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Find a few places to stop along the way and let the kids get out and be kids – we’ve done splash pads, parks, children’s museums, indoor playscapes, and trampoline parks. If there is any time to adopt a “go-with-the-flow” attitude it’s during a roadtrip with young kids. Try to keep everything you need organized – this includes snacks, kids activities (we LOVE these reusable sticker books for travel and absolutely fell in love with “paint by sticker” books this past trip), small prizes for rewarding good behavior, etc. We’re not super strict on what our kids can or can’t eat at baseline, everything in moderation is a key in our house – but this is especially true when we’re wanting to bribe them into cooperating in the car.

Where to sleep, what campervan company to use, how long to stay, and itinerary details are included. For that New Zealand couples’ trip we rented a car and spent 10 days making our way around the North Island, mostly staying in Bed & Breakfasts. That trip had some neat perks, like staying with really wonderful locals, but for convenience/flexibility/low-stress goals – RV life wins by far. Is RV/Campervan Travel Good for Young Kids in New Zealand?

So, as we close this week let’s all try to Slow Down For Self-Care * Keep dry erase markers in the bathroom to write to-do lists or notes on the mirror when genius ideas strike in the mornings. If you’re still using a knife to cut your kids food, let me introduce to my best freaking friend. Brooke (@brook.froelich) inspiring me to GET OFF MY BOOTY and get outside with my babies!

I had always thought a baby bedtime routine was about time on a clock, but I’ve learned timing is actually more important for a bed time routine that works when you’re a busy mom. Here are our 5 steps for baby bed time routines along with some tips on maintaining flexibility as a busy mom – this is basically what we do before putting Paxton to bed and it seems to help get him calm and ready for snoozing. That being said, even on nights he doesn’t need an actual bath, the flexibility of Summer’s baby bath seat is still a very beneficial part of the routine. If we’re solo-parenting for some reason (like if one of us is hiding in the closet eating ice cream with the door locked) then whoever is doing bedtime will shuffle the big kids upstairs to entertain each other while getting the baby to sleep and then join them for books and stories after he’s in bed.