Road Trip Packing List for Kids Aged 4-8 (Printable)

Last reviewed: November 2026. Safety advice comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the UK Highway Code, GOV.UK, the NHS and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Quantities are our suggestions, so adjust them to suit your trip.

Between four and eight, children become much better road trip companions. They can feed themselves, go to the toilet without too much notice, and tell you a long story about a dinosaur for an hour. They also have more opinions, a greater need to move, and a surprising ability to fill a back seat with rubbish. A good packing plan gives them what they need within reach, keeps hard or heavy things away from their heads, and means you won’t need to unpack the whole boot at every stop. Use this printable list as a starting point.

Printable packing list

Use your browser’s print button to print this list. Quantities are for about a week, with some laundry.

Child’s car bag (soft, light and within reach)

• ☐ Soft toy or comfort item
• ☐ Paperback or activity pad
• ☐ Pencils in a soft pouch
• ☐ Audiobook list or headphones
• ☐ Plastic water bottle
• ☐ Snack in a soft or plastic container
• ☐ A light hoodie or small blanket
• ☐ Tissues

Clothes

• ☐ Tops (5 to 6)
• ☐ Shorts or trousers (4 to 5)
• ☐ Underwear and socks (8)
• ☐ Pyjamas (2)
• ☐ Jumper or fleece
• ☐ Waterproof jacket
• ☐ Swimwear and a towel, if needed
• ☐ Sun hat
• ☐ Walking shoes and sandals. See sandals vs sneakers for the fit advice
• ☐ One complete spare outfit in the stops bag

Stops bag (top of the boot)

• ☐ Jackets and sun hats
• ☐ Sunscreen, SPF 30+ with 4-star UVA protection
• ☐ Hand gel and wipes
• ☐ Ball, frisbee or skipping rope
• ☐ Picnic blanket
• ☐ Rubbish bags

Sickness kit (adult’s reach)

• ☐ Sick bags and plastic bags with handles
• ☐ Wipes and tissues
• ☐ Small towel
• ☐ Spare clothes
• ☐ Water and plain snacks
• ☐ Motion sickness remedy, if your pharmacist or doctor recommends one

Health and safety

• ☐ Car seat or booster for each child
• ☐ First-aid kit with thermometer and age-appropriate medicine
• ☐ Prescribed medicines in their original packaging
• ☐ Insect repellent for the season and destination
• ☐ Tick remover, for woodland stops

Documents and car

• ☐ Driving licence and insurance details
• ☐ Passports and travel documents if crossing borders
• ☐ Hotel and campsite bookings, saved offline
• ☐ Offline maps
• ☐ Phone cables, a car charger and a power bank
• ☐ Breakdown kit and anything else the countries on your route require

Where things go in the car

Everything in the car keeps moving in a crash. Rule 98 of the Highway Code says you must secure your load and that heavy or sharp objects must be secured safely, because they might hit someone inside the vehicle. Safe Kids Worldwide also advises securing loose objects, and choosing soft toys. For a four to eight-year-old, that means:

Read our guide to car organisers and seat-back storage before you add more pockets.

Seats for ages 4 to 8

The AAP says it’s best to use a seat with a harness as long as possible, at least to four years old, and then a belt-positioning booster until the vehicle’s belt fits properly, typically when a child is about 4 feet 9 inches tall and between 8 and 12 years old. In the UK, children must normally use a car seat until they are 12 years old or 135 cm tall, whichever comes first. If you’ll be crossing borders, or using a hire car, read our guide to travel car seats.

Car sickness

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says motion sickness is common in children, peaking between 7 and 12 years old. Looking at the horizon and not reading are among the measures it lists. The NHS suggests looking at a fixed point in the distance, distracting children by talking or singing, and not reading or using devices. The AAP adds that breaks are helpful on long trips. In practice, this means:

• Offer window games, songs and audiobooks rather than a book or tablet.
• Keep the car cool, and open a window if you can.
• Plan regular stops. Don’t wait until your child feels ill.
• Ask a pharmacist about remedies. The CDC says anti-motion-sickness medicines should be used with caution in children.

Keeping them busy

Children aged four to eight can play a long list of games. Try “I spy”, spot-the-number-plate, audiobooks, songs and a simple travel bingo. Our long car journeys with kids guide has many more ideas. If they use a screen, download everything ahead of time, and use headphones with a volume limit. See offline downloads by age, which works in the car as well, though screens may not suit children who get car sick.

If you are driving abroad

GOV.UK says to bring your driving licence, check you have the right vehicle insurance for the countries you are driving through, and follow local rules including speed limits. It adds that you may need a UK sticker, headlight converter stickers or emission permits in some European cities, and points to the country rules. Some countries require items in the car, so check your route. For route ideas, see Europe’s great theme park road trip and Scandinavia road trip with kids.

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