Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sposie Booster Pads, the number one brand in diaper doublers. All opinions are entirely my own.

Going on a family road trip with kids is never easy, and a trip that includes a baby or toddler has its own set of unique challenges. You never really know when they’ll sleep, when they’ll cry, need a change of clothes, etc. With little ones in tow, it’s best to over-prepare to increase your chances of a peaceful trip. 

We’ve been road tripping with babies for almost 9 years now, and while it never gets completely easy, you can increase your odds of success by planning. 

A road trip with a baby is not just sticking a baby in a car and through my experience, I have found some things that work and some that don’t. Many years and many road trips later, we’ve wised up a bit…

So today, I’m sharing some of our time-tested road trip tips with a Baby or Toddler.

10 Tips for a Road Trips with Babies & Toddlers

1. When you pack the diaper bag, put in however many “extra outfits” you think they’ll need and then double it. Maybe you won’t need one the whole time, and maybe you’ll need 5 but instead of unpacking a suitcase for more outfits, have them at the ready. Changes of clothing are road trip essentials that should be easily accessible, you will not regret the easy access should when a mess or blowout occurs.

2. Don’t schedule around their sleep schedule: I’ve found you can’t tell when a baby or toddler will sleep in the car. One time we left at their bedtime for a 6-hour trip (one was 6 months and one was 2). They always went to bed around 6/6:30, so we figured we’d get in at midnight, but at least we’d have a quiet ride…. not so much. They stayed awake the WHOLE time!!   Then we’ve had times where we drive mid-day and they sleep the whole trip. Sleeping will either happen or not, but don’t plan around it!

3. When traveling with a baby Don’t stop the car with a sleeping baby: Kind of like the rule “never wake a sleeping baby”, never stop the car with a sleeping baby. I’ve found whether they’ve been sleeping for 10 minutes or 2 hours, the second the car stops during a road trip, they wake up. Stop when they’re awake and if they happen to fall asleep…. drive until you need gas.

4. Start the drive on a full belly: For a baby, a full belly means a happy baby and hopefully one that will then sleep peacefully for many, many miles. For a toddler, having an empty belly can end in car sickness, which spells disaster for all your hopes of a dreamy family vacation. A few times, we tried to leave as soon as they woke up with the hopes of driving til breakfast. Not a good idea.We soon discovered that meant carsick kids.

5. Road Trip Movies and Music for variety: We always head to the library before a road trip and stock up on music CDs and DVDs that they’ve never seen/heard before. This helps keep them more entertained and less bored. Some libraries even have digital books and movies you can watch on your iPads and e-readers! Road trip songs with mom and dad are a great cure for the “been in the car too long” blues!

6. Under prepare on road trip snacks: I know I said to over prepare, but with snacks, we like to make it a novelty to let little ones pick a snack when we stop. For some reason, pretzels from a snack shop are way more exciting than pretzels from mom. Of course, you should have some food packed but leaving some snacks/meals for them to choose breaks up the drive.

7. Mid Trip Entertainment: I found my best toddler “travel toy” at a rest stop….and it was free. Drink Trays make great toy trays. Toys then don’t fall out of their laps and they can make them into a fun little wonderland for their dinosaurs and animals. This is an old photo of a drink tray that my daughter loved so much she wanted to keep and paint for the next trip!
8. Bring paper towels, wipes, and a few small trash bags: You never know what messes you’ll be cleaning, so pad the on cleaning essentials! Also, we’ve found filling a small trash bag and emptying it each time we stop makes for less of a messy car at the end of the road trip
9.  Seek out rest stops with a park or play area: It’s hard for babies and toddlers to get out at a rest stop and not be able to crawl around and run around. Seek out spots to stop that have a park, playground, or indoor play area.

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10. Last, but not least, here’s an important tip: Keep babies and toddlers dry on a road trip

I’ve found that sitting in a car seat for a long road trip coupled with drinking bottles and water while in their car seat leads to leaking diapers. I can’t tell you how many times over the years we’ve taken a soaked babe out of the car seat during a road trip. It means a change of clothes and worse if they’ve wet the car seat when you still have hours to go where they need to sit in the seat. This is why Sposie got me thinking about writing this post: they are diaper booster pads. I recently tried them with Miles and they’re awesome. I wish I had them with all of my kids, especially when we traveled. I’ve used it with Miles on road trips and overnight. 

If you’re not familiar with Sposie, they are super-absorbant diaper inserts that fit inside all major diaper brands. They are made in the USA and are fragrance, latex, and chlorine free. There’s a soft microfiber top layer. Sposie boosters wick away moisture from the baby’s skin to create a stay-dry barrier to reduce diaper rash and irritation. You simply place the pad inside the diaper. They hold a lot of liquid and help keep babies and toddlers dry. They’re designed for both boys and girls. I’ve even used it inside a pull-up for overnight. To find Sposie Diaper Doubles, click here to find a retailer near you (I ordered from Walmart.com).

I’m not suggesting you don’t change your baby on a road trip, I just know from experience sitting in a car seat and drinking fluids has often led to lots of leaks for my kids. Also if it’s a long road trip, they will be sleeping for many of the driving hours and if they’re prone to leaks in the crib (mine are!) they will likely have the same problem in the car. You can easily switch crib sheets but not easily clean a car seat mid-road trip! Sposie diaper booster pads are also great to bring on a road trip because they make any diaper “overnight diapers” once you get to your destination.

So, now your road trip packing list is complete and you are on your way to many happy miles spent with your family enjoying the scenery instead of figuring out what to do about your unhappy children. 

Good luck, and don’t forget to share with all the moms in your life that could benefit from our past family road trip disasters.

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