It’s that awkward time between Christmas and New Years, where none of us really know what’s going on, we only know that we’ve been eating well and drinking good and soon some semblance of normalcy will have to return. I’m currently sitting in the middle seat of the middle row of our minivan, trying to keep all three kids somewhat entertained so we don’t have to listen to the screaming that inevitably comes with a long car drive with toddlers. We are returning from our Christmas in Cape Breton and it’s about a 5.5 hour drive if you did it straight, however takes us about 7 hours usually, give or take.
You see, since we moved to NS we have done frequent drives to my dad’s in Cape Breton. No easy feat with three kids four and under. I am now considering myself somewhat of an expert on travelling with kids. In fact, before Matt was able to move here himself, I did the drive quite a few times just me, the two boys, and our wild shepherd collie dog. During these trips, it was summer and I was unable to pop into a restroom as I couldn’t leave the dog alone in the hot car, and I had to drag two young children with me wherever I went. Oh to look back on that time now. I am proud of myself for getting through it but damn it was hard while I lived it.
Anyhow, as you can imagine, the key to any road trip – especially one with kids, is snacks. And don’t forget drinks, and more snacks. If you’re driving as the only adult it’s important to have drinks and snacks easily accessible in the seat next to you, and lots of them, because you’re gonna want to one hand chuck them right in the back and they aren’t all going to make it to the kids… sometimes it takes a few tries. Another thing I did during these solo long drives was have a bag of toys I could hand off to them when things got crazy. This was before we allowed tablets into our lives and my youngest at the time (now middle child) was too young to be interested in shows anyway, so what I would do was hit up Dollarama or dollar store of your choice, and pick up a bunch of random toys, anything can work and it’s good to get a variety. Anytime there was any fuss, SURPRISE a toy got thrown into the back to ease the emotions.
As for stops, it’s painful, but it’s truly not up to you when you make them. Gotta pee? Well, not if the kids are asleep you don’t. You hold it like your life depends on it. Or wear a diaper. (I’m only joking!….?) If the toys and snacks fail you, you will have to pull over at your next gas station or Tim Hortons. Sometimes that happens two times an hour, sometimes you power through 4 hours and wonder how you got so lucky but also when will they wake up so you can use the bathroom?
Now when I had the kids alone, and the dog, I was forced to either hold it the entire drive. Pee before I left and as soon as I got to my dads, open the doors for them to get the kids out while I ran inside. Or, I put the dog in the leash, had the kids come with me, and saunter into the woods a bit. I guess that’s what nice benefit to Nova Scotia, a lot of the highway stops are surrounded by a wooded area. And quite a few also have dog off leash areas, much to my surprise. I only ever stopped when the kids were reallllly over it and we tried to make sure to stop somewhere they could run around and stretch their legs. In the summer I brought a picnic blanket and let the kids run around and eat outside if we could.
This year, the drive to Cape Breton was a little rough. Perhaps I am a little rusty. We certainly didn’t pack a bag of random toys, since we were going for Christmas and they would most definitely get spoiled by Santa and the grandparents. Also little girl is just still so small, and not a fan of the car, and not able to be soothed by a package of crackers or a juice box. Still, we managed the drive with only two stops and only a few hours of crying. (It was brutal.)
This drive home has been much more successful, which is what inspired me to write this post. Really giving myself a lot of credit for the fact that baby is sleeping a lot this drive but in all honestly it’s probably just a coincidence. It’s pouring rain so maybe that’s is a nice soothing sound for her?
If you have any good road trip tips, drop them below. I’m sure with each age it changes. My mom got the boys Fire Tablets for Christmas so that has entertained my oldest for the majority of the drive. He loves a good Sonic game. My middle entertained by downloaded episodes of Paw Patrol. Other essential road trip supplies for younger kids – a portable potty. When they gotta go, they gotta go. We use this one: portable potty. Another key product that my kids have grown out of but is useful for the youngins is these pouch toppers. Pop these onto the top of a pouch before passing it off, and then they can’t squeeze them empty before eating a single sip of them. Also nothing worse than opening the door to get the kids out and noticing that the entire pouch is on their shirt and not a drop made it in their mouth. Another thing I like is the munchkin straw cups, especially for the younger ones- no worry about spills with those either.
Happy awkward time to you all. We will probably sleep through the ringing of the new year. A short break as the kids return to school the 2nd of January. We got rear ended (I guess a story for another day, we have some bad luck at Christmas) so will have many car appointments coming up. I’ll tell you all about it later.
Until next time,
– R