Thank you Maxi-Cosi for sponsoring this post. Keep your little adventurers comfy, safe & stylish with the Maxi-Cosi Magellan 5-in-1 car seat!
It’s summer time and many families are hitting the open road and taking in the scenes, I know we are! We have two big trips that we are gearing up for. We’ve done our fair share of traveling with the kids, but road trips are a unique experience. It’s not like flying where you get on the plane, and if it doesn’t go as smoothly as planned you are on the ground in a few hours. Road trips, like the ones we have planned mean hours each day in the car, day after day. I’ve put together a few of the ways that we’ve made road tripping with kids fun.
Snacks
We pack a lot of snacks, our kids are constantly eating at home and in the car doesn’t seem to be much different. For our preschooler, I like to pack things like fruit snacks, cheese crackers, apples, carrots, cheese sticks and granola bars. For our toddler, I pack a variety of easy-to-chew or melt-away snacks since she currently only has 6 teeth, and with her in the back seat, I don’t want any choking hazards. She loves yogurt melts, dry cereal, baby fruit bites, and puree/yogurt pouches. Everyone has their own water bottle or spill-proof cup full of water. For Mary, I am all about the snack catchers to make things easy for her to hold and eat, but she also can’t dump them all out with one turn over of her container.
Entertainment
Over the years I have really worked on fine-tuning the best way to organize our entertainment for traveling. For road trips, I like to have an open container where the kids can see all of their options and their snacks and make them accessible to me for doling out. I have found these amazing plastic bins in the back-to-school section, and they are perfect for sitting in the seat next to the kids or even on the floor in front of them. I fill them with items such as a few books (typically a new one about where we are going and a favorite from home), a favorite toy, and a child’s lovey. Depending on the age of your child, items such as coloring books and stickers can be great car activities. This is a great time to hit up the dollar toy section and make a few small purchases that will be new and exciting.
Comfort
No one wants to sit for hours in the car in an uncomfortable seat, including your kids. The new Maxi-Cosi Magellan 5-in-1 Convertible Car Seat easily transitions between five modes of use: Baby Rear-Facing, Toddler Rear-Facing, Toddler Forward-Facing, Child Forward-Facing and Belt Positioning Booster. Fitting kids from birth to age 10 (5lbs. to 120lbs.) means I can use it with both of my kids. Every Maxi-Cosi car seat, including the Magellan has been designed with comfort and style in mind, incorporating premium fabrics that are machine washable, while providing a contemporary, yet timeless look. I know every parent appreciates a washable cover; hello spilled food, carsick kid, and diaper blow out! Maxi-Cosi car seats retail for $349.99 and are available from Amazon.
Potty Chair
NEVER leave home without it. Have you ever tried to get a 4-year-old to poop outside in the middle of nowhere? I have, it won’t happen, and you will be speeding to the closest rest stop, gas station, restaurant, or anywhere that might have a bathroom. No matter what you will have to buy to use their bathroom! A friend taught me this trick and I am forever indebted to her. If you have small children, especially if you are going to be potty-training during your trip, have a potty chair that stays in the car and can be used anywhere. Your child will be comfortable and you will mostly save a few hundred dollars on speeding tickets.
Electronics
This is obviously totally an optional one but it’s better to have them and never use them than leave them at home. Our van has a built-in entertainment system and we allow our son to watch DVDs from the library on it. When we are spending a long time in the car he will get bored with the TV (yay) and want something else. He does great with his screen time options and loves educational activities on the tablet. I make sure to have the tablet in a kid-friendly case for traveling and all charged up.
Where will you be road tripping with kids next?
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