Roadtrip Round-Up: The Good, The Bad and the Downright Ugly

We had a fabulous time in PEI.  Even with the whackload of mosquitoes that came out to greet us.  Bloodsucking little buggers.  The dreaded roadtrip was...well...it was interesting, let's just put it that way.  There were some great moments and some truly terrible ones, but we're all alive and well and living in Toronto once again.  Since I have spent the better part of the last month obsessing over what to bring on the roadtrip to insure that we made it there without killing each other, I thought you might be curious as to what made the cut and what bit the big one.  Read on..

TOYS

Little Tikes Jam N Groove CD Player We borrowed this from a friend last minute when our preschooler became obsessed with it.  It plays 21 different songs and has fast forward, backward, random and repeat buttons.  You can also select three different beats.  It was a great crossover toy because it was complex enough for the boy and safe enough for the baby.  Unfortunately, the Play button kept getting pushed when I stuffed it back in the toy bag.  And then you had to find it and turn it off.  Quickly.
Fisher Price Snap Lock Beads  The baby appreciated a new toy that was completely safe and age appropriate, and the boy treated them like funny Lego.  From the carseat, he used his imagination to tranform them into firehoses, swords, snakes and the like. 
Cars Mini Adventures  We already had four of these (they come in packs of two for $5 at the Evil Toy Store: traM-laW), so I bought him two new ones for the trip.  They are super small, and therefore great for travel with a Cars-obsessed kid.  They were easily the most played with toy - even the baby was trying to learn to crawl so he could get his hands on them.  We also almost forgot them in just about every Tim Hortons, restaurant and picnic park along the way.
Lightning McQueen Plush Pillow  Ours is not nearly as fancy as the linked one, but I like it better.  I picked it up for under $10 at a convenience store in St-Apollinaire when our car broke down and I thought we might have to spend the night in the wilds of rural Quebec.  The boy loves it and refuses to sleep without it.

The baby wanted whatever toy the boy was playing with.  Other than that, he liked half empty water bottles and anything else that wasn't safe OR actually a toy (READ: garbage).  Note to self -- DO NOT bring any toy that the baby has ever played with before.  They got thrown in my face after about one minute.

BOOKS (In order of the boy's preference)

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra  Double whammy - great story AND great illustrations.  Also some clever jokes for the adults doing the narration.
Richard Scarry's Busiest Firefighters Ever!  Funny illustrations, but I find this one awkward to read aloud.
When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach  Illustrations are a bit old for a preschooler, but the story is fun, and the boy loves dinosaurs.
If I Built a Car by Chris van Dusen  Easily the best book about cars that I have ever read (and I've read A LOT), eventhough I dislike reading rhyming stories aloud.  The retro illustrations are fantastic.
Sir Charlie Stinkysocks and the Really Big Adventure by Kristina Stephenson  This book is SO MUCH FUN.  The boy thought "Stinkysocks" was the funniest name EVER.

Cars  A cheapie book that is basically a recap of the Disney Pixar movie.  Snore City.  I think I may actually have fallen asleep while reading it.

LIFESAVERS
Baby on the Go Bag  I bought an old version of this bag when the boy was still a babe, and I've used it A LOT.  It's great for taking baby food or cold snacks and drinks on the go.  Sadly, I left it at a Denny's in Belleville on our last day.  It will be greatly missed.  Maybe Santa will bring me the fancy updated version..?
Fisher Price Healthy-Care Booster Seat  This was the boy's (he still fits in it), and now we use it for the baby.  Indispensible on the road - we even strapped it to picnic benches.
Sigg Kids Water Bottle  Saved us from having to buy drinks and get the boy high on sugared beverages.  He loved the funny pictures.
IKEA LATTSAM Potty Seat  $2.99 and it was a GODSEND.  'Nuff said.
Skip Hop Pronto  A foldout reusable change pad with a place for wipes and diapers.  Fits in a larger bag, clips on to a stroller and isn't girlie (so dads can use them too).  Changing diapers at truck stops is no easy feat.
Baby Buzz Patch  Easier than bug spray and all natural.  Smells like citronella and eucalyptus.  Thank goodness I found these.  Sweet blood runs in our family.

Mood Killers:  I shouldn't have allowed any post-dinner or bedtime driving.  In retrospect, my idea to set a schedule for the day and stick to it was a keeper.  Kids are only adaptable up to a certain point.  Same goes for breastfeeding times.  All it did was stress me and the baby out.

Most hotels had cribs, but I found that our portable playpen saved time and angst when checking in.  And although I have a kid who loves restaurants, after hours in the car, he was NOT able to sit politely.  And nor should he have had to.  Roadside picnics - and the chance to run around - averted many potential meltdowns.

For those curious, we did use our portable DVD Player for the really bad times (UN-Happy Hour(s) = 6pm-8pm), and for the last half day of the drive home when no one was in the mood to play with any of the toys we brought with anymore.  I'm glad we bought it, but when the kids got rangy, I found that playing I Spy and having good old-fashioned sing-alongs worked best.  My eardrums be damned.   

Comments

[kgirl]

this was so useful - thank you! lots of great, new suggestions - especially the munchkin bag. love it. glad you all had fun.

[katie ~ motherbumper]

You know, I only just recently figured out that Gigi just needed to run around for a while after a meal to make things run easier. It's so easy to forget how much energy these little preschool reactors produce post-meal, until they melt down. Ah... to have that much energy to burn.