Popsugar Parenting Road Trips Road Trip Essentials For Moms 25 Essentials Every Mom Needs on a Long Road Trip With Kids 15 June 2018 by Kate McKenna As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work. There's nothing quite like a Summer road trip. Planning your route and picking the sights and stops can be thrilling, and road trips can be a great bonding experience for families, creating memories your kids will have for the rest of their lives. But they also involve packing up the car with all of the necessities and more to ensure everything goes smoothly. When you're travelling anywhere with kids, your trip requires a certain amount of planning and forward thinking to keep the kids occupied, entertained, and on their best behaviour — and this is never more important than when your family is stuck in very close quarters together for days on end. To avoid any midjourney tantrums on your next family road trip with kids, don't forget to pack these road trip essentials. Related: The 1 Extraordinary Thing That Happened When I Traveled Alone With My Baby 1 Hand Sanitizing Wipes Whether your kids are snacking in the car or that roadside bathroom stop doesn't have proper facilities, you'll be thankful you brought along hand sanitizing wipes ($8). hand sanitizing wipes $8 from amazon.com Buy Now 2 Nintendo 2DS To avoid constantly hearing "Are we there yet?" from your kids, keep them occupied with a Nintendo 2DS ($80) and their favourite game. Nintendo 2DS $80 from target.com Buy Now 3 Marvel Action Figure Your kids will love spending hours re-enacting their favourite Marvel movie of the year in the car with this Black Panther action figure ($40). Black Panther action figure $40 from target.com Buy Now 4 Water Bottle On long road trips where you want to avoid stopping as much as possible, a water bottle ($12, originally $20) is essential for keeping your kids happy and hydrated. water bottle $12 from kohls.com Buy Now 5 Pillow Whether you have to drive through the night or your kids still take afternoon naps, pack a pillow ($28) so your little ones can get some shut-eye on the journey. pillow $28 from potterybarnkids.com Buy Now 6 Washable Crayons It's easy to make some time for crafting on a long road trip. Just pack a pad of paper and some washable crayons ($11), and you won't have to worry about stains on your upholstery! washable crayons $11 from wayfair.com Buy Now 7 Fruit Snacks Small, individually wrapped snacks like these fruit snacks ($15) are perfect for long trips. fruit snacks $15 from amazon.com Buy Now 8 Goldfish For a more substantial snack, pack some Goldfish ($9, originally $10) to keep your kids full between meals stops. Goldfish $9 from amazon.com Buy Now 9 Granola Bars Granola bars ($9) are a great alternative to cookies, and this variety pack will ensure they don't get bored of one flavour during a long trip. Granola bars $9 from amazon.com Buy Now 10 Tablet Instead of giving your kids your expensive iPad to use, pack their very own tablet ($100), and fill it with their favourite movies, TV episodes, and even e-books. tablet $100 from amazon.com Buy Now 11 Wireless Headphones Make sure to give your kids some wireless headphones ($50) to use with their tablets so they won't get tangled and you won't have to suffer through Frozen for the hundredth time. wireless headphones $50 from jbl.com Buy Now 12 Comic Book Kit For supercreative kids, keep their minds and hands occupied with their very own comic book kit ($30). comic book kit $30 from uncommongoods.com Buy Now 13 Comic Book If your kids would rather just read their own comic books, consider The Infinity Gauntlet comic ($10, originally $11). The Infinity Gauntlet comic $10 from barnesandnoble.com Buy Now 14 Snack Containers Pack some snack containers ($14 for two) for keeping snacks fresh or storing leftovers you pick up at pit stops along the way. snack containers $14 from amazon.com Buy Now 15 Kleenex Never embark on a trip with kids without Kleenex ($2), no matter how long or short! Kleenex $2 from target.com Buy Now 16 Magik Catch Encourage your kids to get some exercise on those roadside stops with the help of a Magik Catch ($5). Magik Catch $5 from target.com Buy Now 17 Picnic Blanket It's never a bad idea to have a blanket handy on long family road trips. This picnic blanket ($35) can be used for naps in the car or for roadside picnics, and it's easy to fold away. picnic blanket $35 from target.com Buy Now 18 Digital Camera For a long road trip, keep your iPhone for yourself and gift your kids with their own digital camera ($157, originally $159). They'll love being able to take photos of everything they see! digital camera $157 from jet.com Buy Now 19 Cooler Keep drinks and snacks cool and fresh on your long road trip with a cooler ($45, originally $48). cooler $45 from amazon.com Buy Now 20 Beach Towels You never know when you might want to stop for a quick swim! Pack some colourful beach towels ($10 for two) in case you stumble upon a lake or beach on your travels. beach towels $10 from bedbathandbeyond.com Buy Now 21 Word Search Book Never underestimate the entertainment value of a good word search book ($6, originally $7). It will keep your kids occupied for hours without a screen, and they'll probably even pick up some new words along the way. word search book $6 from wordery.com Buy Now 22 Stuffed Animals Most children have their favourite stuffed animal that you'll want to pack, but keeping an extra one on hand, like this corduroy lion stuffed animal ($26), isn't a bad idea. corduroy lion stuffed animal $26 from crateandbarrel.com Buy Now 23 First Aid Kit Be prepared for the worst — or just minor cuts and scratches — and be sure to pack a first aid kit ($29). first aid kit $29 from redcross.org Buy Now 24 Extra Clothes Keep some extra items of clothing handy aside from those in your suitcases. A plain tee ($4, originally $11) is great to have on hand in case there are any accidents in the car. plain tee $4 from oldnavy.gap.com Buy Now 25 Trash Can Driving for hours on end, for days at a time, is sure to result in some trash! Install this handy portable trash can ($12) in your car so all of the trash ends up in the right place. portable trash can $12 from amazon.com Buy Now Road TripsRoad TripParenting HacksTravelingFamily VacationLittle KidsParentingVacationKidsTravel