A couple months ago, Robby, Olivia, and myself spent 12ish hours in the car together making our way from Jefferson City, MO to Colorado Springs, CO. 

Thankfully, Little Peanut had been on long drives before, so she wasn’t totally new to this whole concept. When she was 7 months we drove to Gulf Shores and when she was about 10 months we drove to Colorado. But this trip she was older. Old enough to have the boredom thing going on. 

I came prepared. I had purchased a portable DVD player from Groupon several months back. I hate to encourage lots of TV viewing but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

And don’t forget this piece to your DVD player. 

And in addition, I made sure to bring our portable cooler that plugs in. I had some apple slices and milk for O. She can’t go any extended period of time without the milk. 

Toys and books for those times when you yourself are so sick of hearing Dora and Blues Clues. 

Be prepared to make more frequent stops with kiddos. I hate the long drives but could you imagine being buckled in with 5 point restraints for 12 hours?? You’ve got to give the little ones butts a chance to get some blood flow. We stopped for most of our meals because anyone who’s tried to feed a toddler going down the road, knows it can be messy and difficult. 

What’s the longest trip you’ve taken with your kids?

Pan