Road Trip Essentials With Kids

Nontoxic swaps, sun safety, meal prepping, tips...

Let’s start by saying…. It’s a trip, not a vacation, with kids.

My kids are definitely beach bums but we’ve learned a thing or two on how to make road trips easier when you want lower toe items,ms, have dietary restrictions and are traveling with kids.

Keep a packing list in the notes app on your phone.

If you regularly frequent somewhere, keep a list so you don’t reinvent the wheel every time. Also when you’re on your trip and realize there’s an item that would make your life easier, add it to the list so that you’ll bring it next time. You can check it off as you go and then uncheck as you repack when you leave! I’ve been doing this since I became a mom, and have so many lists on my phone for various destinations with kids.

Be prepared with food.

Having any food allergies or dietary restrictions means planning ahead with food. You are going to have to pack a meal to eat or plan a stop at a destination that has food to accommodate (which can be tricky!).

If it’s a long road trip or plane ride, I would suggest a little lunch box packed for each kid. I love the Austin Baby Co lunch boxes because they are easy to clean. We don’t do a ton of food in the car now that my kids are older, but those younger toddler and baby years are purely survival! I get a lot of our snacks from Thrive Market. You can get 40% off your first order here.

Hear me out: meal prep a few items.

I don’t want to cook on vacation so I want to have a few ready to eat items, especially for breakfast. I will make a triple batch of these pancakes and freeze them. We will also cook up some breakfast sausage to make some breakfast tacos for breakfast. I know this seems really lame, but it makes my life so much easier having breakfast that just needs heating up (minus some eggs… I even bring my own egg pan because I’m extra) Another thing we like to do is bring some frozen pizzas for our first night when we are super tired. Hungry kids are not fun!

Sun safety.

I’ve learned a lot about sun exposure from Sarah Kleiner, and I really like using her my circadian app. You can know what the UV rating is and when UVA/UVB rays start. I was able to monitor all that so we could get a little bit of sun without getting burnt.

Everyone is required to wear hats, that’s a non negotiable. My son and husband like the Hemlock hats because they give more shade. My kids wear Ruffle Butts/Rugged Butts UPF long sleeved tops at the beach or during longer sun exposure. I’ve bought the same suit in a bigger size every single year that I’ve been a mom because they hold up SO well. The only ones that don’t fall apart on the bottoms.

We finally invested in a Shibumi shade this year and it’s a complete game changer. We can stay out longer with some shade to sit it. It only takes 3 minutes to set up and you could even pack it in a checked luggage bag because it’s so small.

Some tips for keeping kids occupied at the beach: I’ve found as long as my kids have a bucket and a shovel, they will stay occupied for a long time. For boys, a dump truck is pretty essential and then some mermaid Barbies will occupy little girls. I see older kids always playing spike ball at the beach, if you’re in that stage of life!

I make sure everyone has a full water bottle and we will bring a few snacks like pretzels down with us. Mostly I try to avoid too many snacks now and just encourage play.

One final tip is having a water proof bag for electronics like your phone and camera. You never know when a wave will sneak up and it also helps with sand!

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