first road trip (4 hours one way) when he was only 6 weeks old and have never stopped. This coming weekend, we have plans to visit the Dinosaur National Monument again, which is about 3 hours away from our house. Our longest road trip with Parker however, was 10.5 hours one way to visit family in Buckeye, Arizona. Thus, I feel like we are road trip experts when it comes to driving with a baby.
And the most crucial part – we don’t give him a screen! No tablet, phone, or anything else that has an electronic screen. We don’t feel that he needs it, and neither do we. Being screen-free allows us to be more present parents and interact better with our child.
If you want some useful tips and experiences on how to keep a toddler entertained on a road trip, keep reading!
#1: Food!
Yes, I’m sure you have already thought about this one, but I want to review it anyway. Snacks for the car are different than what I would normally give out at home. For starters, I would normally buy a big bag of chips if we were staying at home. On road trips, I purposely buy the smaller snack packs of chips. Even though they are more expensive, I like that they come in small bags that are easy for Parker to hold onto and eat himself.
I bring a little cooler of refrigerated food too. In the cooler, I will keep cheese sticks, fruit and veggie slices (apples, peppers, carrots, etc), and cheese dip. Nate’s favorite car snack is Wheat Thins with Alouette spreadable cheese so those are always in our snack bag. And yes, we typically keep all our snacks in a bag kept right under Parker’s feet, behind the passenger seat. That way it’s easy for the passenger to pull out (or the driver if the passenger happens to fall asleep).
You also cannot forget about drinks!
If it’s a shorter drive, like the one we are taking this weekend, one reusable bottle of water for each of us should suffice. If it’s longer, or if we are driving with more people, I’ll buy a case of bottled water to last us the whole vacation. I find that using bottled water to fill up Parker’s cup makes a lot less spills while the car is moving too.
#2: Music/Audio
I am a singer and general music lover so this is a big one for me. If I’m driving, I like to have the radio on to keep me entertained. That being said, I don’t really care what kind of music it is. Sometimes we listen to my preference of country, sometimes it’s Nate’s preference of middle school pop rock, and sometimes it’s Parker’s choice of Baby Shark. If we really plan it out, making a specific road trip playlist can be super fun! [You can read about my road trip playlist here.]
Other times, we turn the music off and just sing ourselves. Parker loves imitating our voices and is in the awesome stage of pretending everything is a microphone! One of our favorites is the song “Down by the Bay.” It’s simple enough for Parker to (try to) repeat us and Nate likes practicing his rapping skills, so it’s a win-win for us. What are your favorite sing-along road trip songs?
The title of this section doesn’t just say “Music” though, and there’s a reason for that.
I believe that listening to audio books can be just as entertaining for kids and adults alike. When Parker starts getting a little restless, we may try to put on a children’s audio book or a talk radio station. If Nate had his way, we would listen to the NBA games all day! In all seriousness, hearing the different voices and animated tones can keep children focused on the story. You can also talk to them about it as it’s playing so they know that you are interested in it as well.
#3: Books
Along with audio books, you can also sneak a couple of your child’s favorite books in their diaper bag. Parker has several that he loves and can keep himself entertained by “reading” them. The book “Little Blue Truck,” for example, has different farm animals he likes to point out.
I have found that by giving Parker his own books he’s already familiar with also gives him a sense of independence. He knows that his books are his to read and that we won’t take them away (unlike screen-time).
If you are feeling up to it, you can read the book to your child too. I personally get carsick if I read for too long, but my husband is great at reading in the car and making it fun for Parker. Because Nate sits in front of Parker, he can easily show him the pictures of each page just by holding the book normally.
#4: Toys
I’m not gonna lie, sometimes all my child wants is his favorite stuffed animal. The trick is knowing which one is his favorite on that day! Right now though, he loves his stuffed dog. Named “Woof Woof,” his dog is a great comfort to Parker. So when we’re driving and all Parker wants to do is run and play, you can bet we will take Woof Woof out of his diaper bag and let him hold it.
Other toys can be great sources of entertainment (and somewhat safe if thrown in the car) for toddlers as well. Some of Parker’s favorites include his toy cars, rubber ducks, and his mini basketball. Can you tell we love basketball in our family?
Pro Tip: When you pack your toddler’s diaper bag, don’t show your child what you’re bringing. It’s much better in our experience to only pull out their things when you absolutely need to so they are surprised by them. If they already know what you packed, you may never hear an end to calling out for “Woof Woof.”
There are obviously more specifics I could get into of which toys and things I think are best for toddlers on road trips. If you have specific questions, please leave them in the comments below! Our biggest emphasis is that kids don’t need electronics or screens to keep them entertained and well behaved. What are your favorite ways to keep your toddlers entertained?
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Great ideas! My son is also two and he does pretty well with roadtrips. He has a portable boom-box with a microphone, and he loves to sing along with all of songs on the trip. It makes for an entertaining ride for all of us. lol
That sounds awesome! I’ll have to add that to my son’s Christmas list!
Just did an 8 hour drive with Lena and we did a sticker coloring book which she loved peeling all the stickers off as well as a wooden puzzle! And of course the things you mentioned as well 🙂
We love wooden puzzles too! I’ll have to get a sticker book for Parker next time 🙂
Great tips! We cave into screen, but I would love them to keep busy otherwise! (or at least not for the entire time!)
Screens can be definitely have their moment of saving sanity haha, but we try to stay away from them for the most part.
These are great ideas! I used to have a bag on the passenger seat full of books, toys, and snacks that I could pass back to my daughter when we would road trip alone. She would always drop things, so I had to have many options!! Music is important here, too! Sing-a-longs are the best!
Having a car bag is a great idea too! We just fill up our son’s diaper bag with everything he will need.
Always bring food! 🙂 Great tips!!
Food is the best!
Great tips and advice for keeping kids of all ages entertained while traveling… I have to say food has always been my kids favorite!
Food is my favorite too!
Awesome advice! Food always helps (or at least for me anyway 😁)
Yep! Food is a universal tranquilizer 🙂
One thing we like to do is go to the dollar tree and get lots of fun activities. It helps so much!
That’s great! They don’t ever have to be super expensive.
I love this. We did not have any entertainment growing up and I did not allow my kids to have it either. It was just emerging when they were ten. Parents are always putting an IPad in front of their babies and it really bothers me.
I agree! I never had TV’s or iPads as a kid and it actually made my siblings and I get along and make real memories 🙂
great tips my friends are always looking for ways to entertain their kids without the screen.
Thank you! I hope it helps!
Realistically, toddlers survived for eons before “screens” became a thing. I am so happy that I raised my boys before the days of park them in front of a screen to keep the peace.
Totally! I don’t like the idea of using a screen as a babysitter.
Food, books, and songs were how we kept the boys entertained. Lots and lots of snacks. LOL
All good things! I love it!
Great ideas. I try to keep the DVD player as an emergency back up only. We use music a lot on our car rides.
That’s great! Music is normally our go-to.
Great tips! We never had screens on our road trips. Lots of crazy car games, music and books. I remember my mom making a special trip to the library before our trips just so we would have new things to read. The older kids were expected to help entertain & feed snacks to the younger ones. Tons of fun memories that you can’t really get when staring at a screen for hours.
I love those memories! I can’t wait for my son to get older so we can start those crazy car games 🙂
We just got back from Yellowstone which involved a lot of hours in the van every day. My 4 year old had the best time looking out the window trying to find big mountains and little mountains. I’m always amazed at how easily they can be entertained without electronics.
Haha big mountains and little mountains are very fascinating 🙂
Great suggestions! Enjoy this time with your little…It goes fast!
Thank you! We try to enjoy every moment!
My first son was very similar and was easy to take on road trips. Then #2 came along and well it was a totally different scene lol!
Haha I hope our #2 is the same as our #1!
Great tips! Traveling with a toddler while minimizing screen time can be an uphill battle, but it can be done!
I completely agree!
My kids are too old for this but I have grandchildren. This will be great for when I am toodling around with them. Thanks!
No problem! I’m sure your grandchildren love being with you!
I’m glad my kids at the toddler age did not have devices! Your ideas are sooo much better! We were using the same ideas for flights, when they were that age!
Most of them can be interchangeable, with road trips or flights.
This is always good. I am not anti screen but they do run out of battery which is not always a bad thing.
Haha I’m not anti-screen either, I would just rather my son not have to rely on screens.
All great tips! I have a similar article I wrote as well and this is info every parent needs… especially when they’ve never attempted it before.
These are great suggestions! We didn’t have screens to look at when my kids were young. Snacks and favorite small toys helped pass the time. They became excellent travelers.
Good to hear!