Preparing for a long car journey with twin toddlers
I’ve mastered the art of travelling by myself with twin toddlers on public transport for long journeys, but car journeys are totally different. Tomorrow, we’ll all have to manage a four hour car journey, so I’ve made sure to be prepared ahead of time. Here’s what I’ve considered:
- Plan your timings carefully
Most of the time, the twins are fine in the car. They either watch the scenery out of the window, or snooze, but there have been a handful of times when they’ve objected to the journey and it’s been horrible for everyone. With this in mind, I’ve planned the long journey to be super early (hello 5am start) in the hopes that they snooze for a good chunk of the trip to minimize any potential car tantrums. I know other parents who like to do long journeys over night for similar reasons!
2. Map out available rest stops
I’m anticipating having to stop at least once for a loo break and leg stretch, but it’s a great idea to know what services are available along the journey in case you need to make an extra pit stop for any reason. The socialist in me is ashamed to say it, but I really appreciate the big corporate looking service stations full of big capitalist chains. I’ve always found them to have really good changing services and play facilities that sadly the smaller services just can’t always offer.
3. Make sure you’ve got all the essentials to hand
Having some grab and go snacks and nappies is a must for us on the longer journeys. I don’t want to have to pull over and spend ages rummaging through the boot to find what I need, so I always keep a changing bag of essentials somewhere really easy to get to.
4. Think carefully about your snacks
My twins usually love mini rice cakes, vegetable crisps, and tangerines – all great snack choices but rubbish for the car. I find small snacks end up being dropped in the abyss of the foot well or down the side of the seat. Instead, I opt for chunkier things like bananas and little malt loaves that aren’t so easy to drop.
5. Dress everyone in comfy clothes
Theres nothing worse than having to wear I comfy clothes for a long time, so make sure everyone is wearing their comfies when it comes to long journeys, even if that means pyjamas!
With all this in mind, I’ll be packing up the car and getting ready for getting up at an ungodly hour to get on the road tomorrow. Generally I’ve an advocate for using public transport, and I actually find it much easier with my twins, but sometimes there are places that you just need a car! Hopefully these tips will help someone else in one of these situations!