Mirror book: I admit to bringing too many books for Rory in the van but if you are aiming for minimal books than make sure it’s a mirror book. It’s a magical developmental milestone when baby looks at his/herself for the first time. The laughter, love, and hours of entertainment with a simple mirror book will be well worth the minimal space in your car. Depending on your child’s developmental level he/she may be able to hold the book on their own for individual play on long car rides. Rory was able to do this with books towards the end of our summer travels as he neared 10 months. Even if baby cannot hold the book up on their own, being able to grow their self identity and confidence is a key concept in the early years.
Lint Roller: I never used a lint roller, ever, for any purpose. before road tripping with a baby. When we were purging our house full of items I kept the lint roller for a reason unkown at the time. I am so glad I threw it into the van because it was used nearly daily to clean up any food crumbs. Think about it….this is a huge space saver compared to storing a hand vacuum in your vehicle. It also worked to clean up all the dog hair. It’s funny how a small space makes you more nit-picky than ever before about a mess. The sticky paper will also double as entertainment for baby.
Scented Poop Bags: While I hate buying poop bags because I think it’s a huge waste of money and not eco-friendly (we usually just reuse any random bag for poop bags) we were gifted these ones at a baby shower. I am glad we saved these for “someday” and finally had a prefect use for them. There were multiple times when we were not near a trash to throw a diaper out immediately and the scented bags helped keep the stink away! Be sure to save these for those really smell poops and use old Ziploc bags for the minor smelling ones. Your scent will be happy.
Inflatable Pool: This was a perfect way to bathe Rory and keep him cool on those hot summer days. While it’s conveinant for a quick rest area stop, it’s perfect for when you are haning out at your camp for a day and need to cool baby off or wash baby.
Bubbles: One more hour….we can drive one more hour if we have bubbles! Bubbles are an easy quick way to calm baby down if they are getting fussy on a long drive. You can easily put these in the front seat with you and blow them into the back where baby is sitting.
Food to keep baby hydrated: Babies can easily become dehydrated. Having foods on hand in the car to keep baby hydrated are an easy way to keep baby busy on the road and know that they are getting some form of hydration. We always had a bag of clementine’s in the car with us as an easy hydrating snack.