Winter is designed to test your mummy-patience. It is a time when you would rather ride a donkey to your destination (while pregnant), than load the fam into the back seat for three hours. Taking time to prepare for travel is key for a peaceful voyage. We’ve come up with some genius tips for mums on the move this winter!
1. Lasso… Everything!
Sippy cups casually flung around the back seat? Tiny toys slipping beneath the cracks of car seats? The sound of a child who has dropped something precious in the car, is one that all mums dread on journeys. If this sounds familiar, you will also be aware of the ‘dropped-toy twist’, a mummy-manoeuvre to retrieve the lost item. If worst comes to worst, you could even find yourself looking for somewhere to pull over! Avoid this calamity by tying everything that’s droppable (or throwable) to the car seat. Lasso Sippy-cup handles and bind soothers to your little ones’ seat so that they can reel them back in when the inevitable happens!
2. DVD Case Colouring Kit
Let’s not pretend we don’t have a bunch empty DVD cases lying around. It seems impossible to keep DVDs – and it's not a bad thing that they are becoming less and less popular with the arrival of mums best friend: the iPad. Use the leftover empty cases as the perfect driving distraction by transforming them into individual colouring packs. Print off several colouring pages (just consult momma-Google for whatever your child’s latest obsession is) and put them into the DVD box along with crayons and pencils. If you want, make a little pocket for these with fabric and glue, and stick it into the case- this will avoid lost crayons in the back seat!
3. Milestone Prizes
Goodie bags are your best pals on long car journeys! They can be used as bribery tools as well as a reward for exceptional automobile behaviour. If you shockingly reach a milestone without a toddler tantrum or a sibling squabble, you can bestow gifts! These could be treats or cheap toys, colours and mini-colouring books. However, you can also simply use their own toys as rewards, particularly those of an electronic nature - because let’s face it, you will give in to the iPad insistence to save your sanity at some stage!
4. Shoe rack storage!
Those shoe-rack things you can get in Ikea can really can come in handy in car journeys. For the older, more capable offspring, tie the shoe rack to the back of the front seat and fill it with travelling necessities: anything from tissues to distractions like toys and colouring books. If you really trust your kid, you could even put snacks in there (mine would just devour anything available before we’ve gotten on the motorway!) It can also be perfect for storing baby essentials: nappies, wipes and bottles- for easy access in the back seat!
5. A bin that WORKS
Two words: Cereal Containers. The plastic ones that have an opening at the top. They are perfect for the car and can be closed so won’t spill- AMAZING! You are also avoiding the use of plastic bags, an environmental win, too!
6. Cup-cake cases
An unknown blessing, this hack can save you a lot of car-cleaning frustration when you’ve finally reached your destination! Those cup-cake cases left over from a recent bake-sale can be put to use in your car. Fit them in to the coffee slots by the front seats. They hold any mess that might be made from spills to general dust and dirt, you can pop them out and empty them as needs be!
You're welcome, mums and make sure you share your own tips with other mums on the move this winter!
