Happy first day of June! can you believe it? How did we get to June already? Today is my final part of our series on how to have fun with a toddler on a road trip. I have a couple of lists and a couple of photos of our packed car and a couple of things I have learned. Hope you enjoy.
First up, here is our food bag for the trip. I should say that we do make it a ritual at stopping at In N Out and since it is only 2 or 3 times a year I feel fine about it. Even with that stop we need a snack bag. Pretty much everything is from Trader Joes, maybe next time I will make more of my own snacks. I have a verity of trial mix in there, veggie sticks, turkey jerky, buffalo jerky, scoops (tj’s organic version of fritos) dried mangoes and dried mangoes with chili powder on them. You can also see one of our Starbucks tumblers sticking out. My cousin works at a Starbucks and has gifted us two of these. We bring them for cold drinks like coffee or water. I also have a water bottle for each family member packed.
I tend to be copilot for our trips. So here is our car garbage bag stuck to my door. Easy access for me and easy to empty at each gas station we stop at.
Here is Little in her little nest. You can see her toy box is next to here so she can access her books or toys or whatever else she wants. You might also notice a cardboard box on the ground.I keep this in my car all the time. (some day I will cover it with fabric and it will be pretty) I keep several blankets in there and a changing pad and wipes (really can you have to many wipes?) The car bag is on top of this box, You can also see Little’s feet on a pillow. You can’t see it but I also have a sippy cup leash that I found on pinterest.
here is another picture of her feet 
and of course the snack bag. I put the snack bag so I have easy access to it. right between and behind the front seats. If you’re going to be in the car for several hours (or at all) you should be comfortable. As I am short myself I know how uncomfortable it can be to have your feet dangling. Yep I’m that short that my feet often don’t touch the ground when I am sitting in chairs. So I figured it might not be comfortable for Little either. We didn’t want her to be kicking our seats so giving her a feet rest seemed like a good idea.
The one thing I forgot to pack and I HIGHLY recommend bringing is a family dirty laundry bag. I usually bring one so we can just put the dirty clothes all in once place and that bag can go right to the laundry when we get home.
I also recommend doing a 5-10 minuet clean up of your house right before you leave. Coming home to a clean house is oh so nice.
Remember your goal is not just to get to your destination but enjoy the ride. So if that means you play silly faces or sing If You’re Happy and You Know it 15 times it is OK. You baby will feel so special and who doesn’t love kids peels of laughter. We also look for animals and maybe next year she will be old enough for an animal bingo. The point here is distraction and laughter.
Happy travels everyone? What are your favorite tips on how to travel?
oh and if you missed it don’t for get to check out part1 and part .5
