Let’s be honest, travelling with one small child on a long car journey is courageous, travelling with 2 small children, well it can be outright madness!
Remember the days when you turned on your radio and listened to whatever you wanted, you actually heard the news and the weather reports, and even sitting in a traffic jam (yes annoying as you had places to be and had people to see) was manageable?
No? Me neither.
Now my car journeys focus on answering a thousand questions, singing every kind of nursery rhyme until I find the one that stops the crying, making sure I have a spare dummy (in case the one that they have gets thrown into some obscure place within the car), and packing snacks, lots and lots of snacks!
Here’s some of hints and tips to surviving a long car journey:
The obvious – be prepared
Running around at the last minute trying to remember where you left the wipes and favourite toy will not only stress you out but the kids as well, so make sure you pack everything you need in advance, or even write a checklist so you can’t forget!
Let someone else do the singing
There are a million children’s CDs now available which cover everything from nursery rhymes to stories. Make sure you stock up on your children’s favourites (who doesn’t want to listen to “Let it go” for the umpteenth time!)
Something for them to watch
It could be your phone, tablet, or DVD player which you can pop their favourite programme onto, put it somewhere safe where they can see it.
Snacks
You as well as the kids need refuelling.
Have regular breaks and rest stops
Simply getting out of the car to stretch your legs and for the kids to get some fresh air as well as a toilet stop can avoid those little accidents in the back seats!
Know where you’ve put things
The last thing you want to be doing is grappling around in the back of the car because the spare dummy is “definitely here” but you just can’t remember where you put it. To help me out I found what I like to call my “keep mummy’s car semi tidy and organised car strap”.
Yes bit of a mouthful, and in simple terms is also known as a car organiser! These things are genius and the girls have one each (sharing is something we’re working on) which is great because they both like completely different things and also need completely different things, in terms of nappies, snacks, toys, and milk and juice.
And to make sure I don’t forget anything I also let the kids help me pack the organiser, so they know what we have and they’re quite happy in the car knowing that it’s all there. The best part is it also has a tablet holder so they can continue to watch Peppa Pig jump into another muddy puddle….
And finally;
Relax
Take deep breaths and with a smile on your face, you’ll be ready to take on the world!
Any more hints and tips for traveling with 2 (or more) little ones would be much appreciated. Please pop a comment below.