I know the pain of wanting to take your little on a great hike that’s … an hour away. After 20 minutes, my little will start to whine. In the past, I’d begin to fret, but now I have a couple of tricks to help keep her settled while we’re on the road:
- Plan to do the drive during nap time
- Plan a short stop (15 minutes) so they can get their wiggles out
- Bring a new toy, particularly one that involves using fine motor skills, like a busy or fidget box.
- Or things that make noise (if you can stand it).
- Or their favorite toy/lovey.
- Sing songs
- Books (they can flip through on their own if no one is in the back seat.
- Have someone sit in the back with them, if possible … and, have that person pretend sleep to encourage them to take a nap
- Bring a family photo album and tell them all about the people and places in the images
- Talk about (and point to) all of the things that you’re seeing out the car window. My little can see trees and cars
- Have the second person in car read out loud about the park, hike and show any pictures
- Snacks!
Tell me, what are your tricks?
Mommy & Me Hiking 