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Today we embarked on our 22 hour road trip to visit family in Idaho. Although this would only be a few hours by plane, our boys handle the road much better. Planes are far too crowded and loud for both of our boys. They would meltdown the entire flight. To my husband, myself and other parents with children on the spectrum a meltdown is second nature. Vincent has screamed for two hours straight before (one of the key indicators that we are experiencing a meltdown and not having a toddler tantrum). So to give both our family and the fellow passengers some piece of mind. We always just take a couple extra vacation days and drive. The key to our success. Preparation.
Here are a few things that have changed the way we vacation. Making it more enjoyable for EVERYONE.
The Car
First, let’s talk about the car set up. We have a roomy Ford Explorer that we always take on our trips. With just the four of us it allows us to lay the 3rd row of seating down and use the back for luggage/diaper changing station Etc.
Here is a great organizer for the car: https://amzn.to/32iAOishttps://amzn.to/32iAOis
So we will be traveling for approximately a week and a half give or take for drive days and I have learned from last trip! We, as you know have two toddlers and last time wrangling both them and 4 bags of luggage was a nightmare. So this time, we have two overnight bags each packed with pajamas, bedtime routine stuff and an outfit for the next day. These will serve for the nights we spend in the hotel before we get to the airbnb this weekend. This way we can each grab a kid and one bag instead of 4! Total game changer! (Thanks mom). Once we get to the airbnb I plan on using the large suitcase which has our clothes for the rest of the trip, doing some laundry and reloading the two small duffles for on the way home.
I always make sure to leave enough space in the back for an emergency diaper changing area.
We have not personally used this bag, but if I still an infant.. what a great idea for the car! https://amzn.to/3yRPPU7https://amzn.to/3yRPPU7
1. Enough space to change their diapers easily
2. Basket ready to go of diapers, wipes and a change of clothes (heaven forbid). Sometimes Vincent gets road sick so a change of clothes is ALWAYS a good idea.
This is our favorite seat organizer. They even have pull down trays! Here is a similar one: https://amzn.to/33L4yEZhttps://amzn.to/33L4yE
I also like to have some items easily accessible in case of boredom or meltdowns.
We found our collapsible bins at the grocery store, but these are similar! https://amzn.to/3H31Bhuhttps://amzn.to/3H31Bhu
The bin to the left is filled with “activities.” This has sensory toys, books, viewtainers filled with pop sickle sticks (Max’s favorite) cats, and some of those color with water books. (Mess free please.) I would suggest bringing something educational, a couple favorite toys/books and something they “need.” I brought the boys most used sensory toys that help to calm them when they are overwhelmed or overstimulated.
We found this sensory box on Amazon. Perfect time filler! https://amzn.to/3H9j4EOhttps://amzn.to/3H9j4EO
Snacks are a must have on any road trip! You do not want to stop and over pay for stuff you probably already had in your cabinet. Also, road trips are vacation for everyone. So I probably say yes much more than a normal day because I want the boys to just be relaxed so mama can relax on vacation too. So if Max wants 5 packages of fruit snacks he may just get them on our long road trip days. To each their own though, If your kiddos get wired from the extra sugar, it may not be the way to go for you. Just see what works best for you.
Vincent does not eat real food because of some sensory issues, which is why you saw two large boxes of meal replacement shakes in our trunk. He will occasionally eat an original (“blue package”) chips ahoy cookie so I made sure to grab those! But, most of these snacks are for Maxwell. I just always grab their favorites. So this might look completely different for you. For us, it’s fruit snacks, chocolate chip granola bars, whales and juice boxes!
We also keep our large insulated bag in between these two bins for our refrigerated stuff like energy drinks, water, fruit, cheese sticks etc.
This is similar to what we use: https://amzn.to/3eff1dQhttps://amzn.to/3eff1dQ
Where are we?
I have been trying to talk to the boys all week about our trip, where we are going and who we are going to meet etc. Driving across country provides with so many learning opportunities! Use them.
This map is on Vincent’s window. Each time we pass through state lines he gets to put a new piece of the map on. We are in Missouri, so we grabbed Missouri from the black holder on top and placed it on the map. Once we pass through Kansas, Nebraska etc we will do the same. It helps him to see where we have gone, where we have to go and teaches him where the states are located!
This is similar to above. Each time we pass through a state we will move the car until we get to Idaho. Every time we pass through a new state we get to read about in our state book too! Making learning fun is a passion of mine.
My last tip is to always have iPads fully charged and ready to go. As a last stitch effort these are always my saving grace. We try to download our favorite games and movies before we leave the house to avoid getting a hotspot but if your child will absolutely not make the trip without WiFi I say go for it. A vacation should be a vacation for everyone is what I always say. I like structure and planned out vacations while my husband prefers to just “see what happens.” Just because vacation looks different to each of us doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go together. The same goes for your child. Of course monitor when too much screen time, too much sugar or too much of being in the car is too much. But their version of vacation just may look different than ours. Guess what? There are no therapies on the road. Think about that.
We found this on our last road trip! It was actually more fun for Jason and I https://amzn.to/32vCkxehttps://amzn.to/32vCkxe
These are just some of the things we have found to be useful on our trips. I hope they will be helpful to you and yours on your next trip.
Also, Remember to find things that YOU love too! We love music, podcasts and sometimes just talking. Because of our hectic schedules on the road is when we get our best conversations in. Find what works for you!
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Supporting Autism Mamas 