Last updated on November 25th, 2023 at 08:24 am
Living away from your family can be difficult, especially when the holidays or special occasions come around. You’re left with two decisions that can make the hair stand up on the back of your neck: A Plane or a Road Trip.
Neither option is easy with kids, ESPECIALLY with twins. But a mom’s gotta do, what a mom’s gotta do. You can check out my article about surviving a plane ride here. This article will focus on 3 hacks I’ve created over time to help us survive on the road with twins.
1. What to Pack for the Road
If you’re a mom like me, you’re a pack rat when it comes to your twins. Everything is “Just In Case”, which ends up becoming “Just Too Much”. You only need things to help you survive the road trip and one or two emergency situations. I would suggest packing two diaper bags or backpacks for each twin. It gives each parent responsibility for one twin and doesn’t cause one bag to be stuffed full of everything.
Babies
- Formula Dispenser with Formula
- Hats and Mittens
- Gallon Distilled Water (for making bottles)
- Changing Pad
- 2-3 Burping Cloths
- 1-2 toys
- 2 pacifiers per child with a pacifier strap
- Diapers (Put all diapers needed for the day, including two additional per twin)
- Ziploc gallon bags (for poopy diapers or soiled clothes, to contain the smell)
- Wipes (Two packs… you just never know)
- Two extra outfits
- Two jackets or coats
- Two extra pairs of socks
- Two bibs
- A fresh bottle for each feed (saves you time in washing them in the gas station bathroom)
Toddlers
- Extra Patience (for you)
- Diapers (Even if you’re potty training, put them in a diaper or Pull-Up (my personal opinion))
- Ziploc gallon bags (for poopy diapers or soiled clothes, to contain the smell)
- 1 pack of wipes
- 1 roll of paper towels
- One extra outfit for each adult (shirt and pants are best)
- Two jackets or coats
- Two sippy cups per kid (One for water/juice, the other for milk/juice — Munchkin Miracle 360 cups are great for the road)
- Hats and gloves
- Changing pad
- Whatever activity your toddler likes (add crayons and paper)
- SNACKS, SNACKS, SNACKS (I would sneak in healthy treats here. When they say they’re hungry, offer them the healthy treat and tell them you can’t reach anything else. That way they have no choice but to eat it if they’re really hungry.)
2. Create a Stop Schedule
When our twins were younger, the concern for us was how long the twins could stay in their car seats. So we decided to stop every three hours, for their safety, changing, and feeding. So for an 8-hour trip, we would stop 3 times (we still commit to 2-3 times with toddlers). This way, we could eat together, stop for gas, use the restroom, change diapers, fix bottles, and take our time to do it.
One of the biggest differences between doing road trips as a family with no kids and a family with kids is the time we spend on the trip. When you don’t have kids, you want to stay on the road as long as you can. Stops are quick, food is eaten while on the road, and gas stops don’t take longer than 10 minutes.
With a family, you have to stop, change diapers or use the potty, fix bottles/food, wait for them to finish their food, burp them, wait for their milk or food to digest, put them back into their car seats and get back on the road… while YOU end up eating on the road and praying your toddlers don’t beg for everything you have.
Mentally, you have to be prepared to spend a little more time on the road with kids. When you set a schedule, it helps to settle any anxiety about rushing to get back on the road and take the time you need to make sure you and your kids are taken care of.
3. Quick Changes Are Your BEST Friend
Sometimes, you need to stop for an extra diaper change that wasn’t put into the stop schedule. The babies aren’t hungry, the toddlers aren’t hungry, they just need to be changed.
Insert QUICK CHANGE. What my husband and I did was created a changing station in the back of the car or in the front seat of the car. We stop to fill up on gas so that the time won’t be in vain, or at a rest stop or restaurant parking lot. We pull out the changing pad, diapers, and wipes in the seat or the small space behind all the STUFF we’re taking on the trip, and we change them.
After the change, they get put right back in their seat, and we’re off on the road again. You don’t have to keep stopping at a proper bathroom to find a changing table to change your baby or toddler. Your baby will not suffer. Your toddler will be just fine. Prep the diaper bag before your trip to handle the changes on the road if it happens outside of your stop schedule. You will thank yourself later.
Allyson A. Robinson is a wife, mommy of twins, and international educator. As a transformational speaker and author, she offers a contemporary and relatable view of purpose, mommyhood, and uniqueness, endearing her to audiences nationwide. Her new book “How to Keep Your Baby (and Yourself) Alive When All Your Pets Have Died” debunks the myths of life after delivery for new and expecting mothers and offers a refreshing message: You’re Not Alone. Connect with Allyson at HeyGirlIntl.com and on Instagram and Twitter.
Related Articles – Three Hacks to Survive Road Trips with Twins
- 10 Must Have Items for Infants When Traveling In A Car
- 11 Must Have Supplies for Road Trips With Twins
- 5 Tips for Successful Road Trips With Infant Twins
