Road Trippin Toddler - Seems like we are on the road quite a bit. We are often doing activities outdoors. I remember the days when we just hopped in the car and went. Now it seems to take the logistics of moving a small army to prepare for a day outing. Here are a few tips.
Snacks/lunch - If you forget everything else at home at least bring the snack bag! We use a few different versions of the above. We ate lunch at a local Brewery so I packed snacks and lunch for baby.
What we packed for our day trip to the Battle Grounds:
small juice box
blueberry muffin
organic cereal bar
veggie sticks
bag of Kix (of course see my previous post Kix The Habit for more)
1 yogurt
then a great Tupperware (my MIL sells it let me know if you want some) container with 3 spots for foods - cheese, corn off the cob, melon
5 oz of milk in our Little Sprouts sippy cup - LOVE IT
What we packed for our day trip to the Battle Grounds:
small juice box
blueberry muffin
organic cereal bar
veggie sticks
bag of Kix (of course see my previous post Kix The Habit for more)
1 yogurt
then a great Tupperware (my MIL sells it let me know if you want some) container with 3 spots for foods - cheese, corn off the cob, melon
5 oz of milk in our Little Sprouts sippy cup - LOVE IT
If your baby is not yet using a straw it is highly recommended by speech/language therapists. It helps to develop oral motor skills. See my previous post Wean Schmean...Just Pick One.
What I didn't have, and wished I did before she was weaned, was a single bottle insulated case. I didn't see the point until we started doing side trips. Then I wished I had one so I didn't have to pack the big snack bag every time we went somewhere with a single bottle. If you have littles still on bottles get one!
What I didn't have, and wished I did before she was weaned, was a single bottle insulated case. I didn't see the point until we started doing side trips. Then I wished I had one so I didn't have to pack the big snack bag every time we went somewhere with a single bottle. If you have littles still on bottles get one!
Sun Protection- note in later pics she is wearing her iPlay hat with the neck protection. It is by far my favorite hat (see more in my post Beachin It Toddler Style). Also sunscreen, we use the above and have had good luck with it. Lots out there on the negatives of aerosol sun screen and young children so we use lotion.
Water - I'm a confessed sippy cup junky. I collect them. I know it's weird. This one is a little $ but great. It's a FOOGO, stainless steel & silicon, made by Thermos. It keeps water cold up to 10 hrs. It says 18 months but she uses it fine. She cannot open and close it herself which I see as a benefit.
A Blanket - or when you forget your blanket at the car what ever you have to sit upon, in this case Grandma's jacket. Honestly, she sat in the grass and had a ball but we will talk about the Ticks in a bit.
Entertainment - For us this means 2-4 books in the diaper bag along with other favorite toys, all of which make no noise. We were going to hear a talk before our battlefield hike so teaching her to entertain herself quietly is something we are conscientiously doing.
A word on screen time. I'm not going to lie, we watch a few episodes of specific TV shows during the week. Mainly PBS a few Nick Jr. She looks at my photo gallery on my phone and watches videos I make of her or the family. BUT that's it. No apps, no movies, no video games. It will come all too soon. But, for now, I've got her running unplugged and I'm happy about it.
That said.....
A word on screen time. I'm not going to lie, we watch a few episodes of specific TV shows during the week. Mainly PBS a few Nick Jr. She looks at my photo gallery on my phone and watches videos I make of her or the family. BUT that's it. No apps, no movies, no video games. It will come all too soon. But, for now, I've got her running unplugged and I'm happy about it.
That said.....
The Drive - I drive Buick Enclave. Its a good travel vehicle. It is equipped with a DVD player but it has never been used (yet). We plan trips around nap schedules when possible to encourage sleeping in the car. We are blessed with a baby who slept for 3/4 of a very long ride (2 hrs) both coming and going from our Battlefield trip. We almost always have either myself, the teenager, of (if visiting) Grandma to sit in the back and play for awake times. I don't have a lot of tips for families with multiple littles since we have only one. (put your pointers in the comments PLEASE!)
Our favorite car songs are:
5 Little Monkeys
Old McDonald
Little Bunny Foo Foo
The Wheels on the Bus
The Ants Go Marching
I Know an Old Lady
BINGO
Baby Bumble Bee
Yes, we do family sing alongs and we aren't very good LOL
Our favorite car songs are:
5 Little Monkeys
Old McDonald
Little Bunny Foo Foo
The Wheels on the Bus
The Ants Go Marching
I Know an Old Lady
BINGO
Baby Bumble Bee
Yes, we do family sing alongs and we aren't very good LOL
Ticks - Grandma picked 3 off of herself after our day at the Battlefields. The grass was high and no doubt there were many. We looked each other over and were sure to give baby a bath to check her all over, especially the nooks and crannies since they like the warmth. I have not yet found a bug repellant that I feel is safe and effective. Please let me know if you have!!! My only advice is to be diligent about checking immediately after hiking and outdoor activities. In MD they seem to get worse all of the time. Be aware of the signs of tick born illnesses and seek medical attention should you have concerns but please don't let it keep you inside. There is a whole world out there for your toddler to experience .... don't let a few ticks bug you!