After a failed, messy daytrip to Legoland I remembered the most important item no road trip should be taken without…a bucket!

My nearly four-year-old daughter had been complaining that morning that her stomach hurt. This was nothing unusual since she likes to gulp down her chocolate milk like a college freshman guzzling a beer at a keg party (both of which can cause a sore tummy). So, my husband and I loaded her into the SUV along with her baby brother, two strollers, snacks, juice packs, diaper wipes and all of the other paraphernelia needed for a single day of adventure with two young children.

The only thing we didn’t pack was a bucket.

As we drove the half-hour from our house to the amusement park, both kids fell asleep. Not wanting to break the platinum rule, “Never wake a sleeping child!” we decided to bypass Legoland and continue the additional hour or so to Disneyland. About twenty minutes before reaching the Magic Kingdom, my daughter woke up and said the four words all mothers dread, “I’m gonna throw up!” In a panic, I whipped around and searched the back seat for any type of vessel. I grabbed a Kleenex box, ripped the tissue from it and thrust it under my daughter’s chin just in time. Needless to say, we never made it to either park that day. But we’re ready for stomach flu, food poisoning, or motion sickness on the next trip…the bucket’s already in the car!

Have you experienced a similar road trip fiasco? Leave a comment below!

For more information on this topic see:

• Children’s Motion Sickness No More!

• Packing Lists

• Recommended Travel Gear

• Road Trip Resources

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