Six Tips: Surviving a Family Road Trip

Other posts by DesertMama

Last week, while I was on my way to Lexington, Kentucky, my sweet husband did a pretty daring thing. He took my two preschoolers on a seven-hour road trip to Palm Desert, California to see his folks. The trip was a success. How did a dad survive such a challenge? In case you’re wondering, we do not have “perfect” kids. In fact, we are often “that” family – you know what I’m talking about.

With that said, here are the six secrets that helped DesertDaddy survive this long road trip with a two and three-year-old in the backseat:

1. DVD player. We scored some $7.99 DVDs at Wal-Mart and let’s just say the kids were as happy as the Berenstain Bears they were watching.

2. Zoobie Pets. Stay tuned for a rave review on these three-in-one critters. Zoobies are a travel-friendly plush animal, pillow, and blanket. The new Zoo Collection just came out this year. The kids don’t even want to take the short ride to the gym without them. Actually, my daughter is cuddled with hers on the couch as I type this.

3. Snacks. This one goes with out saying. But how can dad dish out snacks while he’s driving? I simply packed them each their own lunch box with their favorite snacks in Ziploc bags for easy access.

4. Water. Just say no to sugar on road trips, especially if you have a son like mine who will bounce on a trampoline for three hours after one M&M. Enough said.

5. VTech Tote N Go Laptop Plus is a terrific educational, interactive toy with an LCD screen that teaches the VTech Tote N Go Laptop Plus alphabet and numbers. Both of my children have their own “laptop” and it keeps the kids entertained for quite a while.

6. Finally, DesertDaddy was simply a good daddy. He stopped when the kids were hungry, required a potty break, or just needed to get out of the car. And that, my friends, is how my wonderful husband survived a seven-hour road trip with two preschoolers in tow.

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April 25, 2008 | Filed Under Family Travel, The Cookie Jar, Travel Gear 

Comments

12 Responses to “Six Tips: Surviving a Family Road Trip”

  1. MountainMama says:
    April 25, 2008 at

    Your husband ROCKS! Really, how many men would have taken that road trip?!

    We’ve got a DVD player for our 6- and 8-year-olds, and I’m a huge fan of the $1 DVDs from Wal-mart. They are compilations of some ancient cartoons — Popeye, Betty Boop, etc. They even have a disclaimer at the beginning that something like, “We recognize that some of the scenes are not politically correct, but this was the language of the day…” Pretty entertaining, though.

  2. CajunMama says:
    April 25, 2008 at

    What a brave man!

  3. MudslideMama says:
    April 25, 2008 at

    Great tips, DesertMama! For those long drives, we also count on some naps, and singalongs (helps that we told our older daughter that the Beatles are a “boy band”). :)

  4. JHS says:
    May 3, 2008 at

    Thanks for participating in this week’s Carnival of Family Life hosted by Riley at All Rileyed Up! Be sure to drop by and check out the other wonderful submissions included in this week’s Carnival!

  5. Riley says:
    May 4, 2008 at

    Ooh, Zoobie pets – that’s a new one! Looking forward to acquiring a few of these!

  6. Carnival of Family Life: Garage Sale Edition « All Rileyed Up says:
    May 5, 2008 at

    [...] just like this road warrior: Beth Blair tells us about her husband’s recent road trip in Six Tips: Surviving a Family Road Trip, posted at Traveling [...]

  7. Zoobie Pets: Traveling Mamas On The Move Approved « Traveling Mamas says:
    May 12, 2008 at

    [...] 3. Zoobies are easy to use. When my children are ready to pull out the blanket they can do it themselves. They even helped make a successful road trip. [...]

  8. Top 5 Gulf Coast Beaches « Traveling Mamas says:
    May 18, 2008 at

    [...] in the US is the time where most families head to the beach. These are my picks for the 2008 beach season. This list is based on personal experience, family [...]

  9. On the Move Approved - Kids Topics to Go, for Family Travel « Traveling Mamas says:
    May 20, 2008 at

    [...] There are no inappropriate question here, the only caveat being that to fully participate, a child should be able to read at a first- or second-grade level. There is a version for teens as well, and several non-travel versions called Table Topics, with 135 question cards. I really enjoyed driving quietly, while my kids talked to each other in the back. It’s a card game with no winners or losers, a way for siblings to share their experiences, and a useful way to pass time during family road trips. [...]

  10. Everything Family Issue 2 says:
    June 3, 2008 at

    [...] Blair presents Six Tips: Surviving a Family Road Trip posted at Traveling [...]

  11. Guam-Hotel.Net » Blog Archive » Family Road Trip Tips says:
    March 9, 2009 at

    [...] up, starting with spring break then Easter and soon summer. Last year I wrote a post about my husband’s road trip with our preschoolers and while many of those tips still apply, I’ve run across a few items [...]

  12. Guam-Hotel.Net » Blog Archive » A Beach Vacation in La Jolla, California says:
    March 18, 2009 at

    [...] (if somewhat deluxe) vacation destination.  The Mudslide family has never been there; we take road trips to San Diego pretty often, but La Jolla is so close to San Diego that Laguna Beach makes for a [...]

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