This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!

So my little sister is engaged! I’m completely ecstatic for her.

I come from a large family. In fact, I’m the oldest of seven children. Five girls and two boys.

I wish I’d been keeping a blog back when we were all living under one roof because I remember some things that would have made for absolutely hilarious entries.

But I digress.

My second-youngest sister is getting married next year, and next weekend is her bridal shower.

My daughter and I were invited. And of course, the baby is basically my accessory at the moment, so he’s coming too.

Originally, we thought we’d all go and make it a family trip.

The boys could hang out at the hotel while the girls went to the shower, and then we could spend the rest of the weekend exploring the city together as a family.

But in the end, we decided it didn’t really make sense for all of us to go.

It would cost a lot more to feed everyone, we’d need someone to watch the dogs, and someone would also have to come over every evening to feed and lock up our chickens.

So ultimately, it’ll be me, travelling several hours by car with my three-month-old baby, my seven-year-old daughter, and my ten-year-old son for a two-night hotel stay before making the trip back home.

To say I’m a little nervous about managing this on my own would be an understatement.

My older kids are wonderful and will help as much as they can.

But travelling with a new baby is no small feat, especially without a second pair of adult hands.

I’ve been spending the last few days figuring out how to make the trip as smooth as possible, and I thought I’d share my plan here.

I’ve done road trips with kids before, but this will be my first one as the only adult, with a three-month-old in tow. If you’ve ever looked at Google Maps, seen “5 hours,” and immediately thought, “That’ll actually be eight,” then you know exactly why I’ve been planning this so carefully.

If you’ve got a trip coming up with little ones, hopefully these ideas help you too. Here’s hoping we all come home actually rested instead of completely frazzled after our “vacations.” Haha.

---

1. I’m Going Down a Day Early

This one may not be possible for everyone, but if you can swing it, I highly recommend travelling to your destination a day earlier than you actually need to be there.

Yes, it’ll cost me an extra night in the hotel.

But it also removes all the pressure.

If it takes me a little longer to pack the car and we leave late? No big deal.

If we have to stop approximately 27 times for pee breaks, snacks, or just because the baby has decided screaming in the car seat is his newest hobby? That’s fine too.

It takes all the urgency out of the drive.

It’s already a long one, around five hours, but this way I have the entire day to do it.

We can arrive whenever we arrive, check into the hotel, let the kids swim, and call it a successful day.

Easy win.

---

2. Don’t Forget the Screens!

Obviously, travelling with kids requires a slightly different set of rules.

For one, screen time limits don’t count in the car.

We’ve been trying some new screen time rules at home (you can read about that here), but I’ve already decided they’re getting free rein on this trip.

With headphones, of course.

I’ll also make sure they pack books and other activities, but it’s a long drive… and Mama be tired.

Giving them their devices is a surefire way to buy myself a little peace and quiet.

It’ll help prevent sibling arguments and save my sanity because once I’ve answered enough questions to start questioning my own patience, I can simply declare quiet time and let everyone disappear into whatever movie they downloaded before we left.

I’m also driving somewhere I’ve never been before, so if I need a little uninterrupted concentration while navigating, that’s a win-win.

---

3. Packing the Car Smartly

Even though I plan to stop frequently, I don’t intend to double the cost of this trip by buying snacks at every gas station we pass.

Most of our stops will be parks and scenic places rather than McDonald’s.

So I’ve already started making a list of travel snacks and have the cooler ready to go.

Juice boxes, fruit, handheld sandwiches, granola bars, and plenty of little nibbles that are easy to eat in the car or at a picnic table.

I’ve also invested in this awesome compact picnic dish set.

Since we’re planning to eat in parks, it’ll make meals and cleanup much easier, and it all packs together like a little puzzle so it barely takes up any space. It’ll be easy to toss underneath the stroller.

This foldable picnic basket is also on my list because it doubles as a wash basin. Perfect for rinsing dishes… and sticky little hands and faces.

For the baby, I’m packing my boobs.

Luckily, those travel exceptionally well. Wink.

The same thinking applies to the hotel.

We intentionally booked a suite with a kitchenette so we can bring groceries instead of relying on takeout for every meal.

It’s one small way we’re keeping the cost of the trip down.

---

4. Travel Accessories

If you buy one thing for travelling with little kids, let it be one of these car seat activity trays.

I absolutely LOVE ours.

They’re honestly a game changer when you’re travelling with multiple children.

The kids can colour without losing crayons under the seats.

They can eat without balancing everything on their laps.

Heck, they could probably fold laundry on them if there were ever a reason to.

They also create each child’s own little personal space.

If you’ve ever travelled with siblings, you know that “She’s on my side!” becomes a surprisingly serious issue somewhere around Hour Three.

They’re lightweight, easy to wipe clean, fold up nicely, and aren’t terribly expensive.

But they’re worth every penny.

---

5. I’m Planning for Lots of Stops

I’ve spent some time looking over our route and picking out little towns along the way where we can stop.

Places with parks.

Easy-to-access public washrooms.

Picnic tables.

I honestly don’t know how parents planned road trips before the internet.

It’s so easy now to look ahead and see exactly what each town has to offer.

The baby is definitely going to be the one calling the shots.

The older kids and I could probably power through, but he’ll need to nurse, stretch, and have some time out of his car seat.

He currently takes great offence to being buckled into it, so I have a feeling he’ll appreciate plenty of breaks.

I never leave home without my diaper bag that folds into a portable baby playpen.

I bought it while I was pregnant because I thought it looked like a neat idea.

Turns out we’ve used it constantly.

Baseball games.

Days at the beach.

Backyard campfires.

It’s easily one of the most useful baby products we’ve owned.

It’s officially on my list of future baby shower gifts.

---

6. I’m Managing My Expectations

I’m basically going into this trip expecting surprises.

The baby is probably going to have a blowout in the car.

My daughter will almost certainly ask to stop at McDonald’s every twenty minutes.

My son may eventually get tired of helping with the baby.

Basically, you can plan for everything, but something unexpected is still going to happen.

That’s just parenting.

Maybe I’m overpreparing.

Maybe the baby will sleep the entire drive and we’ll arrive refreshed and ready for a swim.

Or maybe I’ll pull into the hotel looking like I’ve survived a natural disaster and briefly consider listing my children on Etsy.

Who knows?

But for now, I feel like I’ve controlled what I can control.

The rest is just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

Because that’s just how parenting be. Shrug.

---

Before You Go…

If you’ve ever tackled a road trip with kids, I’d love to hear your best travel tip! Is there one snack, gadget, game, or sanity-saving trick you never leave home without? Let me know in the comments. I’m always looking for new ideas, and I’m sure other parents reading this would appreciate them too.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d love for you to join my email list below! I share honest stories about motherhood, family life, books, budget-friendly tips, and the occasional parenting adventure (or disaster). Subscribers are the first to hear about new blog posts, free printables, and resources I create for busy families.

If you’re looking for another way to keep the kids entertained on your next adventure, be sure to check out my Kids Travel Activity Book on Amazon. It’s filled with puzzles, colouring pages, mazes, word searches, drawing prompts, and other screen-free activities that are perfect for road trips, flights, waiting rooms, or rainy days. You can find it here.

And if you’re in the mood to keep reading, you might also enjoy these posts:

• I’m Changing Our Family’s Screen Time Rules This Summer
• How I’m Planning to Survive Summer Vacation With 4 Kids
• How I Encourage My Children to Read

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope your next family adventure is filled with more laughter than meltdowns. Safe travels! ❤️