By Melanie K. Nelson
Even though it might seem like summer just began, fall will be here before we know it! Want my advice? Pack up the family and take a road trip to the cabin or a beach and enjoy these hot summer days while we still have them. To help you out, I have put together a list of my must have products for a weekend road trip!
The first must-have is for the child that has out grown their car seat but isn’t quite big enough for the seat belt to hit in the right place. To keep your children safe and comfortable, I recommend the BubbleBum. This inflatable booster seat is the perfect road trip companion. When you are done with it, simply deflate and roll it up and it’s small enough to fit in any beach bag!
The next item on the list is an essential for any road trip, the perfect soundtrack! Throw together a playlist of some great summer songs that the whole family will enjoy. My top seven for a family road trip are:
1. If I Had a Million Dollars by the Barenaked Ladies
2. I Just Can’t Wait to be King from The Lion King
3. At The Bottom Of The Sea by Ralph’s World
4. Who Says by Selena Gomez & The Scene
5. Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
6. Fibber Island by They Might be Giants
7. When Will My Life Begin from Tangled
For a mix that is unique to your family let each member of the family pick 3 songs to add. It will ensure that everyone has some music that they like!
Next is something to help keep your children from making a fuss or a mess on the car ride. The Munchkin Travel Tray provides a flat service for coloring, activities, or snacks. What I love about this tray are the small details that make it so practical! From the covered snack cup, to the ridge that keeps things from slipping off the edges to the straps that clip onto a car seat, the makers of the Munchkin Travel Tray have thought of everything!
What is a road trip without some snacks? My favorite car munchies are No Bake Trail Mix Bites. To make these just mix together the following ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup your choice of dried fruit
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
Then chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Finally roll into about bite-sized balls. These bites are super easy to make and are crowd pleasers!
Now that we have the stuff to help you survive the car ride, it’s time for some beach essentials! First is Swimzip swimwear for kids. These swimsuits come in cute eye-catching styles like nautical stripes and ruffles, but what makes these so special are the details. The full zip design makes getting the suit on and off of your squirming little one hassle free! Most importantly, these suits have UPF of 50+, meaning they protect your children from the suns harmful UVA and UVB rays.
Even though the Swimzips protect some of your children’s skin, sunscreen is still a must! My pick for the best one is MelanSol 100% Natural Sunscreen. This product not only shields the suns harmful rays, but unlike most other sunscreens, it doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals of it’s own! In fact it is even safe for children, and pregnant and nursing women.
After a long day of driving and playing at the beach, baby is going to be ready for a nap, but what if you’re not somewhere that is conducive to nap time? The Snoozeshade is the nap anywhere solution that you have been looking for! It’s breathable material straps right over the front of a stroller providing shade and protection from the sun.
The final must-have is a big floppy hat for yourself! After all of the planning and packing and making sure that everyone else is taken care of, you need one little thing that’s just for you. Putting on a big floppy hat makes everything you do feel just a little bit more glamorous, and Mommy, you deserve it!
