We are planning our annual spring break road trip and, on a 14 hour drive, the last few hours are after dark. The kids are restless, tired of movies, and not the least bit sleepy. After enduring incessant whining for 3 hours on the first long road trip because “it’s too dark to do anything”, I now pack a few night toys. They are a huge hit! Over the years we have experimented with various items and finally ended up with a few must haves:
- Glow sticks
- Glow spring toy
- Glow ring
- Flashlight or book light
- Glow toys
- At least one flashing toy (like a top or wand)
And a few tips:
- Glow items need to be exposed to light to “charge”. This is fun for kids to do with a flashlight (and leads to great experiments).
- Remember batteries – many kid’s flashlights are sold without batteries. An alternative is to get the manual flashlights but they can be loud (and inevitably one kid would wake up the others by using it).
- If traveling for a while at night and you want the kids to sleep, limit the number of glow toys.
- Don’t expect kids to share a flashlight or glowstick – everyone needs their own.
- Keep the night items hidden and surprise the kids when it gets dark.
Don’t have time to find your own? Check out the NightKiddy – a fun collection of glow toys that is sure to entertain on long road trips. The NightKiddy can be used over and over just by replacing the glowstick!
The same items are also great in dark hotels. Kids can use the glow stick or flashlight to find their way to the bathroom or just keep away the monsters.
General Travel With Kids · glow sticks
