RV Trip with a Toddler

THE SUCKER**

Lauren was about 21 months old when we took our trip, here are a few things I did to plan and learned along the way. In case anyone was thinking of a similar trip~ here are my tips. They really aren't that different from any trip with a toddler, except that you can pack more stuff.

1. Coloring books, markers (washable), crayons, sidewalk chalk and craft- TONS of them are essential. And make it new stuff- I got most of it at Wal-Mart or Dollar Tree. I will be posting a separate craft post- stay tuned.
2. Children's music CDs- we had upbeat fun stuff for the drive, and her night-night music and a boom box to help her sleep. You can put it in the RV radio and turn the speakers all to the back and sing along the way. (If you dont tunr the music to be in the back, it is possible that your driver may not appreciate "the wheels on the bus..." forty times in a row. Dont anger the driver, this is almost as bad as upsetting the car-seat-bound toddler.
3. Classic loveys, blankets and toys. Lauren's favorite things including pinky and Elmo made the trip, along with the rubber band bracelets. These work at home, and were just as effective on the go.
4. New toys- this is essential for the boredom times. Break out something new she has never seen! Bonus points if you wrap it in giftwrap (I didn't wrap but I learned this tip from my friend Laurie who is a fantastic mommy and this worked wonders on a few airline flights for us.). I bought a ton of cheap things at Dollar Tree, party favors (4-6 per pack) from Wal-mart and K-mart, just weird stuff to keep her interested. I printed off pictures of us all and her grandparents and let her play with them. When we visited Laurie she sent us with a care package that included an alphabet puzzle that Lauren loved.
5. Books, books, books. They take up very little room and are really entertaining. Lauren likes to be read to, "read" them on her own, and even read to Elmo- all fantastic ways to pass the time and they take up very little space in the RV.
6. Snacks, new things and "forbidden" snacks. Lauren got little bags of graham crackers (cookies), fruit snacks and THE SUCKER**. Laurie sent us with THE SUCKER (see photo above) and it was awesome. I pulled it out in a meltdown where we needed to get another 45 minutes out of her and WOW. It is a smarties sucker, so she cannot really choke on it~ but I pulled it out twice and let her suck/ chew to her hearts content and it was basically all still there when we got home. I just put it in a cup when she was done and pulled it out again when needed. That sucker was amazing.... ( I totally owe Laurie, dont I?).
7. Good snacks. Although I relied on a sucker when the going got tough, I also had tons of fruit washed and ready to go, so I could grab it easily. We made 2 mid-point grocery stops to restock the fruits and veggies. Our favs: apples, grapes, bananas, peaches, sliced cucumbers, avocado and tomatoe. We all like fruits and veggies and really appreciated having them ready.
8. Carseat. We started out on the side couch- dont do this. Once I put it up to the table things got much better. She had a working space for her crafts/ toys and she dropped less stuff. It is bouncier, but this didn't seem to be a problem.
9. Riding toys and dolly stroller. Lauren is obsessed with her dolly stroller, and her wheel broke on day 2 of the trip, so an emergency stop at Wal-mart and $10 fixed the problem. The stroller was a must-have for us.
10. Sunhats, winter hats, mittens (once again - we were at above 10,000 feet altitude at times, so the nights were chilly).
11. Handiwipes and handsoap. Self explanatory- making food, changing diapers, digging in the dirt...
12. SUNBLOCK!! Every day, all day, everyone in the family. Come-on, everyone knows this one, right?
13. Tons of clothes/ layers. I let Lauren crawl around, dig in the dirt or mud as much as she wanted. So, I packed enough clothes for about 3 outfits per day and used most of it. Also, being at higher altitude in September, we needed warm clothes for morning and night and summer clothes for mid-day. I packed all of her white undershirts (onesies) and used them all- love those things!
14. Bandaids and neosporin. I should have taken a picture of those knees and elbo's! Elmo and her babies even needed bandaids (OK refer to item #4 cheap entertainment).
15. Bathing- this was the stickler. She is a "bath" girl and that doesn't happen in the RV. I tried to shower with her, but she really didn't like it. She went on a every 2-3 day shower schedule and grabbed a bath at our friend's in SLC. This was really the only problem we had, and a minor one I would say.