1,000 Mile Road Trip with a Toddler: Ultimate Survival Guide

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We decided to take on a 1,000 mile road trip with a toddler, and we learned so much along the way. We are providing our top tricks and essentials items we needed to survive the trip. Driving long distance with a toddler is not as hard as it first may seem and with a little help the journey will be more enjoyable for everyone.

mom putting toddler in car

How did we survive a road trip with a toddler?

Taking a toddler on a road trip is not as hard as I first thought it would be. I spent hours surfing the internet reading every mom’s experience of how to survive and how terrible the experience still was for them. Worried, I planned every little bit of the driving experience from weeks before the trip up right until the minute before we left.

We survived and actually enjoyed ourselves. Our toddler was entertained and we felt relaxed even running into some car issues along the way. This is how we did it.

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Pre-Trip Preparations

girl holding pen with a planner making notes

As a natural-born planner, I knew one of the most important tasks was going to be the pre-trip planning. The very first task we did was car maintenance which meant getting the oil changed, checking the tire pressure and windshield wipers. Starting the trip with a freshly maintained car will not only give you peace of mind when driving, but limit how many car related issues you could run into on a long road trip. Also, check your spare tire too.

We planned out everything from what we were going to pack in our bags to how many bags we wanted to pack in the car. Make as many lists as you need. Don’t forget any of the essentials like first-aid kids, favorite toddler toys or important paperwork.

Check ahead of time that any hotel your staying at along the way is also toddler-friendly. Read our post: The Truth about Staying at a Hotel with a Toddler to get some helpful tips and hotel tricks.

This is my absolute favorite planner. It makes planning everything so much easier. I like to schedule get the oil change done relatively close to the trip so this helps keep everything I need in one spot and organized.

I learned for myself that the better I stay organized and on top of everything the better I felt about the trip.

The less stress the better!

Plan the Route Ahead of Time

We drove down I-95 from Delaware to Florida and there are sections of the drive that we realized had no place to stop like the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel & Bridge. Thankfully, I knew that ahead of time and we stopped right before we reached the bridge to take a rest stop break and replenish our fuel tank.

No matter where we drive with our toddler we always look at the route and see where we should plan to stop or an area that we need to be aware of that will not be easy or possible to rest.

Use Goggle Maps ahead of time and save locations that would be good family-friendly stops. We love to stop at Love’s Travel Stops and any state welcome center. We look for places that are busy all hours of the night and day for safety reasons.

Time Your Drive Ahead of Time

It is super important to consider the time of day when you are planning your road trip. We prefer driving long distance at night or at least a chunk of the drive happens when the sun goes down. At night your toddler will be asleep and you won’t have to worry about keeping them entertained, fed or happy.

You can split it up where you start at 4pm and end the first day at 2am and begin again the next day at 8am. We loved driving while our toddler was asleep because it allowed us to listen to music/podcasts that we enjoyed instead of the same Disney song over and over and over again.

Make Your Car Comfortable & Safe

CLEAN YOUR CAR OUT. Before every long drive we always clean our car out and give it a good scrub. It feels so nice and fresh to start a long trip in a clean environment especially when your living out of it for days.

Like I said before, make sure you care has been recently maintenanced. Get the oil changed and check your tires before the day you are set to leave. Inspect your car seat and make sure that is cleaned and properly installed. Check the lights on your car and make sure they are all working as well.

Entertainment

toddler holding a handful of colorful crayons

As you already know, toddlers need lots of stimulation to be happy. Bring as many different activities as you can pack. Just be aware that whatever you put in the car will be USED and possibly tossed so avoid crafts with glue or glitter. Here are my favorite road trip items:

Kids Travel Tray

This kids travel tray was an absolute life saver. Almost of all the crafts and activities we purchased couldn’t be done without a flat space to work. Our toddler was able to use it for everything and loved having the freedom to do a bunch of different

I cannot say enough good things about this tray. If you do not already have one definitely check it out or click here to see more details!

Prepare to Take Breaks

Okay, this may be the most difficult part of taking a road trip with a toddler, but it is something that will happen no matter how well you try to plan around it. Toddlers will need a break from the car no matter how busy they may be.

Taking a break doesn’t mean you will have to spend an hour or two walking around a rest stop but toddlers will need even just 15 minutes stretching their legs. We love to find coffee shops and cafes along the route and stop for a 15 minute break. Let the little on run in circles and interact with other people.

However you decide to do it, make sure you don’t pressure yourself with time and allow the family to stretch every few hours.

Meals, Snacks & Drinks

toddler eating snacks in a car

Besides having sufficient entertainment, snacks and drinks were also very important to a successful road trip with a toddler. The easiest way to pack snacks is by designating one bag for snacks only and keeping it in an easily accessible place.

These are our favorite toddler snacks to packs for road trips:

Our favorite toddler drinks:

Our favorite toddler travel accessories:

Potty Training in the Car

Potty training is an exciting time for toddlers! It might be messy and a little frustrating for us at times, but for them this is one step further from being a baby.

How do we continue to potty train in the car? The first thing we do is reintroduce pull-ups. Even if your toddler is potty trained at home being stuck in the car can interfere with their progress. You can try to prevent accidents by making extra stops during your trip but you cannot control traffic. Sometimes traffic can be so bad that you may have to wait almost an hour before you see another exit again.

So, how do we potty train with a toddler on road trip?

Prepare for Emergencies

As we just found out on our last road trip with our toddler, you have to have a game plan for the potential emergency or unexpected problem. Our tire popped in the middle of our trip and thankfully we made sure we had a spare which we used to get us to an Auto Repair Shop. They had us in and out within an hour.

With that in mind, make a game plan incase of a car problem were to happen. Mark some towns with 24-Hour services on your route.

Another item to keep packed is a first-aid kit. We also bring medicine that could reduce a fever as well as nail clippers and tiny scissors. You could always stop along the drive if you need something but some areas are desolate or not easy to navigate through.

Keep a list of emergency contacts and be well-stocked for a sudden illness or minor injury.

At the end of the day, it’s all about planning ahead and making a game plan to work off of. You can always deviate from the plan, but it will help make the travel less stressful.

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