Family Road Trip Tips

Other posts by DesertMama

Family road trip season is coming 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 along the way to help families cope on road trips:

Star Kids Snack and Play Travel Tray. Don’t you hate it when: you’re in the car driving along and the kids start screaming bloody murder because  their Cheerios or crayons fell to the floor. I love Star Kids Snack and Play Travel Tray because it avoids the above situation all together (unless my kids decide to drop or throw the items on purpose). The tray has a rim that keeps crayons and snacks from rolling off. The other nice features about the tray is it fastens to the stroller and has net pockets.

KiddyKap. This is a brilliant invention. KiddyKaps fit onto juice and water bottles, avoiding the hassle of sippy cups.  My favorite feature is the re-snapping lids so the beverage can be saved for later. (The caps fit on 90% of bottles – so be sure to know what style bottles to purchase.) You won’t find these in stores just yet, so order directly through the owner on the KiddyKap site.

Babies Go CDs. Over the last several years I have found bald spots on my head due to the repetition of  “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Old Mac Donald.” Fortunately, my kids are old enough now to dig Jimmy Buffet, but if you’re still in that “Itsy Bitsy Spider” stage, guess what! There is relief ahead, especially if you have hours of driving ahead of you. Babies Go CDs offers tunes of songs or “melodic reinterpretations” we grownups love (Pink Floyd, Guns and Roses, Cold Play, Queen, Bob Marley, Rolling Stones, etc.) but the children think the songs are for them. Tricky! You can cruise by the Babies Go site and listen to the songs yourself. 

Preserve Tableware. Roadside picnics are quite common on family road trips. You’ve been or seen the kids running around a rest stop while the parents relax on a nearby picnic table. If this is your scene, skip the disposable paper plates and opt for an eco-friendly option such as Preserve Tableware.  All Preserve plates, tumblers, and cutlery are super sturdy, dishwasher safe, reusable, made from 100% recycled plastic and recyclable in communities that recycle #5 plastic. Preserve even makes toothbrushes recycled from yogurt cups!

As you can see from the explanations above I adore each of these items for their helpfulness for a family road trip. Hopefully you will find these tips/products helpful, too.

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March 9, 2009 | Filed Under Eco Travel, Family Travel, The Cookie Jar, Travel Gear 

Comments

4 Responses to “Family Road Trip Tips”

  1. Janet says:
    March 9, 2009 at

    I’ve been wanting to snag one of those travel trays ever since I heard about them from a friend’s mother. Thanks for making it easy to figure out where to get one! I hear they’re awesome…

  2. Lorraine Akemann says:
    March 9, 2009 at

    Terrific ideas! The travel tray looks like a must-have, thanks for the referral. We also have a tool that has helped out many families over the last few summers, a travel activity kit that has items for coloring, playing, creating and discovering: http://www.mybusykit.com. It keeps parents sane, and children engaged, when the family needs it most. Happy travels!

  3. DesertMama says:
    March 10, 2009 at

    Janet, the travel tray is terrific!

    Lorraine, My Busy Kit looks fantastic! I’ve never seen anything like that. Thanks for the heads-up.

  4. Topics about Recycle » Family Road Trip Tips says:
    March 19, 2009 at

    [...] Babies Online The Blog placed an observative post today on Family Road Trip TipsHere’s a quick excerpt…cutlery are super sturdy, dishwasher safe, reusable, made from 100% recycled plastic and recyclablein communities that recycle #5 plastic. [...]

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