Simple October

Monday, April 22, 2013

A little travel with two...

Traveling with kids can be a real challenge, as I'm sure many of you know.

With that being said, we have a little travel system that seems to work for us and I thought it might be fun to share.
Seeing how others pack or do their daily tasks is always interesting to me.

Being prepared is absolutely essential for me.
Now that the boys are older, there are some things that have become easier. I don't usually pack a cooler with milk anymore. I know most restaurant's usually serve milk but when they were much younger we would run into places that didn't or were out. That used to be a big deal to these boys. These days, ice water is alright, if that's what we have.



So, I always pack a large bag of snacks, breakfast items, and drinks for all. David and I don't really snack when we travel but sometimes I need a little something to keep me going. This time I packed some roasted almonds and pita chips.
Since the boys are picky with what they will eat, it's best that I have stuff on hand all the time anyway. I carry our plastic food storage containers with us. It keeps the snacks fresh and I can wash the containers when we get home, so not a big deal. Also, I bring water bottles, 24 pack, with us and whatever David wants to drink (Gatorade this time.) to keep costs down and stay hydrated.



Snack cups...they go everywhere with us still. Then I also bring their milk/juice cups and separate water cups. All of these I wash out at the end of our day so they're ready for the next day. If I know we are going to be in a hotel, I pack a small bottle of dish soap and we keep paper towels in our car anyway.

This large utility tote from Thirty-One fits nicely on the floorboard in the backseat of our car. Plus, it holds so much! It's what I used for all our snacks this trip.

On to toys...
I changed up how I packed toys this trip.
Usually I have a container of toys and books that sits between their car seats so they can reach for whatever they want.
This time, I packed them each a plastic tool box of toys. The tool boxes fit on their laps and they could play with what they wanted, on their own. It worked great! There was minimal fighting over toys and both seemed pleased to have their own container of stuff. Using the boxes also helped to keep them more entertained with the toys since they didn't have access to them all the time. They fit on the floor right in front of their seats and I handed them to them when they needed some distraction.

 
 
 
Also included: books that I kept aside for later
                         Doodle pads
                         Alphabet electronic toys (their favorites, of course)
                         wallets from Aunt Julie with zipped up surprises (encouraging that fine motor skill of 
                         unzipping/zipping)
 
                         Travel DVD player and DVDs.........a serious must. They don't get to watch it most of
                         the trip but there are is always that moment when they don't want to sit there anymore
                         but you can't stop again just yet. It's a real lifesaver! Completely distracts them.
 
Then lastly, I whipped up this adorable terry cloth toothbrush travel bag for them.
I used Noodlehead's tutorial to make this. I found it ages ago and just got around to making one myself. I love it!
 
 
 
 
None of this makes travel a breeze but it does make it just a little smoother.
 
I hope you found this inspiring for your next trip or at the very least interesting.
Do you have any special tips that work for you when traveling with little ones?
I'd love to hear what they are!  

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