In one month we will be en route to Florida with the family. It's not a new trip for us, as Florida has been our primary winter destination in the past - but we've always flown.

When I looked up the cost of flights for a family of 4 from Ottawa, I almost fell over (we've never paid for 4 before - one child has always been free.) I know there are great deals to be had if you drive to the States or take layover flights, but I am not that brave. I want direct :)

And so, driving. My parents did it with us, so why can't I? You may come back to the blog in May and read about our driving disaster, but hey, at least we tried!

Right now I'm in full planning mode for all the things we want to do to keep the kiddos (6 and 3) occupied in the car. I'm not anti-technology in any way, and my kids have always enjoyed a movie in the car on a long drive, but I find they do worse when there is too much screen time. We actually have an easier drive when we limit the tablet.

So I'll be scouring Pinterest for fun car games, and on a tip from a friend, we headed to Ikea this weekend to check out what they have available.

Ikea does not have a specific "car travel" section (of course, they are more about house and home,) but we had a few great finds for the car

1) Byllan Laptop Tray

You can find this in the office section, and it's actually meant for those working on their laptop, on their laps (fancy that!) It also doubles as a great car seat tray for colouring and other activities. I love that the bottom is soft and squishy, so will form to the child's legs (and car seat sides)

2) Pysslingar Hanging Storage

Strap this neat hanging storage on the back of the front car seats and you have 3 pockets for kids to store toys, games and crafts. My youngest will not be able to reach forward to grab things, but at least it will keep the car tidier. Dealing with all the tinker toys during a long trip is tough!

3) Jatteliten Puppets and Theatre

We already have a little collection of finger puppets, but I LOVE that this one includes a little theatre for the girls to make up story lines. My husband often makes up funny voices for the puppets.

I'll be posting more about my road trip ideas in upcoming posts!

But tell me, have you gone on long drives with young kids? What items saved your sanity?