"Are We There Yet?" ID Mommy's Road Trip Tips for Toddlers

It's July, and for many families that means road trip season!  With my husband's family spread out across the country, we go on a lot of road trips and plane trips. Most recently we drove down to Iowa, where my husband grew up, so that little Toby could finally meet his great-grandparents. Babies are relatively easy on road trips, or at least mine have been. They pretty much just sleep, you don't have to worry about stopping at every single rest stop because they wear diapers, and if you're nursing, you don't even have to pack food for them.

This time around, however, we traveled with both a baby AND a potty training 2 and a half year old, which brought a few new challenges.  Here are a few of ID Mommy's tips to help keep everyone happy!

Set realistic expectations. (or better yet...none!)
"Mom! I have to go Potty!"  Our last road trip to Iowa was also our first with a potty training toddler.  We ended up arriving 5 minutes after I expected... 3 hours after my husband expected.  Let's just say that Mommy knows best what is a realistic time line for her kids, and for me, it included stopping at many-a-rest stop.  The less strict you are on the time you reach your destination, the more you will enjoy the journey and the less stress there will be for everyone.  There is no reason why the journey can't be [almost] as fun as the destination.  That's one of the perks of road trips; unlike air travel, if you get sick of sitting you can always stop and get out, and you don't have to worry about your mode of transportation leaving without you.

Pack Plenty of Entertainment.
"Mom! I'm Bored!" While it is extremely tempting these days to hand your kid a DVD player or iPhone loaded up with toddler games, try to throw in a few activities that won't keep them staring at a screen and missing out on the road trip experience.  Even on a trip through Iowa, there are actually things to see out the window...

It's a given that you should pack a couple favorite, familiar toys from home, but the only surefire way to keep kids entertained is to bring things they haven't played with in a while, or have never seen before.  This is why I always keep a stash of trip toys that only come out on such occasions.

When I was little, my dad would drive with his very tan left arm out the window, his hand hooked up over the roof: the prime position to grab the wrapped gifts left on the roof of the car by the "trip fairy."  The trip fairy can visit your vehicle too...as long as Mommy prepares by stocking up on little toys before the trip, and Daddy can discreetly discover it after it "lands" on the roof!  The trip fairy always had excellent timing, leaving us something new to play with when we started to get restless.  And there was no point in us begging Mom and Dad for another new toy, because it wasn't up to them...it was all up to the Trip Fairy's discretion!

When choosing toys for a road trip, you want to keep a few things in mind...is it going to take up a lot of space to carry around? Does it have small pieces that will get lost or require you to turn around and pick them up off the floor every 10 seconds, or worse yet, fit just right inside baby brother's nose? Will it cause damage to the car's upholstery?

"Mom! She's touching me!" Keeping little fingers busy with toys will help them from straying over to their sibling's side of the line.  A couple of my favorite travel art toys (and Sammy's too) are the travel AquaDoodle (writes with plain water on a special surface...see below), and Crayola's Color Wonders markers (that only write on special paper).  We also like the classic toys I used to draw with as a kid...travel etch-a-sketch , travel Magna Doodle, and Wooly Willy!

Other great toys for little hands are tangle toys, silly putty, and if your child is older, puzzles and games like simon, rubik's cube or twist.  Just do a search for travel games and you'll come up with all kinds of great ideas for all ages.  And don't forget to look into magnetic toys and colorforms...another way for kids to enjoy toys with small pieces without the worry of dropping all of the parts.  I also like those little water games that I remember playing at the dentist's office.  There's just something about the tactile experience you get from pushing that one button that you can't get from pushing the buttons on a Gameboy.

While we haven't tried one of these yet, they do make a variety of travel trays that sit your child's lap or attach to their car seat for a stable surface to play and eat on.

You don't have to spend the vacation fund on toys either, if you just keep an eye out throughout the year for deals.  I've gotten most if not all of my toys from garage sales, thrift stores, and kids' meal prizes.

"Mom, I'm hungry!" You already know this, but remember to pack snacks.  I find that using the snack trap results in less food for me to pick off of his butt when I lift him out of the car and less to vacuum up upon our return.

Little Toby loves his jingling, dangling bugs, and Mommy loves how easily entertained he is!



Not all car entertainment has to take up space in your bag.  Okay, so maybe you don't want to hear "99 bottles of beer on the wall" for the next fifty miles, but try singing some songs or playing road games.  (like seeing how long it takes to spot every letter in the alphabet on signs you pass, playing "I spy," etc)  Point out things of interest to your kids to encourage them to actually enjoy the scenery (for mine it would be tractors, trucks, buses, cows, airplanes, boats, and of course mud).  You can also take advantage of your captive audience by interjecting a little lesson in music appreciation with a fully loaded iPod, or play some other audio books or free podcasts.

And don't forget entertainment for yourself!  One of my favorite things about road trips is that with Daddy doing most or all of the driving, and both kids strapped down (and hopefully now entertained), I actually have a little "me" time.  It's a great chance for me to do a little crochet, catch up on magazines, take a nap, or catch up on emails (okay, and maybe Tetris) on my phone.

Pack Strategically.
"Mom! Where's my blankie?!" I like to pack bags according to situation.  I have a bag of things needed for a restroom stop (which for my potty training toddler includes his folding potty seat, a mini can of spray sanitizer, extra undies and shorts, and some wipes), a bag for in-car entertainment (toys and snacks), a bag for a picnic lunch stop, emergency diaper blow-out kit, etc. If you're the one in the passenger seat, you'll want to be the one to pack the car, to make sure you can reach the things you need on the road and know right where everything is.

Get out of the car.
"Mom!  He's is touching me!"  Kids get restless in the car.  Let's face it...so do adults.  So make sure to plan a couple stops.  No doubt your kids will end up dictating plenty of potty stops already, but instead of doing a drive-through lunch or snack in the car, try a picnic.  Whether you pack a picnic or stop at a drive-through on the way, eat your food at a park or rest stop picnic table if at all possible.  It'll give everyone a chance to stretch their legs and burn off some energy...maybe even enough to fall asleep for the next leg of the trip.  Check out Roadside America for a comprehensive list of offbeat tourist attractions, aka excuses to pull over in the middle of nowhere, ranging from wacky water towers to muffler men!

Be prepared.
"Mom, there's poopy on my hands!" Of course, you probably already know to have roadside emergency supplies for blown tires and various break-down situations.  Kids, however, bring with them their own unique emergencies.  It's important to plan for whatever you can imagine will come your way, but as a parent you know you're always being surprised with some new "adventure" you didn't expect.  It can be hard to balance the desire to pack light with the need to be prepared for whatever your kids, mother nature, or fate may throw your way.  In addition to a few first aid supplies, with a potty training toddler, our emergency supplies included a little folding travel potty seat and extra clothing.  Luckily we didn't need them this time, but knowing they were there helped relieve some of the stress.

Great iPhone Apps for Road Trips:
If you have an iPhone, there are a lot of great app's that can make your life easier out on the road...as long as you have service.  Service was really spotty for us out in the land of corn and cows, but I still managed to get a lot of useful info via my iPhone.  Here are a few to check out:

AAA Roadside Assistance and AAA Discounts - If you're a AAA member, these apps will help you call for assistance and also take advantage of discounts you are entitled to.

Repair Pal - If your car breaks down to the point it needs repairs, God forbid, this app will help you find the nearest mechanics and the best prices.

Sit or Squat - I've mentioned this one before...this app will help you find restrooms.  I found it did not show rest stops between Minneapolis and Iowa, but I did go in and add a couple myself.  You can thank me later.

Dog Parks - If you're traveling with a dog, this will let you know if there are any dog parks in your vicinity to let Fido run off some energy.

Play Finder - Se above, only substitute "dog" with "kids."  I've found this doesn't bring up every park, but it's meant to help you find the nearest playground.

The Weather Channel - Locates you on a map and then gives you live radar of the weather near you.  This was great on our last trip, as we traveled through some bad storms.

Traffic! - Picks up the traffic for your location, although I haven't tried it in the middle of nowhere.  Probably best when going through or around metropolitan areas.  Google's maps have this function too.

In the end, even though we spent 12-15 hours in the car for a 3-4 hour visit, it's always worth it to see the smiles the kids bring to their great grandparents' faces!

Here are a few more links you might enjoy...
Great list of road trip games
Family Fun's Car Trip Essentials checklist
Motion Sickness Tips
Lots of cool gear for road trips & plane trips
My experience on international Travel with a toddler
My experience on general air travel with a toddler

Mother & Child Tote Bag

Here's a cute new spin on the stroller handle I shared last month...the Mother and Child Tote Shopping Bag by Reisenthel comes with a handle sewn on the side, helping to keep your kids close by.  (Available for $19.99 from Touch of Europe)  I love the color combinations, the simplicity of the product, and the way the graphics function as the instructions for use!

Stuck in Traffic: The Work-At-Home Mom's Commute

As a work-at-home mom (aka "WAHM") who freelances, I experience a morning commute unlike most other working moms.  Sure, my commute may only consist of walking up from the basement to my upper level studio, however, it is not without it's challenges.

This morning, for example, traffic was SO bad, that dump trucks and tractors were hitching rides on top of school buses.

Even when WE are on the road, tractors and trucks actually hitch a ride on US!!

The morning rush hour can really make the breakfast table congested, especially on Monday mornings.

On some days, such as Friday afternoons just before a long weekend, the traffic is lined up for what seems like endless inches upon inches!

Sometimes we even have to sit through a lunch traffic rush!!

One time we even had to call in a towing service just to clear the table so poor Sammy could get access to his grilled cheese sandwich.

Not only do we have issues with traffic in the morning and afternoon, but evenings as well...as you can see, many drivers have absolutely no regard for pedestrians at all!  We clearly need to raise the standards of our law enforcement around here.

Yes, things are getting pretty bad...I sure hope Mayor Sammy approves an increase in funding to the highway system around here asap!

Two Great, FREE Twin Cities' Splash Pads to Check Out This Summer

We had a blast today, during what is supposed to be the only day this week without rain, playing at the Oak Hill Splash Pad in St. Louis Park with our church play group friends! 

If you live in the Twin Cities, this place is definitely worth checking out.  It's completely free, and fully fenced in, so you can really let your kiddo's run wild.  There's a great playground right there as well, if getting drenched isn't their thing.  Sammy wasn't so crazy about getting his head wet last year at 1 and a half, but this year, he was LOVING it, as you can see... 

There are plenty of benches and lounge chairs around the perimeter, as well as a few large umbrellas, and bathrooms both indoors and portable.  Just outside the fence you can enjoy a picnic on a table or in the shady grass.  The water park is open June 1st through August 31, and is located at 3201 Rhode Island Avenue South in St. Louis Park.

If you live south of the river, Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville is a fantastic splash pad type park as well, also completely free!  This one is very different but also very fun.  It is NOT fully fenced, and is very spread out, so it can be a challenge if you have more than one kid to keep track of.  It is not painted all colorful and playground-like, like the previously mentioned park...if you walked through it and didn't see kids playing in it, you might think it's just a pretty park full of water features and not know that it's actually meant for kids to play in. 

This park is very spread out, and features waterfalls, fountains, rivers, and all kinds of fun areas for kids to get wet.  It was surprisingly not busy, even when we went on a very hot Saturday afternoon last month.  I'm thinking that either not a lot of people know about it yet, or people are just too afraid to let their kids climb on waterfalls that go over jagged-edged rocks.  ;-)  Yes, there are quite a few jagged cliffs at this park, so you definitely want to keep an eye on your kids and make sure they don't get hurt.  But, there are other areas of the park (again, spread out) that are more harmless if you can keep your kids in one area.

This park is surrounded with a lot of nice grassy areas where you can spread out on a blanket for a picnic, as well as a few picnic tables.  Water features are running from mid May until the first week of October, and close from 5:00-9:00 am for maintenance.

I know I'm planning on chasing around these little wet footprints a lot this summer!

"Get Your Kids Outside!" Activity #1: Dandelions...They're Not Just for Killing Anymore!

I grew up in the country and spent most of my summer days playing outside, spending hours upon hours trekking through the woods and building forts.  So when I read this post on Momeo this morning, I must say it saddened me to realize how little our kids play outside these days, and just how much they are missing out on valuable life lessons by spending their days watching Disney DVD's and playing Wii.  So, in an effort to help you get your kids outside more, I present you with my first ID Mommy "Get Your Kids Outside" activity...Dandelions! 

Nobody likes to live next door to the yard full of dandelions.  They spread like...well...weeds.  But, at least your kids can have a lot of fun with them! Set aside the RoundUp and round up your kids, because I have a fun way to use those pesky things.

I remember as a kid having fun popping the tops off them with my thumb (We would chant "momma had a baby and her head popped off!"...which now that I think of it doesn't make any sense...but you can probably guess that there are a lot of people actually discussing that very topic online!).  I also used to "color" my arm yellow by rubbing the flower down my forearm, and of course, help them spread by blowing the seeds into the air! 

My favorite thing to do with dandelions is something my mom did with us...dandelion curls!  When you're a kid it's like magic, watching pieces of dandelion stem instantly curl up when dropped into water.  I still don't know why it works.  Here's how you can mesmerize your kids with your weeds...

1) Collect some dandelion stems, and remove the tops.  (Feel free to chant "momma had a baby and her head popped off," if you so desire.)

2) Tear the stems into pieces lengthwise.

3) Drop them into water and watch the magic happen!

My mom recently passed on this fun summertime activity to my little guy while Mommy and Daddy were out enjoying a much needed date night...here are a couple pictures from her:

Okay, so maybe I was an easily amused country kid, but it beats sitting around watching tv!

There are a number of other things you can do with dandelions as well, like turning it into wine or tea, or even cook and eat the greens!  The Crafty Crow has a great post full of dandelion crafts and recipes; even dandelion cookies!!

ID Mommy Product Reviews: When You're On the Go and Gotta Go...

Last week I decided it was time to really dive into the whole potty training thing head first and not look back. We've been reading potty books and sitting on the potty off and on for a while now, and my little man did go in the potty chair a month or so ago.  But, this time it's for real...time to be consistent!

Once I made the decision to give it my all, I knew that however lofty this goal may sound, I am going to stick to it no matter what...sure, I'll keep putting on a diaper at night for a while, and when he's in the church nursery until he gets better at his "holding it in" skills, but I'm bound and determined to provide an instant toilet in the time it takes the words "potty mama!" to come out of his mouth, whenever possible.

So, naturally, I began doing a little Amazon shopping.  I like browsing Amazon, whether I end up buying there or not, because I can read other parents' reviews and feel like I'm making an informed decision.  I ordered these training pants (until then we just went straight to real underwear, which is working just fine around the house), a portable potty chair, and a folding toilet seat.  I know we're going to be making a few road trips this summer to visit family, and I wanted a solution for all locations, including both public toilets as well as cornfields along the highway in middle-of-nowhere, Iowa, when the next rest stop is a zillion miles away.  Here's what I ordered:

I picked up the "On the Go Portable Potette" for those times when we can't necessarily get to a toilet in time.  They never show you enough photos of products and how they work online or on packaging, especially for a product designer like myself who wants to know all of the intricate details of it's construction, so I took some pictures to satisfy your curiosity too.

I got the potty and a package of refill liners (A). It's definitely small and portable, and could probably even fit in a diaper bag if you have the space (B).  There are two legs that fold out (C) and snap into place.  The liners (D) look basically like a plastic shopping bag and fit inside (E), with an absorbent pad inside.  The "handles" on the bag hook around each leg (F), and then it's ready to use (G).  I like how you can "load" the potty seat with a liner and then fold the legs back up again (H), so it's already ready to go at a moment's notice.  There's even a plastic drawstring bag to store and carry the potty seat in (I).

Our first road trip was only about an hour, but if you're potty training a toddler, you know that's an eternity!  It did feel good to know we had this ready to go in the back seat if we needed to pull over, and we did several times.  So far he's only actually gone in this once, and it worked well.  You do need to keep a watchful eye on their aim if you have a boy, as the front "lip" is not super high.  But, it does the job in a pinch...at least a lot better than that paper beverage cup from McDonald's that you have lying under the back seat.  The padded liner didn't soak up EVERYthing, but does help to contain quite a bit.  I was a little worried about how thin the liners were, afraid they might tear easily and send pee all over our new vehicle.  But, luckily that has not happened, and hopefully will not ever!



The other potty product I ordered was this Primo Folding Potty seat, which is designed to fit in your diaper bag.  I shudder to think about sitting my child's pristine little bottom on some disgusting gas station toilet seat.

In reading some of the customer reviews, someone mentioned that they were worried that their kid's behind would get pinched where it hinges.  This would be really hard to do if you fully open it up and then sit your child on it...the plastic above the hinges overlap (see F, below), I'm guessing to prevent that exact thing from happening.  It is a few inches thick once folded up (B), but is still fairly compact.  You simply fold it in half one way (D) and again the other way (E), so the part that touches the toilet seat folds into itself, keeping the part your child sits on clean.  Photo (C) shows the underside of the seat.  It has rubbery gripping pads on it (G) to help keep it from sliding around.  Once open, you position the folding potty seat towards the front of the toilet seat (H).  There are little tabs on the underside that should sit against the front edge of the toilet seat, and handles that stick out so your child grabs those instead of the nasty toilet.

My first experience with this product went great.  We were about 6 days into potty training, and I took my little guy to Target...in a diaper, just to be safe.  On the way through the check-out he told me he had to potty, which was a victory already, being distracted and in public. He held it in while we checked out, raced over to the bathroom, only to find the Women's room closed for cleaning and the family room occupied.  We waited, and waited...my panic'ed screams of "hold it in, Sammy!  hold it in!" clearly had no affect on the high school aged boy slowly mopping the floors inside.  "Oh no! Make a mess, Mommy!" He cried... (In hindsight I should have just burst my way into the bathroom.  Little plastic yellow tent signs and high school boys have no concept of the urgency behind a potty training toddler and a desperate Mommy.)  Finally the kid finished mopping and we raced in...I whipped out my folding potty seat, and it fit perfectly on the toilet and was very stable.  Amazingly enough, Sammy had held it in that whole time.  VICTORY! And it was SO worth it!

We've already used this countless times over the past week in public restrooms and friends' and family's houses.  A few of the "cons:" On some toilets it bows a little in the back, but it does the job and is sturdy enough that it won't just snap in half.  You do have to use it correctly, toward the front of the seat as the instructions state.  I'm still a little grossed out about putting it on a public toilet and then sticking it in my bag, even though all of the surfaces that touch the toilet seat fold in on each other.  So, I do often spray it down with my little pocket Lysol spray, and slip it into a gallon ziploc baggie to keep any cooties contained!  (it also comes packaged in a ziploc baggie, inside the box.) Also, in order for my little guy to sit back far enough to aim IN the toilet, the front edges rub against the backs of his knees.  This doesn't really matter for most kids I'm sure, but with the eczema he has behind his knees in the summer, he does sometimes complain that it hurts, at which point I insert the "mommy cusions," my pointer fingers, between the backs of his legs and the folding potty seat.


I already have a couple potty solutions at home as well, which my little guy has already become accustomed to seeing around the house...

This soft Sesame Street (Elmo) potty seat sits on the toilet and works great at home.  We have an elongated toilet seat, so this thing slides quite a bit from front to back, which is a bummer.  We just have to help him get seated.  But, his delicate posterior clearly prefers the cushioned seat to his potty chair.  It also eliminates the need to dump a reservoir of pee that is present in other potty chairs...just sit and flush.


However, when you're just getting started, I've heard time and time again that it's a good idea to put potty chairs all over the house, so there is always one really close by.  It makes sense, at least until they learn to hold it long enough to get to the toilet in time.  Otherwise, you may have your little piggy going wee wee wee all the way down the hallway.  I have one little potty chair, similar to this Baby Bjorn Little Potty Chair, which works great and is easy to move around, dump, and clean.  You can get very similar ones at Ikea, and at $3.99, they are cheap enough to put all over the house.  I also have a taller potty chair with a pull-out container to dump.  These two plus the seat topper have worked great for us.

So there you have it...these are the potty training "supplies" we have been using for about the past week and a half or so, and he is doing fantastic already.  Now we still have yet to master going "#2," and keeping dry at night, which are probably the two biggest hurdles of potty training.  I'd love to hear any tips and tricks you seasoned mommies out there have to share!  What worked best for you?