Travel Tips!
So if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram then you know I travel quite a bit.
Our families all live in the greater Cleveland area so we head up there ever
few months as well as take a few weekend trips a year and a yearly week long
vacation. We just came back from Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago and I thought I
would share some tips that work for us and L.
Tip #1 - Have Someone Sit in the Backseat
The first tip I can give is that I have found if I sit in the backseat with L, it helps tremendously. I know this won't work for everyone, but if you have room and have had issues with traveling I would suggest it. As a baby I was able to feed her in the car and don't have to worry about us stopping (I bottle-fed). I think it also provided some comfort to her to know that I was close by if she needed anything. Now that she has gotten older, I can make sure she has different activities to keep her entertained, snacks or food, and be there to sooth her if she needs it all without stopping!
Tip #2 - Bring a Tablet/Portable DVD
Player
Even if you are one of those parents that don't believe in electronic devices for your child, bring a tablet/portable DVD player because it will be a lifesaver. On long car trips there are only so many activities or toys L can be entertained with before she loses it. The iPad and portable DVD have been a godsend. She can play her favorite apps or watch some of her favorite movies/TV shows. This is also a sanity lifesaver for me because sometimes I just need a break and can't be her constant entertainment. If you want some of our favorite apps, they will be at the end of the blog!
Tip #3 - Bring food and more food and more...
Pack a crazy amount of snacks that are reachable. I have found that after a day of traveling she gets tired of the same things plus food can quiet a kid down in no time at all. I usually have some snacks in her diaper bag or another separate food bag depending on the trip. I also bring my amazing Thirty-One Picnic Thermal filled with drinks, fruits, and veggies. This helps with having healthier, less processed snacks for the whole family!
Tip #4 - Bring Various Toys
This is probably a given, but I bring a cubed cloth storage box filled with various toys for L. We usually travel to the grandparents’ house so it has stuff she can play with there as well as stuff for the car. Some of L's favorite car toys are her MagicClip Princesses, Matchbox Cars, Melissa & Doug Wooden Magnetic Dress-Up Play Set, Doc McStuffin Medical Kit, books, and coloring books. I've also started bringing a notebook so she can just draw with crayons or pens. The toys vary depending on her mood, but those are the normal things or things I just keep in my car for trips.
Tip #5 - Make Stops
I found this to be something that is helpful. When L was a baby we use to just stop when wanting to eat, needing gas, or one of us needing the bathroom, now that she is older we've had to change that up a bit. I have found that just stopping to stretch our legs for a few minutes make things better. On our way to Myrtle Beach we simply stopped for longer lunches and bathroom breaks. I made sure to always take her out of the car unless she was asleep and let her walk around a bit. That made her happy to just get back in the car and continue.
App recommendations!
So what apps work for L? Well it depends on the device. We have an iPad and Lexi received a Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition for her birthday. The Kindle Fire for kids is a great tablet by the way, if you are looking for one. I love the durable case.
These are just some of the apps we have on
each device that keep Lexi entertained at home and away!
This is by far L's favorite app, but you
will need Wi-Fi and a
cable log-in to use it. It has all her favorite shows plus games and some other
kid friendly content all in one place. I prefer the iPad app because the one for the Kindle
crashes a lot, but they are the same thing.
Yes, they make a YouTube Kids app and if you have kids and don't have it, download it NOW! They use to have no ads, now they have gone to kid friendly ads, which are better than the normal YouTube app in my opinion and a lot less frequent. L loves those silly egg and toy review videos as well as the option to watch some of her favorite show episodes. This keeps her entertained for a while and lets me get some things done at the house.
This was a random one I found for L about a month ago that she loves. You basically build your own train and drive it around doing various tasks. Very simple and easy for little ones to do. Also I feel a little educational since they have to think about what they are doing.
This is a new obsession of my daughters
and I found this through the original Palace Pet game, which I highly dislike.
This one I really like though. I did end up buying all of the pets to give her
more to do, but it was well worth it with how much she plays it. You can feed,
bathe, play, and put her palace pet to sleep all while unlocking different
levels. It's cute and keeps her interest.
We have this on both the iPad and Kindle. It's a big hit. You basically get to color Mickey's clubhouse. Mickey and Minnie also talk and move around a little. You can change the seasons and move throughout the clubhouse to color different things.
Disney Creativity Studio
This was one of the first apps we found that was Disney related and not really expensive. It has Disney Princesses, Doc McStuffin, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Minnie Mouse, Monster's University, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Sofia the First pages that you can color or learn how to draw. L loves it and it comes with two free pages of each then you can buy extra ones. We ended up buying the Princesses and I believe Sofia the First for her to have more to play with it. Just an FYI you don't need the stylus they promote heavily to use the app. That is by far the most annoying part of the app.
These are both apps you have to pay for,
but for your little Daniel Tiger lover they are worth it. The first one let's
you play at home with Daniel Tiger. You can play in his living room, bedroom, and
bathroom. L likes this one a lot because you can also play music. She likes to
play in the bathroom and put Tigy on
the toilet.
The second app is a new one I found by
accident. I just happen to be in the app store and it showed up. It allows your
little one to explore Daniel Tiger's neighborhood! You can go into the grocery
store, doctor’s office, music store, and bakery to do various different
activities. L is currently obsessed with this app.
I like both of them because you do not
need Wi-Fi or data
to play, which is great for car trips!
This is one I found just randomly
searching the charts before we left for vacation. With L only being 2.5 and not
knowing who Barbie really is, I am surprised at how much she likes this game. I
guess I shouldn't be because she loves dress up and that is basically the whole
point of this app. You do get some Barbie's for free, but anything other than
the basic dresses you will have to buy. We haven't ran into an issue with her
not being able to use the other options. She has just taught herself how to
click the X at the top. Another great app because it doesn't require Wi-Fi or data!
This is an app that I got for free, but
it's normally $3.99. There is a free version to try out though. This app allows
your little one to play house essentially. You can move through different rooms
and use different people to play house. L loves this one too. She is constantly
putting the kids in the backyard and on the swing to swing them. I also like
this is another one that doesn't require Wi-Fi or data!
So that is it! My best travel tips and
some app recommendations. I have a lot more app recommendations if anyone wants
them, but these are just some I found hold L's attention. Do you have any
travel tips I missed or that you have found worked for your family? Let me know
if in the comments!
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