our family grace: Oh the places you will go...

Traveling with a baby or toddler is in an art form in and of itself. It's not easy. You basically have to pack up the whole house and take it with you. At least that's what it felt like for us.

Here are some quick tips that I have for when you have to take a trip with your little one:

make a packing list - I searched on pinterest before taking our first road trip with Bug for list ideas. Our first trip long road trip with her was when she was 6 months old, not exactly a toddler, but it holds with the same ideas.
travel by night - We typically travel by car whenever we go places and have yet to travel anywhere by plane. So for traveling by car, we love to travel at night. Why? No stops because the Bug sleeps through the whole trip. Of course this isn't the best on the hubs and me. I personally hate traveling by night, but for the Bug it works out great.
plan multiple stops - If you do travel for the day plan for multiple stops. Our second trip out to Texas, I couldn't handle driving through the night again. So we decided to take the 14 hour trip during the day. This was hard on all of us, but with lots of stops, we were able to hold off any major tantrums. I recommend searching out parks or fun restaurants for your little one to run around at. My favorite stop we made was at the Mississippi bridge at sunset. Bug was able to get out and crawl around on the quilt I brought. It was such a wonderful time and I highly recommend finding parks for your kids to get out and run around in.
start during nap time - We're going to the beach in a couple of weeks. This will be about a 4-5 hour drive without stops. In order for us to get the best start, we plan on leaving right before Bug's nap. So we'll eat, and then head out. Now her nap won't last the whole trip, so we'll have to stop and let her run around once she gets up, and then it'll be back in the car with Little Einsteins to distract her.
don't be ashamed of resorting to electronics - Bug loves the iPad or iPhone. Her favorite shows to watch is Little Einsteins or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I am not ashamed to tell you that we have let her watch multiple episodes of these shows. Happy mommy makes for a happy baby and a happy trip.