Car journeys have been pretty mixed for us since becoming parents, on the one hand the kids are used to spending a lot of time in the car and for the most part are pretty happy BUT on the flip side we have been through phases where being in the car for five minutes has been so awful it could only be compared to pure hell.
The problem with being stuck in a car with kids is that you are powerless, especially if there is no other adult in the car. If the kids start arguing or drop something then without pulling over there is nothing you can do. I hate to admit it but there have been times when I’ve literally screamed as loud as I could to try and get the kids to stop their screaming!
There has also been one occasion when I searched Google for some kind of divider to go in-between Cherry and Tiger’s seats because they were fighting and arguing non-stop. I did actually find this bolster cushion that you belt in but they are only available in the states. Thankfully the awful fighting stage didn’t last very long and we didn’t ever need to put a divider up.
I’ve honestly had some of the most stressful moments of my parenting life in the car but that it’s a lot easier now the kids are older because there are things you can do to keep them entertained.
A big one for us is music, the kids and I absolutely love blaring out music and singing at the top of our voices. I’ve never let kids songs into the car because that would make it rather unenjoyable for me but luckily the kids love all music so they have never had a problem with what I put on.
I know some people have success with in-car DVD players or iPads to watch but we’ve never been able to do that because Cherry has puked the only time we’ve tried it and it went all over my phone!! I haven’t tried with Tiger but after that I don’t plan to 😉
I Spy is a classic too, although I don’t play this when it’s just myself and the kids. This is just played when Matt is there and we are going on long car journeys.
My number one tip for long car journeys is to leave LOADS of time because it will always take longer than you think. Mainly due to toilet stops!!
BP Ultimate have put together a guide of things that keep people happy on car journeys. Their findings back up how we feel too actually as they found that 90% of drivers see music as an integral part of car journeys. Do go and check it out as there are lots of fun ideas there.
We are actually off on a long car journey next weekend, to a hot rod show that we go to every year, so I will put some of the ideas into practice, especially the games.
Collaborative post.
