This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.
We went on our first Road Trip a month ago and it was a lot of fun and definitely a learning experience. haha! I want to share all the tips and products that I think really helped our trip go nearly seamlessly. It was honestly SO much easier than I expected! Sure we had a couple melt down moments and moments I thought wow what did I sign up for! haha Honestly there were only a couple though and that’s shocking to me that my 6 and 2 year old that have only been on drives as long as 2 hours could go on drives for 6 hours to 10 hours so easily. So this post is all about the PRODUCTS that helped make this trip easier! Bonus that most of them can be found on Amazon!
We packed our medium sized car pretty full with lots of activities to entertain the girls! I’ll have another post ALL about activities soon. These products were the things that we really needed though. The things that gave me peace of mind, or helped let the girls snack easier, let Liv draw easier, and so on. So let’s start with the basics! This trip was pretty spontaneous for us and we are not spontaneous people! Having these things in your car is already a good idea!
Make sure to have a First Aid Kit!
I read up on lots of blog posts, pins and talked with all my close friends that had been on road trips to Disneyland to hear their input. You can find my pinterest board on Road Trips HERE! We first needed to check out our car. This is the first time I’ve had to get my car looked at since my mechanic Dad has been in heaven, so it brought a lot of emotions. After getting our oil changed we also found out we needed some new tires, a small new part, an alignment, needed to take it to the dealership, and a few other things. And I thought we only would need an oil change! It all worked out in the 2 weeks that we had but PHEW that was close. I think my angel mechanic is to thank for how well it all went, done on time, and not crazy expensive!
You’re going to need an Emergency Car Kit, love this for peace of mind!
It was also a great time to check the girls car seats and make sure they fit right. Liv had recently had a birthday and we realized how much she had grown. She recently got the new booster seat below that we love and V switched to Liv’s old car seat. Great time to clean out the car too!
Graco Extend2Fit Convertible Car Seat
Below is the booster seat we got Liv. We love it and the fact that it has a headrest so when she falls asleep in the car her head is a little more supported. It also has a cup holder, snack tray and is more comfortable than a regular booster seat.
Don’t forget some of the little car accessories that will make your road trip really nice! Like THIS car window shade. We forgot to bring ours and when we having a tense moment on the freeway and V was crying because the sun was in her eyes and sunglasses weren’t cutting it we had to use a blanket partially out the window. It wasn’t ideal. haha! Just remember the window shades if you have a baby or toddler! If you have a baby or toddler that is rear facing you’ll also need a mirror, you’ll probably already have one but it’s worth checking and making sure!
We also loved this Backseat Organizer for all the little things that help entertain kids during long drives. It was so helpful for Liv! She is 6 so she was able to reach everything easily (I have another option for older toddlers and younger kids below too!).
She loved to set up her own little office just like her kindergarten teacher. She loved it!
Here’s the option for smaller kids! A Travel Tray is great for younger kids that can’t reach the back of the seat in front of them. They can easily reach everything around them and you won’t have to keep passing thing back to them every few minutes. This would definitely work for older kids too, we just wanted to save on space!
I definitely recommend some kind of organization system and a way for your kiddo to be able to write, even if it is a clipboard! That worked out well for us along with the back seat storage organizer for Liv.
I’ve loved these Diaper Caddy Organizers since Olivia was a newborn. That’s a lot of years! I now have 2 of them and use them all the time! I also found out this trip they make the perfect tote to bring for road trips. In the trunk of the car, another in the middle for activities or snacks, its so great for lots of things.
I’m planning to do another post all about the activities we packed but this was the caddy of activities that we planned and it was so great and packed full! Loved how you could see everything. What a great container to see it all.
With it being our first road trip I didn’t know what to expect with our girls so I packed lots of activities and things to entertain them including Road Trip Car Caddies for both girls!
We really had so much fun! I’ve always flown, my family growing up rarely did road trips so this was very new to me. Definitely learned that screens were inevitable though!
Even at the parks, it was nice to have one of the tablets for the girls to play a game or watch a short show together during long lines or wait times to just mellow them out.
You’ll definitely need some headphones for road trips or if you’re going to be in an airplane!
Along with the tablets, car seats, and setting a cozy environment in the car I love this travel tray that you can use in your car seat or stroller if you don’t already have a tray.
We’ve had these trays for a year now for our stroller and loved to use them in our car too! It makes snacking in the car so easy!
Along with Liv’s car seat, sleep masks, blankets and a travel neck pillow to support her head a little more while we were traveling.
Also packed the girls some sunglasses, they loved to wear them when it was bright out, and for the stylish points!
Made sure to pack sunglasses for Dallin too!
Sunglasses for myself too! Love the styles for Dallin and I, and so affordable too!
We knew that motion sickness was something that we have experienced before with Liv and long drives so we wanted to make sure to pack these just in case. We were so glad we had these and disposable throw up bags!
Dramamine Motion Sickness Kids Chewable
Our favorite Diaper Bag! It’s the perfect size and it’s held up for almost 7 years!!
I wanted to have a backpack full of all the electronics, surprises (I briefly mentioned that, but more to come), and a few other items of my own. I kept this up front with me by my feet.
We made sure to pack lots of snacks, honestly too many snacks. haha Again I was not sure on how many to pack so I over packed but I didn’t want to run out. Next time I’ll chill on the snacks. Loved caring them all in a large tote (I got this as a wedding gift and love it but if I ever need a new one I’m getting THIS one!).
Large Stand Up Utility Tote Bag
I made sure to prepackage as many snacks as I could! I’ll do another post all about SNACKS! Snack Catchers are perfect for on the go snacking for littles, not just road trips but any adventures, doctors offices, church, and everywhere else!
In the back of our car I also had a diaper caddy full of everything we’d need incase of an accident whether it be a bathroom emergency or someone getting sick. In this Cleaning diaper caddy I packed: paper towels, special diaper bags incase we were stuck with a dirty diaper on the road, diapers, wipes, a few packs of Clorox wipes, Lysol spray, hand sanitizer, change of clothes for both girls and garbage bags.
In that diaper caddy we also had a Female Urination Helper. This was to help if we were stuck on the road without a bathroom nearby, just a warning make sure it’s in arms reach and not packed under all the luggage. Definitely learned that the hard way. :/
Last item! I loved packing my daily medications and vitamins in this pill case! It stored them so easily and has a press lid to make it so nice so you don’t have to worry about it opening accidentally during traveling.
Another thing you CANNOT forget is the electronics! We loved having these wireless chargers in the car, hotel and at home. You’ll also need this USB C to connect it to the car. I do wish that we had this mount that was able to charge while standing up straight, great for navigation while driving!
Wireless Car Charger and Mount
I’ve been compiling these items for so long! This post has really been a labor of love! I hope that you’ve found something that will help with your travels. With that said, remember to shop your home. I also tried to use a lot of things that I had at home first! Buying a few new things is always nice, but saving definitely helps too! Happy travels!
Don’t forget to check out my other Road Trip Posts! So far I have my Car Caddies for Road Trips up and more to come.
Shop my Car Caddy finds in my LTK post HERE!
Leave a Comment