Road Trip with a Toddler – The Best Advice

I feel like anything “with a toddler” can get dicey, right? They’re like little ticking time bombs. You never know what they’re going to do, when they’re going to throw a tantrum, when they’ll need to poop, or what’s going to satisfy them. So a road trip with a toddler? It can be a little daunting.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to have a great road trip with a toddler. It can even be fun!

We have been traveling with our 3 year old since she was 6 weeks old. She has never loved being in the car, so I’m not writing this from a place of “oh our sweet child always does so well in the car!” No. I am writing this as a mother of a child who absolutely hated car rides for most of her life.

And now we take road trips and actually enjoy them.

Side note, if you’re taking road trips only because you’re afraid to fly with your toddler, I promise you can do that too. We can take a cool trip, and my toddler will say her favorite part was “the plane ride.” So if flying is an option, it can potentially be easier than a road trip with a toddler. (See: Best Tips for Flying with a Toddler)

Road Trip with a Toddler Jump To:

The Best Time of Day to Road Trip with a Toddler

This can depend on the toddler.

If you have a toddler who sleeps super well in the car seat, consider doing some of the driving late at night or early in the morning while they sleep. Only do this if you can trade off drivers and if you’re prepared to be really tired the next day.

We have never attempted an overnight drive because our toddler will party in her car seat no matter the time. Recently, we had a really delayed flight, and Jovie was loudly singing in the car at 11pm during our 45 minute drive home.

If you have a toddler who sleeps poorly in the car seat, drive during the day with frequent stops.

Our ideal road trip start time is around 1 hour before nap time. Jovie will play, settle in, and then nap. If you’re driving really far in a day, though, you’ll likely have to start earlier.

I recommend 2-3 hours at a time max without a stop. You might be able to lengthen this if your toddler naps during this time, but plan for a stop around every 2 hours.

Road Trip Prep

Part of having a good road trip with a toddler is prepping ahead of time.

Here are some things you should do prior to the road trip to allow for the best time to be had by all:

1. Buy things you’ll need ahead of time. Snacks, activities, etc.
2. Organize the things to go in the car. Have snacks and activities nearby. Keep a small cooler near you, snacks in a paper bag, and activities in a bin or box.
3. Plan out tentative stops and meals. Don’t end up in the middle of nowhere at dinner-time with zero food available.
4. Go through the road trip with your toddler. Explain to them that you’ll be in the car for a while, so they know what to expect.
5. Make sure your car is in good working order, get an oil change, etc. These are NOT things you want to worry about while on the road trip.

How to Plan Out Good Stops

Maybe you road tripped when you were kid-less and stopped when you wanted to stop and didn’t even book hotels ahead of time.

Now you have a toddler, and they are not breezy.

Pull up googlemaps before your trip. Figure out where the towns and stops might be. I even go as far as looking up playgrounds along the way, and I’ll pick out different stop options depending on the timing of our day and how things are going.

Don’t pick stops that will add a lot of extra driving time; you’re already on a long drive.

A good road trip stop with a toddler means getting them some exercise. This can be at a playground or a short hike or even running around a rest stop. Just make sure they get their little legs moving.

Road Trip Activities

You NEED road trip activities for your toddler if you’ll be on a long drive. They are essential for everyone’s survival.

Our favorites are:

• Basic paper drawing pad with colored pencils, markers, or crayons.
• Regular sticker books and/or reusable sticker books.
• Books. Bring some favorites and also bring some new ones. We love visiting our library before a road trip!
• Water painting book. Mess-free!
• Play car games: I spy, make up funny songs, etc.
• THIS drawing board is our absolute favorite, and it entertains our toddler more than anything else on this list.
• A screen. We just use an old kindle, and we downloaded Encanto and some Bluey episodes onto it.
• Napping. The most important road trip activity for toddlers 🙂

Napping

Getting your toddler to nap is SO important on a road trip. I always explain to Jovie that if she sleeps she will wake up and we will magically be way closer to our destination! It also gives you a break from having to entertain your little one.

I do have some advice for getting your toddler to nap in the car. Our is SO BAD AT IT. She has never been a child who just passes out when you start a drive. If that’s how your kiddo is, skip the rest of this section.

Here’s how to guarantee naps on a road trip with a toddler who is bad at sleeping in the car:

Plan for it to take a while for them to drift off. Plan for 45 mins – 1 hour of quiet time and/or cozy car seat time before they actually fall asleep.

Don’t give them a screen when you’re wanting them to nap. Give them a quiet activity that will hopefully chill them out – a drawing board, a book, etc.

Turn on a white noise machine. They sell travel ones that hold a charge. This puts them in the mood for sleep while also blocking out some of the driving noise.

If they’ll take them, give them loveys and/or a blanket. Sometimes my toddler chucks them at me and yells I’M NOT TIRED, but other times they help.

Tell them it’s nap time/quiet time. Try not to engage with them, and tell them you are also having quiet time. Give them a while to hopefully fall asleep. Jovie has put up quite a fight for road trip car naps, but we have always eventually been successful in getting her to sleep.

Good luck!

Oh, and have a podcast or audiobook or something ready to play in headphones once your kiddo is asleep. And some caffeine. Otherwise it’s rough to just silently listen to white noise while driving.

Snacks for a Road Trip with a Toddler

ALL THE SNACKS. Always have snacks available, and do not let your toddler get hungry and cranky.

Bring some special snacks that you don’t normally eat at home.

Our favorite car snacks are prepped fruits and veggies, crackers, granola bars, yogurt bites, animal crackers, trail mix, and maybe some cookies.

Always have water bottles at the ready too.

Bathroom Breaks

We always try to get our toddler to use the potty before we leave, whenever we stop along the way, and always before trying to get her to sleep in the car.

If your toddler is still iffy on the potty training, put them in a pull-up just in case.

I always have a travel potty in the car, and it is awesome. It even has disposable bags, so if your kiddo has to pee in the trunk, you can just tie up the bag and dispose of it later. It could even be used by you if you were really in a bind.

Extra Advice for a Road Trip with a Toddler

Split up the drive if you can. I know it can be more expensive and make your trip longer, but if you can break up the drives into shorter chunks each day it can really help everyone. We did a Colorado camping road trip recently, and the most driving we did in one day was 5-ish hours. I just used googlemaps and found cool campsites along the way. Don’t waste the stops.

Think about yourself too! Have coffee, snacks, and entertainment for yourself. Try to get good sleep before embarking on the road trip.

Get all stops done before your toddler falls asleep. Do not let your toddler fall asleep when the gas is 1/4 full. Get any food or any stops done before your toddler might drift off.

If there are 2 adults, have one sit in the backseat next to your toddler. And trade off driving/sitting in the backseat.

Have a Great Road Trip with a Toddler!

If you have any advice that I didn’t include or you have questions or want to share your experience, please comment below! I have this blog to help others have enjoyable travel, so I love to hear from you. And I especially love hearing about your adventures.

Happy Toddler Travel!