Before you set out on a road trip here are some road trip essentials for families with small kids.
Road trip with kids is Fun. Isn’t it?
Well you might be having a mixed view about it as travelling and that too a long road trip with kids especially young kids and toddlers is anyway unpredictable.
In my opinion Road trip with kids is Fun if we are prepared for the worst.
Packing for a road trip isn’t easy either. We can’t take everything but we can’t miss out the essentials as well.
I’ve listed some road trip essentials for kids. You can download the printable at the bottom of the page.
Here is our List of Road Trip Essentials For families with small kids.
Clothes/ Toiletries
- Weather Appropriate Clothes
- Change over Clothes for child
- Change over Clothes for you
- Child’s Toothbrush/ Toothpaste
- Bodywash/ Shampoo
- Sunscreen
- Your Makeup Essentials
- Picnic Blanket
Diapering
- Diapers (more than you need)
- Wet Wipes
- Tissue Paper
- Diaper Rash Cream
- Garbage Bags
- Portable / foldable Potty Seat
Entertainment
Given the attention span of young children, keeping them entertained throughout the journey is a task in itself.
A great tip here is to travel when it their nap time. This works quite well if the duration of travel is short.
Nevertheless keep them entertained in activities.
A new book or toy is always a hit to keep them entertained for quite a while.
Also kids love surprises. Surprise bags or eggs are a great idea.
Here are some travel friendly entertainment ideas for kids.
- Mess Free Activities
- New Book
- New Toy
- Calming Toy like Pop it
- Favourite Toy
- Toddler Camera
- Ipad/ Kindle/ Audio Device
- Comfort Toy or Blanket
Medicines
- Hand Sanitizer
- Mosquito Repellent
- First aid Kit
- Cold cough flu medicines
- Medicines for Nausea and Vomiting
- Medicines for headache
- Medicines for stomach ache
- Bandaid
Food/ Drink
- Favourite Snacks
- Bib
- Sippy cup/ water Bottle
- Milk bottles
- Formula milk / powder milk
- Ziploc bags
Some of our favourite mess free Travel snacks
- Cereals
- Roasted makhana
- Breadsticks
- Parantha
- Pancake
- Thepla
- Fried idli/ Dosa
- Sandwich
- Nuts
- Tortilla/ roti wrap
- Baby Carrots
- Crackers
Other Important Stuff
- Car keys
- Stroller
- Bottle Sanitizer
- Card/ Cash
- Important Documents
- Charger /Camera
- Pen
- Trash can in car
- Laundry bags for dirty/wet clothes
Are you planning a Road trip soon? Here are some things that you shouldn’t pack.
- Sticky messy snacks– chocolates especially in summers is a big no no
- Bulky luggages
- Too many toys
- Bulky and too many clothes
- Bulky or inappropriate shoes
- Bulky Snack Containers – Take Ziploc pouches instead
Download this ultimate road trip packing checklist
Liked the post? PIN IT 
Check out these blogs for more toad trip inspo
Road trip Tips and Tricks – by Stylesimpler
The Ultimate Guide Of Disneyland Trip With A Toddler– by mamaforeva
The Best Healthy Road Trip Snacks for Kids– by Amy
Parenting Hacks: Road Trip Edition – by Danielle
Pingback: The Best Healthy Road Trip Snacks for Kids - Amy's Balancing Act
Awesome list and I love what you added to leave at home. Messy snacks and bulky anything is a no go on car trips for me too!
Love all the great ideas. My daughter loves the pop it calming toy and it entertains her for hours in the car.
These are great lists and tips for traveling with kids! I agree, it is not easy but worth it to explore and show them new areas!
Absolutely agree
I definitely see some things I should have had on our last trip! Love the printable!
Definitely adding a few of these to my go to list!