How to survive a roadtrip with a small toddler+ DIY busy bag

Ok i have to admit i am little terrified of our 10 hour!!!   road trip to come. We are leaving tomorrow afternoon to go and see my family in Germany. We planned our journey so that we hope my small crazy 21 month old  will sleep most of the way. But , i know my child very well and he usually doesn’t like to sit still, not even for  10 minutes.

If you know me, then you will know i am completely pinterest obsessed.I have a little business account were i post things about my shop and then a crazy thriving ( how did i do that ?) personal account were i pin stuff from fashion inspiration to sewing tutorials to any kind of things that catch my eye.

So  naturally i started planning this trip weeks ago. These are my tips on how to deal with the small toddlers the best.I hope they will keep us alive!

 

 

Plan your time wisely.

If you have a very long trip ahead like us ,it might be wise to plan your kids nap time in strategically. We plan to leave in the afternoon , so my boy has 2-2.5 hours before the dinner-time stop to explore his busy bag .

After dinner , we will probably let him watch a movie and then he hopefully snoozes happily the rest of the way. Very importantly ,let your child run around at the stops.They need to get their wriggles out!

Either you do it like us or you could leave very early in the morning ( 4 ish) and let them sleep into the day a bit.

 

Pack snacks .

 

Who doesn’t love to snack? And any mom of a little toddler knows that you absolutely always have to have snacks with you. We pack:

cucumber slices

cocktail tomatoes

olives ( my toddler loves them!)

veggie crisps

rice crackers

humus breads

sliced cheese

Cheerios ( of course)

bananas

bottled water

and cookies of course

Remember to take baby wipes for sticky fingers,napkins,plastic bowls,spill-free sippy cups and a tray with a rim ,if you have one. I used the metal lid of a box , which is not too big and my boys food can’t roll of easily.

Oh and trash bags of course.Also changing clothes might be good to have close by in case of mess ( very likely)

 

Pack Activities. Or copy my DIY busy bag.

 

Ok,this was my favourite thing to do.I love to pack little surprise bags for my small one.

Dollar stores are your best friend in this situation.I keep going in and check their new stuff and i store little toys and activities in a cupboard at home for trips or when my boy comes down with something.

 

Here is what i packed:

 

My child isn’t the craftiest person ( yet) (hopefully that will change) so many of the pinterest ideas like chalkboards etc wont do it for him.He has absolutely no patience.But he does like fiddly little things.

Here all the things in detail:

First of all books.I only take a few little ones.Some new some old.That should buy is 30-45 min.

     

 

Because i know he is interested in different textures,i made those balloons which are filled with play dough that wasnt pretty anymore ( you know,the lovely brown/grey colour it becomes ,once all the pots are mixed)

and stuffed them in 2 balloons each.Paint a face on it and let your kiddo squish them.( if you don’t have the time or materials, you can buy those already made in the toystore-but im all for diy 🙂 )

That should buy us maybe 25 min.

Ok i included a little crafting.Cant help myself.I used the empty play-dough container to keep his crayons together.I got stickers in the dollar store and a fun colouring book with googly eyes.

Approximatly 35 min of busy time.

 

GLOW sticks! How fun are those once its getting dark out! Make fun jewelery with them or hang them around the car. Obviously,don’t let your kid chew them.

They should buy us another 35 min.Hopefully

 

 

Finger puppets.Give your little one a show! These are easy to find at toy stores or swedish furniture houses 🙂

They should buy us 20 min.

 

 

This fun guy is bendable in any direction.Really ,just go through the dollar and toy stores and see what you can find on little trinkets.Not too small to fits completely in the mouth of course.

That buys us 15 min. And it’s propably nice for my teething toddler.

 

 

My Boy is absolutely obsessed with cars. I found this little ones,im sure he has fun driving them around his seat and on the window.Also,im not above bribing my child with chocolate in some instances. I mean, he doesn’t get it every day and it buys me some time and saves my sanity.

Probably buys us 45 min.

 

And the last surprise in the busy bag :

 

 

A pill-container. You know the ones you find at pharmacies. I initially wanted one with little lids but this ones is fun too as you can slide them open and close. I filled all the compartments with little things like Cheerios ( of course) , pom poms, little present bows and fluffy easter chickens. I know my boy will love this !

That should buy us a good hour.

If all of this isn’t helping anymore and the kiddo gets tired and frustrated make sure you bring a tablet.Fill it up with apps and movies and allow yourself some off-time. The kid will be happy and you can relax,nothing to feel bad about.Its a hard job keeping everybody happy isnt it?

Make sure you bring a little first aid kit, a planky and a favourite stuffed animal and you are good to go”!

 

What are your tips for a long trip with a small kid? Let me know!

 

And now we are off on holidays.!