Baby Road Trip!
It can be quite an adventure to take a road trip, never mind with a 1-year-old in tow! Since children are in the midst of accomplishing major physical milestones such as walking, running and jumping at this age, they’ll need to be active after sitting for a couple of hours, so be sure to make frequent stops along the way for him/her to stretch and exercise their legs.
Of course, making sure your child’s car seat is safe and installed properly is of utmost importance. And dressing him/her in comfy clothes and bringing his favourite blanket and cuddly toy will help him feel more at home in his car seat. There are also several other children’s products for the car that will help you create a comfortable environment for them as well as making things more convenient for you. These include sunshades for the windows, a car caddy to hang on the back of a front seat, a toy box with seat protector to place next to your child’s car seat, and a snack tray with a bottle/drink box holder that attaches to the car seat.
Now onto games, stories and toys for the trip. At this age, games should be very simple, such as identifying what you see outside…”I see something red. What do you see?” Or, you can look for things of a certain colour: “Let’s count how many blue cars we see.” Make up games as you go along. Many times it’s the spontaneous games you invent together that are the best and most memorable. Bring along some of your son’s favourite stories and songs on tapes or CDs because that will certainly make the trip more enjoyable for him. Take a few self-contained toys (so you don’t have lots of loose parts) for him to play with while in the car seat, and some books for him to look at. In addition, pack some surprises to give him along the way, such as a new toy, book, or favourite snack to add excitement during the trip.
