When you have your first child and want to get out and take a quick vacation, it can be stressful to plan for everything. One thing we didn’t consider on top of the various things we needed to pack was how to time out the road trip and have everything you need between your house and the place you are staying. After the first trip, our friends laughed and said, ” How did you not think of this or that? Well, it’s because it wasn’t conveniently laid out for us. So we’ll try to spare you some pain and lay out what we learned and what has worked best for us for a road trip with kids.

We had the wise idea to take our, at the time, almost 3-month-old baby on a road trip. A nice 3-hour drive that we’ve made several times before to a place where we know all the spots. Just pack up all the things the baby needs and get on the road, no problem right? Wrong. That 3-hour drive took close to 7 hours, with multiple stops and lots of time spent in the backseat helping calm the baby. We figured we’d pack up the car and leave when ready. Wow, that was a mistake. I’ll break this down into the different phases of the trip to help plan and digest.

Planning the trip and what you’ll need will be essential to starting off on the right foot.

Timing

I’d suggest planning out the trip schedule to avoid spur-of-the-moment surprises. You’ll want to identify nice places to stop that may have a park to sit outside or take a walk or restaurants along the way. Consider your kid’s nap schedule, and factor this into the day. We discovered that it’s best to leave with a full stomach and right in line with a normal nap. This will allow for the most uninterrupted drive time in one shot. With a toddler now, he eats his lunch around 11 am, and we’re on the road by 11:30 am. He falls asleep within 10 minutes, and his normal nap is from 12 pm-2 pm.

This is perfect for planning our stops. We look for a park or a stop 2.5 hours into our trip. When he wakes up from his nap, we pass him back a snack which eats up a little more time. Then we get to the next stop to entertain him and stretch our legs. This is perfect on a 3-hour road trip, as we are now close to the final stop but have time to kill before we can check-in.

Packing

Since we need to use a lot of the items we are packing up until we leave, it is more difficult to get it all packed and loaded in the car to leave on time. We have learned to adjust the schedule of baths, as an example, to ensure everything is dry, and we can pack it proactively a day or two ahead of time. The suitcases come out a few days in advance, and we go down the list, checking things off with Google Keep to ensure we don’t miss anything (Here’s an example packing list). Google Keep allows us to keep track of items, making it really convenient.

We have used a storage tub to keep smaller or awkwardly shaped things. This is where the baby grass, bottle soap, cribbage, etc., gets tossed. It also makes it easier to pack in the car as it’s all contained and in a consistent shape.

When packing the car, ensure the bags you need first are at the top. A simple idea, I know, but sometimes you need to make things fit a certain way, and this is not a time to sacrifice. Arriving and having an antsy child with their toys buried is not a fun experience when you need to unpack the car. Also, consider some space to stop at the grocery store when you arrive for supplies. We have started to leave items at home that we can buy when we get there to avoid the extra time before we leave.

Car preparations

First, ensure you get gas the night or morning before you leave to avoid additional stops. Pick up whatever snacks, ice, or other items you need. Ensure the car is cleaned out so you can quickly load it up and get on the move. This will all save you stress on the day of and maximize the focused drive time.

One other thing we purchased as our kid got older is a headrest iPad mount. Sure it’s screen time, but the peace this has given us while driving far outweighs the negatives. We tried out a few options on Amazon but have settled on this one as the best universal option. We can use it for the rear-facing seat, and it’s easy to get the tablet on and off. iPads with video can burn the battery out pretty quickly, so we ensure the portable battery is plugged in before we take off.

For tablet entertainment, you’ll need to download shows to watch without a wireless connection for the best results. Most of the apps you subscribe to will allow this (for example, all of Sesame Street on HBO Max or Thomas the Train on Amazon Prime).

We have also moved on from the car top carrier since it was challenging to pack effectively and get things up on top of the car. This trailer hitch mount has been great. It’s easy to set up, sturdy and provides plenty of space off the back of the car. I was worried about not being able to open the trunk once this was loaded up. That’s not the case. I could still open the trunk even though this was mounted on the back and filled with items. The waterproof bag was an excellent accessory just in case you run into any rain on the journey.

Hitting the road

Off you go, on time with your schedule and everyone is happy. Make sure to have things within reach that you may need without stopping. In the early days, that was the portable breast pump, which was easy to use while driving, and all the supplies to avoid pulling over. Now it’s the cooler with snacks like water bottles, cups of milk, and yogurt packets.

We learned not to pack the car too tight in the backseat and leverage the trailer hitch mount instead. On our first trip, we filled every space we could, and when we had to change a diaper or sit with the baby in the backseat, we had to shift everything around. Leave some space to sit, and have the diaper bag and anything you need at a stop along the way accessible. We always keep some things on top, like the clamping high chair if we stop to eat or a foldable outdoor blanket to sit down at a park. Ensure the blanket is waterproof in case you run into wet grass.

We have learned various other tips and tricks that will be covered within trips specifically. Hopefully, this post gets you started no matter the trip you are planning!