I recently shared my daily schedule. Every weekday I drive an hour to get to work, 35-40 minutes of it with my 2.5 year old.
That means she is in the car for at LEAST an hour a day. If I have to run errands or go to the grocery store the time in a car quickly starts to add up.
Table of Contents
How To Survive Commuting With A Child
Here are my tips to survive commuting with a child.
Food/Drink
Snacks are a must. I grab 4-5 of the mini granola bars and put them in my purse. I really like to bring mini granola bars. They do not go bad or smush like crackers can. My daughter loves mini granola bars and she can eat just one or a few. I also bring a drink along in a sippy-type cup. If its milk or juice I make sure I bring the cup into work and rinse it our or put it in the fridge. Cars can get very hot and the drink will spoil and get super gross before the end of the day.
Toys
I have some car toys she can play with; a truck, child laptop, book etc. She can play with the toys if she wants. I always ask before we start to drive if she would like to play with a toy. A fair warning – toys can be tricky. She sometimes wants to play with a new toy in the middle of the drive. I do not pull over and reaching onto the backseat is too dangerous. I just explain that mommy is driving and cannot stop. She does get upset but generally gets over it in a minute or two.
Portable DVD Player
My aunt bought us a portable DVD player at Christmas and I thought she was nuts. No way MY daughter would be glued to the tv while I was driving. I was so wrong. The DVD player helps. We sing along and have mini dance parties (basically making hand and arm movements). My tip – make sure the DVD is set to start at the beginning before you start to drive.
Consistency
My daughter and I commute every weekday. She is very good in the car and a lot of it is because she knows what to expect. I keep the same schedule and say the same things.
There you have it. Here are my tips for surviving a commute with your child. Soon they will be a pro too!
If you have any tips I missed please let me know in the comments.
We also do a lot of driving since my husband doesn’t drive we have to take him to and from work every day. It is only 15 mins away but in traffic can be about half an hour. Next year his work is moving much farther. Sometimes I hate waking him but the positive side is it creates a routine. One of the first things he said was “out Dad!” So he really likes going to fetch dad. When Brett works late it’s awful but fortunately it hasn’t been a lot lately.
I normally make sure he has a car with him. He likes my phone too. I normally only take snacks for longer journeys, when he was a baby we did boob a lot!
Car time is my favorite, truly! We don’t drive every day, but when we do, it could be for hours! I keep the toy laptops in the car all the time, now; but we also just enjoy chatting and listening to music. I think being strapped down helps all of us, including my kids, calm down and focus a little.