Thanks to Mitsubishi for lending us a Mitsubishi Outlander SEL for our road trip.
You’ve been planning a trip for weeks or months. You’re on your way to your destination and your kids end up getting sick. What a bummer! While you may be sad, you don’t need to despair, there are things you can do when your kids get sick, especially while you’re traveling.
Relax – Don’t Freak Out
Whenever a kid is sick, while traveling, it’s so important to not freak out. Your kid is sick and there isn’t much you can do about it, except go with the flow. If you’re far from home, the best thing you can do is keep on going. Plus, once you realize your kid is sick, freaking out will probably only make the situation worse.
Prep Beforehand
The only thing that can make this better is doing a little prep beforehand. Before you even leave on a trip, it’s important that you do a little prep work. This prep work consists of ensuring you have a first aid kit in the car beforehand. Pack a few extra blankets, towels, and a change of clothing. Make sure you always keep a few plastic bags (without holes in them) in the car!
It also never hurts to have a little bit of each kind of medicine with you, either.
Know You’ll Need to Make Extra Stops
Something that you’ll need to understand is that extra stops are necessary when you have sick kids. Prepare to stop at least every 2 hours. Stopping allows you to check on the kiddos and ensure everything is good to go. While this may put you a little behind, it’s better to take your time and ensure everyone is comfortable along the way.
Pay Attention to Diet
This may be one of those situations where stopping at the grocery store is better than swinging through the drive through. Make sure your child has access to foods that will make them feel better and not worse. Paying attention to their diet, during this time of travel and sickness, is so important. You will want to check to make sure your child is getting plenty to eat and drink.
Get Some Rest Yourself
Taking care of a sick kid while traveling can be exhausting. When you get a chance, rest a bit. You’ll need to make sure you’re washing your hands and eating the best that you can, so you can stay alert while traveling. If you have another adult with you, switch off while you can.
Be Flexible
If your kid gets sick while you're traveling, you need to be flexible. Chances are, you're going to miss some things that you had originally planned on doing at your destination. Your schedule will likely change and you'll need to rearrange based on how your little one is feeling.
On our drive up to experience Pittsburgh during the holidays, Owen got sick less than an hour into our five-hour drive. He had a bad cough from some sort of sinus thing and the drainage was upsetting his belly. It was completely less than ideal, but we survived and still had a great trip by following the advice I gave here.
We stopped several times on our drive up, even if he didn't necessarily have to stop right then, we figured it would be easier to stop and get some fresh air and get out of the car for a few minutes.
Once we finally made it to Pittsburgh and checked into our hotel, I threw Owen in the bath (that always makes everyone feel a little better). Of course, he needed a good clean-up anyway after getting sick in the car.
We took it pretty easy the first day of the press trip and followed his lead. The next morning I was pretty sure I was going to have to leave him and Mom at the hotel while I went ahead with the group, but by the time we finished breakfast, he was an entirely different kid!
The rest of the trip was fantastic and I think that's because we took things slow, stopped when we needed to, and didn't stress out about a little puking here and there.
Mitsubishi lent us a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL S-AWC for our trip to Pittsburgh.
I was surprised to see that it did not have a navigation system built in, but I quickly figured out that having Apple CarPlay was just as easy. All I had to do was plug my phone in and go! I was able to see my directions on the 7-inch touchscreen, make calls, and send and receive texts.
Some of my favorite features in the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL S-AWC:
7 Seats with Optional 3rd Row – With the third row up and in use, the compact SUV is able to seat 7. When all 7 seats are in use, you do lose a lot of cargo space. I do like that it's an option if you need it.
Heated Seats & Steering Wheel – The winter is pretty cold here in Maryland and even colder in Pittsburgh. Having a heated seat and steering wheel to keep me warm and comfortable is definitely a plus in my book!
Safety Features – As a mom, driving around with precious cargo, safety is more important than ever. The 2018 Outlander SEL includes the now standard Blind Spot Warning, Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Lane Departure Warning for added protection. These are all things that help make sure we arrive safe and sound to each destination.
Dual-Zone Climate Controls – Owen and I brought my mom along to Pittsburgh. Her ideal temp in the car is a little different than mine. The ability for each of us to set our own comfortable temperature definitely makes for a happier road trip for everyone.
Multi-View Camera System – I always feel spoiled after driving a vehicle with this feature. It really makes driving and parking in unfamiliar places so much easier.
Sunroof – This optional feature is a must in my eyes. I love opening the sunroof to get fresh air (especially after we had a puker in the car). It brightens up the whole entire and makes a long drive better.
During our week with the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL S-AWC, we averaged 26 mpg. That of course includes highway driving, some city driving, and back roads. I think it's pretty standard for a crossover.
Have your kids ever gotten sick while traveling?
Kendra says
I haven’t had kids get sick while traveling, but my husband routinely does. I love when cars offer apple car play or android auto!