Top 10 hacks to keep kids entertained in the car, as voted for by parents

– Parenting Panel reveal the top tips for keeping children calm for long journeys –

A new investigation from Admiral car insurance has revealed that 18% of parent drivers have experienced a near miss after being distracted by their kids in the car, and 14% have experienced a MAJOR accident as a result. This figure rose to 20% of parent drivers with children under the age of eight.

Perhaps unsurprisingly then, 22% of parents say they absolutely dread driving with their children in the car.

Admiral is urging parents to be prepared for long journeys with kids, to ease their stress while behind the wheel and help avoid accidents.

To help avoid distractions and keep family journeys safe, Admiral surveyed parents[i]   to find which solutions worked best for them at calming their kids and diminishing distractions when setting off on a long car journey.

With many families planning a summer staycation this year, the advice will help drivers to keep their focus on the road rather than their little rascals.

Top 10 ways to keep kids calm, as voted for by parents

When it comes to in car games, a third (33%) of parents voted I spy as the top option, followed by ‘first person to spot’ in second place and the ‘number plate’ game in third.

Clare Egan, Head of Motor Product at Admiral and a parent driver herself, said: “Many families will be opting for staycations and road-trips this summer after spending a lot of time at home with kids during lockdown. But driving with young children in the car can be a challenge at times, whether they’re crying, arguing, dropping toys or requesting snacks and as this investigation shows, this can result in accidents.

“Worryingly, 14% of parents told us they’ve had a major accident whilst distracted by their children, and many have had minor accidents.

“Nobody wants to put their children or other road users at risk. Being prepared for a journey certainly helps take the stress out of the journey, and whether it’s a game, their favourite playlist or an electronic tablet, minimising distractions means you can concentrate better on the road, keeping you, your family and other drivers safe.

“Personally, I find music to be the best solution for my children (Leo, aged 5 and Noah, aged 8) on shorter journeys but always take an iPad on longer journeys to break up the trip. Having some easily accessible snacks to hand is a good back up if all else fails as long as you don’t mind the crumbs in the back of the car!”

Details of these and other in car games to help parents calm their kids on journeys are available on the Admiral website.

Parenting Hacks

A panel of parent drivers from Admiral also shared their tips for driving with children:

• Take some favourite toys for them, which won’t break a window or damage your upholstery;
• Keep some emergency snacks in the glove box – hunger makes children crazy, just be careful if you don’t have another adult passenger in the car to assist with passing or unwrapping food;
• Kids Kindles, iPad and other devices are used in our car as a last resort. I used to be bored as a child on long trips and they can be too;
• Prepare Spotify playlists for each child in advance – then allow 15 minutes each, taking in turns;
• Audio books with jaunty tunes work well – for example Julia Donaldson;
• Be prepared for an hour-long game of ‘Eye spy’. If children are too young for this, get them to look for things of a certain colour instead;
• Time your journey so it doesn’t matter if they fall asleep and impact bedtime later;
• If they start to squabble, shout ‘cows’, ‘horses’ or ‘bus’ depending on your surroundings, to distract them;
• Always take spare clothes with you. And be prepared for at least one child to need to pee on the side of the road;
• Keep a potty, loo roll and wipes in a bag in your boot – children always need to go when miles from services or whilst stuck in traffic;
• Keep a spare carrier bag in the car for car sickness – in fact two: one to be sick in and one to put sick covered clothes/car seats into.