How to Pack When Traveling by Car with Children
By Janice Lane Palko
Last month, we talked about how
to pack when traveling by plane.
This month, we’re hitting the
road. The automobile is probably the
most popular form of travel for family
vacations. And family vacations quite
often mean traveling with small children.
Without some forethought, you
could have chaos in the car that will
leave not only the children clamoring,
“Are we there yet?” but also the exasperated
adults wanting to bail out.
Often times, when heading out on
vacation by car, it’s tempting to over
pack because there is no official like at
the airport to limit what you take—
unless you have a dad who loaded
C-130 Transport planes for the military.
As the saying goes, less is more.
The less you pack, the less you have to
keep track of while on vacation and put
away when you come home.
A popular destination for many residents
in our area is the beach.
Unfortunately, Pittsburgh is hours away
from the nearest shore, and some travelers
opt to break up the long drive by
staying overnight midway. If you are
stopping, pack a separate bag containing
only the clothing and toiletries
needed for the entire family for the
night. No sense dragging all the suitcases
into the hotel and riffling through
them to find baby’s pajamas. Take care,
though not to leave anything visible in
the car that may tempt criminals to
break in. I had friends whose car was
stolen out of a motel parking lot on the
first night of their vacation—not an
auspicious start.
Be sure to pack snacks. Little tummies
don’t understand when the interstate
is under construction and traffic
congestion has delayed lunch for an
hour. Likewise, if you are traveling
with infants, make sure to have more
than enough bottles or formula on
hand. Unfortunately, cars do break
down and you wouldn’t want to be
stuck somewhere without bottles. Also,
be sure to pack enough diapers.
Children easily become bored when
traveling by car. Now days, cars have
DVD players. Back in the Stone Age,
when my 21-year-old twins were small,
to ward off boredom, I went to the
store and picked up sticker books, puzzle
books and story books. I made a
special bag for each child that they
weren’t allowed to open until we were
in the car. This heightened the fun,
and I used these treats as an incentive
for good behavior. If you parcel the
treats out, say one new item every hour,
it breaks up the monotony.
For older children, many local
libraries sell for a few cents back issues
of magazines. I firmly believe that the
hours spent reading in the car, contributed
to turning my children into
readers.
Many beloved games such Travel
Parchisi, Monopoly and Guess Who? break
up the monotony of a long ride. Also,
don’t forget the Mad Libs. The classic
word game is celebrating its 50th
anniversary. It inspires silly fun and
helps kids to brush up on their parts of
speech. The publisher has recently
released Indiana Jones Mad Libs that
include stories from all the movies in
the series, including the newest Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull.
Don’t forget to bring along music.
It may grate on the nerves to have to
listen to children’s music, but sometimes
it can be a lifesaver. After a 10-
hour drive home from the Outer Banks
when the twins were about two, they
couldn’t take riding anymore and
mutinied. We popped in their kid’s
tape and sang “Bingo.” They quieted,
but every time the song stopped, they
screamed. We sang “Bingo” from the
Irwin Exit of the turnpike until we got
home. Singing was much better than
listening to crying.
Also, plan to make frequent stops.
Adults may be able to sit for extended
periods, but rambunctious children find
being strapped into car seats for hours
to be unbearable.
Finally, if your child is prone to
motion sickness, consult your doctor or
pharmacist about medications to control
nausea.
By preparing ahead, you can make
both the journey and destination pleasurable. Happy Vacationing!
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