Mother's packing tips for the road

MANILA, Philippines - Wherever this Easter Break takes us – on a journey that is pleasurable or pious – the question is, What do I pack? For those heading out on the road in this glorious summer sun, here are a few tips which I hope make your road trip that much better.

Assuming your vehicle has been tuned up and checked out, it’s time to load that baby up with goods that will make your little holiday about the journey and not just the destination.

Food

Ideally, we’d like to pack the healthy things – sliced fruits and vegetables, nuts, granola. These are mess proof and nutritionally superior but they aren’t the most popular food choices in my family. So you can opt for the lesser evils like oatmeal cookies, graham crackers, pretzels. We also add in a few of the high salt and sugar foods but in small packs to limit their consumption. It’s best to avoid the sticky foods and the ones that melt. (Sorry, chocolate!)

For drinks, we bring lots of water. Every kid has their own individual bottle. Filling up your reusable flasks is eco-friendly, and when you have them in different colors, are easy to identify. We make juice and soft drinks available too but they are sticky when spilled and can get the kids hyper so these and the coffee drinks are usually for the adults.

Freezing some of the drinks the night before is always a good idea so they are ice cold when consumed on the road and keep the other beverages cool while eliminating the space-taking ice packs.

You can also save a few precious pesos by purchasing your snacks from the supermarkets rather than the convenience stores which are generally a little more expensive.

Clean Up And Comfort

Pillows are essential on road trips. They simply make everyone so much more comfortable and you will use them at your destination as well.

For spills, clean ups and disinfecting anything,always have anti bacterial wipes and an anti bacterial spray on hand. The same goes for tissue and toilet paper. For some reason these are not ever sufficiently supplied by the nation’s public toilets.

Entertainment

Are your iPods are loaded and charged? You can make playlists for each child and take turns playing them during the trip. Mom and Dad should have a turn for their music too!

It’s most convenient to stick kids with a portable DVD player or an iPad during road trips. Such gadgets truly are a magical panacea for the “are we there yet?” syndrome. However, they also suck the fun out of family bonding. It’s best to use them for a limited amount of time – if at all.

My kids like to hear about road trips my husband and I took when we were kids so that’s always a good conversation kick-starter. You don’t have to sing 99 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall. My 3 year old loves to name cars according to people who he knows own that particular model so we use road trips to teach him the vehicles’ real names. My daughter is learning to spell so we do word games with her. Bring molding clay or origami paper – the more interactive, the better.

Loading

When loading your vehicle, keep in mind that you want to keep the center of gravity low so when loading the trunk, put the heaviest things lowest and as far forward as possible. The same applies if you load goods on top of your vehicle. Just make sure the lighter items are secured in case of a sudden stop.The driver should have an unobstructed view of the rear view and side mirrors. Don’t forget to utilize “hidden” spaces like underneath the seats.

Keep all essentials handy for easy access – food and drinks, diapers, baby bottles, wipes, anti-bac spray, entertainment, maps, chargers. And lastly, when loading the people, allow the car-sick prone a window seat. Happy trails, everyone!