Traveling with Toddlers

We have been blessed with fantastic travelers. The girls love to keep each other amused, sing to themselves & even just watch out the window as we ride along. With my vacation rapidly approaching, I feel so very thankful for the knowledge that day trips - and even long car rides - aren't things to dread in the Taylor family. What little bumps in the road occur, we have little items of convenience to ease the way. My secrets?

1) The Travel Potty
(www.onestepahead.com ~$25)

I LOVE this thing. There has rarely been a ride in the car that I have not sung praises to the travel potty...that sounds strange. There have been many, many, MANY times that we have said thankful prayers that it's in the back of the van - all we've had to do is pull over in a parking lot/next off ramp and be done with it.

For twin families it's a MUST. I can't count the number of times that I've been out with my girls by myself, gotten them both strapped into their carseats and one of them says - everyone together now - "I need to go potty!" With this wonderful little invention I don't have to haul them both back out of the car and into a suitable bathroom.

The travel potty holds up to 50 lbs, uses plain gallon-sized ziplock bags and folds down to about the size of a laptop. I usually keep it in the very back of the minivan (so I can just raise the hatch, have them do their business & be finished), but I've found that in a pinch/nighttime/incliment weather, it'll fit just fine on the floor directly behind the center console.

A word of warning, ALWAYS remember to zip up the bag before continuing to drive... hypothetically speaking of course...

2) Taby Trays
(www.onestepahead.com ~$20)

Taby Trays are fantastic for everyday car rides or long trips. The tray is secured by a strap that is placed UNDER the carseat or booster seat. With a clip on each side, it enables you to unsnap one side and leave the tray on the floor between the seats (in the case of captain's chairs like in our minivan) or you can remove the tray completely, leaving the strap under the carseat/boosterseat. The best part is that it "meets all automotive safety standards for use in a moving vehicle".

The Taby Tray has a raised lip all the way around it preventing things from rolling off, as well as a cup holder on the left (this works with MOST sippy cups but definitely not all - however, it does work with the milk containers from fast food restaurants :::sigh:::). It also has a little well at the top of the tray (like the old pencil wells on desks), but it isn't very big/deep. The surface is big enough for even an open coloring book and is easy wiped off (even crayon).

3) Triangular Crayons
(Target, Walmart, etc ~$3)

I know, I know, the Taby Tray has a lip on it and keeps crayons from falling on the floor, but for the most part, these stay where they're set down instead of rolling to the bottom and possibly onto their lap. Besides, I bring these into restaurants/the doctor's office/anywhere with a wait and I don't have to worry about crawling around on my hands and knees looking for a lost crayon.

And last, but certainly not least...
4) The Dollar Tree
(or to those of us in the teaching profession "The 90¢ Tree")

I know, it's not really a THING, but if we're going to be on a trip longer than about 2 hours, we'll stockpile a few little odds & ends books and toys for the girls to play with. The key is:
a) The book/toy must be new (or at least out of sight/mind for a few months ahead of time).
b) They must be able to play with it IN the car (no waiting).
c) It must be wrapped in some way (we use old tissue paper that already has tears in it and can't be used for regular gifts).

Other than these little sanity savers, we stop and run around for about 15 minutes every hour and a half to two hours (bubbles, ribbon sticks, sidewalk chalk) and, if all else fails, there's always good old Jack's Big Music Show on the portable DVD player (though, we've learned not to even have the player in sight unless all has hit the fan).