This is a collaborative post.

Image by Tom Staziker from Pixabay

Maybe you make an annual pilgrimage to grandma and grandpa’s for the holidays. (Maybe not, this year.) Maybe you’re on the way to a great getaway, a fun activity, or just running an inconveniently distant errand. One way or another, you will wind up on a long car ride with your baby or toddler.  

How can you keep your kiddo entertained on the road?  

Safety First

Make sure your car is as safe as you can make it. In particular, look out for unattached items, which can become projectiles in an accident. Carry excellent insurance. If you have a hard time getting insurance due to things that belong in your past, try one sure insurance. And don’t forget to keep young children separated from pets — trapping animals with small children is never a good idea. We’ll assume you already have the right size and up to date car seat.  

We all Need to be Comfy

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

It’s also essential to ensure that your child is comfortable. Imagine yourself in the car seat. If that place where your child’s clothes are bunched up under the strap would drive you crazy, it will probably drive your child nuts, too.  Kids get hot and sweaty quickly, which would make anyone cranky. Be sure your air conditioning is reaching the back seat.  

It’s Lonely in the Back

Your kids need to stay in the back, especially if you have airbags, but the back seat can be a lonely place.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7iUi2Fs1Ks

Look for things you and your child can do together, even though you can’t see one another easily. One of the easiest is to sing together. And, thankfully for you, it doesn’t just have to be endless renditions of the wheels on the bus. If you introduce your kids to some of your favorite jams as a sing-along opportunity, chances are you will both be belting it out as if you were in the shower.  

Audiobooks are another great opportunity to connect here. You can easily pause to talk about the story or if your child has a question, which introduces some interaction. Having a hard copy so your little one can follow along in the back seat is a terrific bonus for older kids.  

Make it an Adventure

Photo by JAGMEET SiNGH from Pexels

Car trips can be tedious, and if that is true for you, it is doubly true for small children. One way to make car rides special is to have particular fun activities you reserve for car time. Certain movies, toys, and books can be generally put away, only to be produced with a dramatic flourish when it is time for a longer ride. Kids love rituals and traditions, and the bigger a fuss you make, the more fun it becomes. Also, try to plan in stops that might interest your child. Even the gas station can be a fun destination if you plan on counting the pumps and look forward to seeing what color cars are there.

Car rides don’t have to miserable for you and your kids. Of course, sometimes your kids are cranky, and there isn’t much you can do. But the more you look at things from your child’s perspective, the more you can forestall tantrums and screaming.