In my last post, I shared the top three things that work for our family when traveling by car with kiddos. You can check that out here: Top Three Tips When Traveling With Littles By Car. I mentioned having an activity bag for car trips and thought I would share my go to items for both of my boys at their current stages. I have a toddler (3.5 years) and a 4 month old. Today I wanted to share my top 5 items for our toddler. Stay tuned for my baby items. I would love to know any of your favorites!

Toddler Car Activities

1.Water Wow

I absolutely love these, and so does my son! They are easy, low maintenance, and a perfect car activity! I try to purchase a new one for any longer trips so my son is even more excited about it as well as bring a few older ones.

2.Coloring Book

I love bringing a few coloring options and usually stick to something with crayons or magic markers. This is also something I usually purchase a new one of and try to get something my son is currently into such as Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, etc.

3.Sticker Books

Sticker books are another great car option in having something to do. I really like these because they are easy for kids to peel off independently and are fun to change around and make different scenes!

4.New Toy

I try and get a new toy for any longer trip to get our son excited and have a fun surprise. Last car trip and this upcoming car trip I purchased a PJ Mask character for him to play with. He LOVED it!

5.IPAD

Since our standard car trips are now 5-6 hours we usually do around 1.5 hours of show time. Our son downloads episodes from Amazon and Netflix and can watch for a little while having a snack. He of course loves being able to do this!

You can also check out how I plan for our family trips here.

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac

We recently had our first road trip with both boys to visit my family, which was wonderful. We are now gearing up for another road trip to see my husband’s family for an annual trip/celebration. Both families live around 5-6 hours away so it can definitely feel long at times with littles. I thought I would share some things that work for us when traveling by car with our kids. I am also sharing how I pack for a family on my IGTV this week. You can check out the first planning video here.

I would love to know anything that works for your family!

1.Travel During A “Sleep” Time

I started doing this when my older son and I would travel together and it was such a game changer for us. Having a couple of hours of quiet time in the car is amazing and getting on the road early was something I enjoyed. I decided to leave early mornings since I am not a night owl and couldn’t bank on sleep in the afternoon. We did the same with our baby this time around and it worked out great! It is so nice with it dark outside and them naturally still being tired. We tell our older son it is quiet time until the sun comes up and try to leave around 5:00-5:30am to get a good two hours before entertaining. I also prefer only an hour or so of screen time in the car so this helps make some time pass!

2.Activity Bag

I have a designated activity bag for any trip with coloring books, water wows, and some small toys. I also brought some teethers, rattles, and things for our baby to look at. One thing that helps with any trip is purchasing a couple of new items to make them exciting. I try to get a new coloring book or water wow and a small new toy that is opened in the car! Having it all in one place is so helpful, especially if you are traveling alone!

3.Snack Bag

Having snacks is ALWAYS a good idea. I like to pack a lunch box or pre-portioned snacks and some things we don’t normally eat that are a “treat” for our toddler. We all fill out our water bottles the morning of and my husband and I prefer to bring our own coffee in a thermos to prevent less stops. I didn’t bring any bottles of pumped milk for our son, but I definitely will this next time when we are having our panic moments!

As always, sending light and love!

Blessings,

Jac

With September already here, I have already started planning our holiday spending for the year. I personally like to space purchases out so it doesn’t feel like everything is all at once. This is definitely personal preference and depends on how much you purchase for others. I thought I would share what I like to do to keep track of our spending and gifts for our family and friends in case you are wanting to start early. You can check out last year’s tips here: Budgeting/Stress Free Holiday Tips.

I would love to know anything that works for you or your family!

1.Make A List Of People & Additional Gifting

I mentioned last year how I make a list of all the people we are planning to purchase for. This includes our immediate family, parents, siblings, nieces/nephews. I personally like to keep it in a google document and update it as needed. I also write down additional gifts or spending we typically do during that time such as friends weekend, angel tree, and donations. I also write down an amount next to each person or item so I can get a general idea of how much we will be spending overall.

For our boys, I have a total amount allocated and then I have it broken up between Santa, mom/dad, brother. I write what I plan to give under each, the amount, and then check it off once I have purchased. I also make note of how much we have spent out of the total allocated amount. I also include stocking stuffers and what I plan to purchase.

2.Look For Deals/Discounts

Most of my purchases are from Amazon, so I am constantly checking to see if anything is marked down on our list. I have already been able to purchase a couple items that had a random 20% discount for our toddler. Having a list of planned items is helpful here because you know what to keep an eye on. I also take advantage of Kohls deals and apply coupons from my Amazon returns, as well as check on my favorited items from Etsy. Not being rushed to purchase helps with being able to take advantage of any discounts!

3.Purchase A Little At A Time

I talked about making a plan and keeping track of your purchases last year. Having some sort of plan helps spread gifts out over a 3 month or so period. I am currently purchasing a couple gifts with each of my paychecks from online teaching. It is an easy way for me to mentally remember and space things out, but is once again a personal preference and depends on individual situtions!

Do you start collecting gifts early?

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac