Holiday Travel Preparedness With A Toddler.

When I say "Thanksgiving," what is the first thing that comes to mind? Turkey, right? Great food, delicious desserts, perhaps hours spent slaving away in a kitchen somewhere cooking up a delicious feats for family and friends. If you mentioned any of the above, you're right. Thanksgiving embodies all of that. 

How about when I say "Christmas," what is the first thing you think of then? Maybe your first thought is twinkle lights, a visit from Santa, taking on the madness of the nearby malls while shopping for the best deals on presents or celebrating midnight Mass with your family. Once again, if you mentioned any of the above, you're right too. Christmas embodies all of that. 

I, however, think of the holidays a bit differently. When I think of Thanksgiving and Christmas, a tiny bit of anxiety creeps in. Why? Because for our family, each of those holidays are synonymous with travel. With packing up our suitcases, loading up the car and traveling to and from our families' homes to celebrate each of the holidays. Some years this travel takes us four to five hours away across various state lines. 

Anyone with a toddler knows that traveling anywhere with a toddler is less than desirable and traveling anywhere during the holidays with a toddler is, well, about one thousand times less desirable than that. 

There's a lot to consider when traveling with toddlers, especially when a bulk of the travel is spent in the car and it all starts with packing. You can never, ever pack enough when you're traveling with toddlers and this can be said for any of the following: clothes, snacks, toys and especially diapers. 

Let it be known that it's not just rookie moms that forget to pack diapers. I will never, ever forget traveling home to New Jersey for Christmas one year with two diaper-wearing kids in tow, only to be caught up in a fifteen mile back up with only one diaper to spare for two dirty bottoms, two hours away from our destination. 

Talk about the odds being not in your favor. 

Next to forgetting diapers, my biggest fear when traveling long distances during the holidays with a toddler is leaky diapers. Of course you always try to plan for pit stops often to change diapers but sometimes, especially during the holidays, travel conditions and traffic aren't always on your side and whether we like it or not, we all know what can happen when a full diaper sits squished in a car seat for too long with a squirmy toddler. 

Let's just say the aftermath of that fifteen mile back up was not pretty. 

During each of these holiday travel emergencies it was CVS and Pampers to the rescue. It's no secret that the holidays can be a stressful time and as one of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States, no matter where we are on our holiday travel route, we can always count on a neighborhood CVS  to have just what we need to make it to our destination safely and successfully, especially when we've run out or forgotten to pack diapers.

Did you know that Pampers has recently come out with innovations across many of their popular lines of diapers, catering more and more to the customers requests? For instance, our newborn and infant favorites line, Pampers Swaddlers, is now available through size 5! Not only that but the newborn Swaddlers size 0-2 are now softer and more comfortable than ever, providing up to 12 hours of superior dryness! You've gotta love a company that listens to their moms! 

After all, Moms know best.. even when we forget to pack diapers.

The good news is that after having forgotten to pack diapers on one (or two) occasions, I finally came to my senses and now keep a "diaper tote" stocked to the brim that never, ever leaves the confines of the cargo space in my trunk. Take a peek at what's inside:

Pampers Cruisers, diaper cream, wipes, 

a change of clothes and emergency sippy cup. 

Because you just never know.  

Tell me, what's your secret to surviving holiday travels with a toddler in tow? Leave your answer in the comments section below (along with a valid email address) and be entered to win a Pampers manufacturers coupon good for ONE FREE Pampers pack up to $13.99. 

{No purchase necessary to enter, open to US residents only. Giveaway will close Friday, December 21st at 11:59pm EST}. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.