Camie Mother of two, ages nearly 4 and 1

an emergency stash in my own bag up front of new books, coloring and snacks for when she gets tired of what she brought. Whenever I am traveling by plane with an infant, I always bring a Baby Born. It's very handy in the airport, and comes in handy during the trip for hikes and outings that we take.

Price Comparisons and Reviews of Portable DVD Players

101 Travel Games, Ideas and Car Tips for children preschool age and up.

The Basics on
Activity Bag Stuffers

There are tons of things you can put in an activity bag to keep your child occupied. The trick is giving them just enough to keep them busy, but not too much to overwhelm them. Too much stuff can be just as bad as not enough. So keep it simple and keep in mind your ability to rotate things in and out of the activity bag. Here are some recommedations to get you started.

• Stickers
  Cut the sheet apart into individual stickers. Divide into small snack size baggies. Place one in each activity bag, and place the rest in your reserve stash.
• Spiral Notebook
  Purchase a bunch when school supplies are on sale and you can get them for $.10 each. One notebook can last a child armed with colored pencils and stickers a long, long time.
• Pocket Folder
  A place for them to hold papers, finished artwork, and other memorabilia.
• Colored Pencils
  Although you'll also need a pencil sharpener, you don't have to worry about them melting in a hot car, losing a lid and drying out, and they are harder for kids to accidentally mark on clothing and interior fabrics. Store in a zippered pencil case or zip lock bag.
• Small toys
  Kids meal toys, hot wheels, airplanes, small plastic or stuffed animals, mini-slinkie, koosh ball, mini- dolls and action figures, stack of 6-8 duplos, etc. The idea is to have them be simple and fit in the palm of their hand. You wan to avoid small parts because they get dropped and lost easily, plus, they can be a choking hazard which you don't want either.
• Magnetic Activities
  A good children's toy shop should provide you with tons of magnetic options for keeping your child happy. Everything from tic-tac-toe, to paper dolls, to Mr. Potato Head. Store magnetic pieces in a plastic zip lock bag and either velcro (using sticky backed velcro) to the board/container or store in a larger zip lock bag.
• Activity Books
  These can vary depending on the age of the child... crossword, suduko and Mad Lib activity books are great for older children. Where as color by number, dot-to-dots and hidden pictures are better suited for younger children.
• Books & Books on Tape/CD
  A basket of books on the back bench of the minivan or a few good classics on tape or CD from the local library make great take along's for long trips either by car or by air. Listening to a good book has a wonderful calming effect on children and helps to pass the time. Pull out a favorite book to read to your children while you're waiting in line, or when boredom sets in on the plane. For children who can read, a new book from their favorite author will provide a welcome distraction for them and you.

Electronic and Hand-Held Games for the family

• 20 Questions
• Boggle to Go
• Sudoku
• Connect Four
• Simon
• Rubik's Cube

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Vacation Tips

Renting Baby and Toddler Equipment

You can't always haul the pack-n-play, stroller, high chair, car seat with you when you're going on vacation. Thankfully there are companies you can rent these items and others from. Check out this state-by-state listing on what's available.

Site Seeing with Kids

Connie, Mother of 11, ages 2-16

On a recent trip to Washington DC, Connie had two different activities for her children to help them through the many different monuments and memorials they visited. She created a Scavenger Hunt for them by "Cutting and Pasting" images from internet sites for the different places they were going to visit.

She gave her younger children a composition notebook and let them cut out pictures of the place they visited, glued them in the notebook and then wrote about their visit and experience at that place.

For the older children, she created a page with pictures and questions for each location they visited... a page for Arlington Cemetary, one for Washington Monument, etc. After touring each location, they answered the trivia questions.

Kathleen, Mother of four, newborn - 6

This summer we took our four very Midwest, small town, never met a stranger, children to a large metropolitan city and saw all the sites and sounds. Before getting off the train to go into the city, I snapped a couple pictures of the kids just in case we got separated. I wanted a recent photo I could quickly referr to, to let people know what they look like and accurately remember what they were wearing that day.

Elspeth Mother of two, ages 3 and 1

The key to entertaining kids is novelty/newness. I try to have a couple of new toys, even if they are just small little things, to dole out during the trip.When we travel to see the grandparents it's either an eight hour car drive or a three hour flight, with an hour drive at the end, so we need lots of diversions. I routinely scan the dollar bins at Target, look at coloring and activity books at Michael's, and other things, always thinking about and planning ahead for that next trip. Sticker books are good, especially if the child is old enough to put the stickers on the pages by him or herself.

Another place to look for new toys is eBay. I've found little things--for example, licensed character toys that are fairly inexpensive that I've never seen in stores--that tuck easily into a backpack. You can also find any kind of stickers on eBay. I recently purchased a complete line of eight McDonald's Polly Pocket Happy Meal toys for my daughter, because she already has two and really enjoys playing with them. I plan on giving her a couple of them on each of our next flights.

Let older kids have their own bag, with their own books and toys and snacks. It may mean an extra thing for you to keep track of, but it's a big deal to them, and the bag itself might be a distraction that keeps them busy for a while. If you've got some money to spend, one of the best investments is a DVD player for the car. On a plane you may be able to use a laptop computer. This can really help pass the time. Another pricey but worth it investment is the Sit N Stroll stroller, found on onestepahead.com. It costs around $200, but has a fairly high resale

If you're going to be traveling a long way by car through unfamiliar territory, check out the local tourism board online and see if there are any sights worth seeing. You'll probably need to stretch your legs, and eat, at some point, and there may be some great local options that don't involve Chicken McNuggets.

If you're going to be flying and then renting a car, consider renting car seats, too. They cost about $7 a day and eliminate the need for you to have to uninstall your car seats, send them through the airline baggage system, and reinstall them when you get back to your home airport. Most car rental companies will not install them for you, but you've probably installed enough car seats by now that you can do it with your eyes closed.

Make sure you have lots of snacks and drinks--both for your children and for you. Hunger can lead to grouchiness, which can make traveling so much more difficult.

Traveling by air is much more complicated than in the past, due to security concerns. Visit the Transportation Security Administration's 3-1-1 on air travel before packing, to get the most up-to-date information on what is allowed on board a plane.

Katie Mother of two, ages 7 and 5

• If you are planning on using travel time as nap time, make sure your child is comfortable, preferably in a reclining position. Also, make sure your child will not get too hot or too cold as you travel.
  
• Keep a small tote box of books to read or toys to play with in the car for those long trips. Make sure they are books that your child does not usually play with on a day-to-day basis so to appear “new”.  These may hold your child’s interest longer than books s/he sees everyday. If traveling by plane, you may want to buy new toys or books for the occasion.
  
• Be sure to have snacks that you can hand to your child or your child can give him/herself.  Also, a drink in a cooler bag may be just what your child needs to calm down. 
  
• Try to point things out to look at - farm animals, cars, trucks, even pictures on signs, the clouds, other planes passing by...  This can help pass time, and it’s always good to talk to your child and introduce new things.
  
• Be excited about traveling, even if you’re really not.  If you’re grudgingly preparing for a trip, so may your child.

Mary Ann Mother of two, ages 3-1/2 and 18 months

Mary Ann and her children are experienced international travelers, and also take lots of road trips from their home overseas. She offers suggestions for air and car travel:

Travel by Airplane:

1. Arrive at the airport early. Small children DON'T hurry.
   
2. Some kids will want luggage of their own. Let them carry it, but be sure it really is light enough for them to handle.
   
3. Normally you should be strict about how much candy your kids eat. I make a big exception for travel. Travel is generally a "do whatever works" situation, and frankly candy cheers them up.
   
4. If your baby is not a lap baby and you intend to put the child in a car seat CHECK FIRST to be sure your seat meets the airline's requirements. (British Airways doesn't allow rear-facing, for example).
   
5. Most airlines allow you to make meal selections on-line. Some airlines offer a special kids meal, and if you request this the flight attendants will serve your child first. This is a big help.
   
6. Don't forget that there is a lot of white noise on airplanes, and most offer headsets and audio/video options for the passengers. All of this reduces the amount that your crying child will be noticed by anyone else onboard, so relax. Don't allow the presence of so many (potentially judge mental) strangers add to the stress.
   
7. If you have a tight connection or if you are connecting through an unfamiliar airport ask the flight attendants if they can request an airport taxi to drive you to your departure gate. Some airports are simply too big for a small child to traverse. Being driven will help everyone and reduce your anxiety about making/finding your connecting flight.
   

Travel by Car

1. My kids travel better with their favorite blankets. The youngest one gets a pacifier too.
   
2. I keep a selection of non-perishable snacks and juice boxes in the trunk so that we always have a snack on hand.
   
3. Don't expect that you will be able to arrive at a far away destination in the amount of time map quest quoted you. Kids will need frequent, lengthier stops. Let them run around a bit while you stop.
   
4. We love to play a version of I spy where we simply name what we see (my oldest is three so this is still engaging). We also count cows and sheep and goats. She loves it.

Jenny Mother of three, ages 2, 4 and 6

“We apologize in advance,” we said to the lady sitting in the window seat next to us as we took our seats on our first time flying with our son, Elijah. Our flight was just over an hour from Kansas City to Denver for Thanksgiving and we had never been sicker to our stomachs. We’d imagined a plane full of unforgiving travelers who would snap and turn on us the instant Elijah made a sound. She didn’t seem to mind at first. However, as the attendants closed the cabin doors and it was clear that there were some empty seats left, she quickly excused herself by saying she gets ill sitting by the window and relocated before we took off. “Fine by me,”I thought to myself. That’ll just leave more room for us. I couldn’t help but think, though, that she moved because Elijah was starting to get fussy. We landed in Denver with a baby who had slept the entire time except for a bout of crying during take-off. We had underestimated Elijah’s ability to be good and figured we had worried for no reason. The following are a few of the things we learned on that first flight and other flights since.

• Don’t stress. We worried ourselves senseless because we were so concerned that other passengers would be upset that we had the nerve to book the same flights as them. It has turned out from our experience of air travel over the holidays (6 flights in all) that most passengers couldn’t care less. Everyone we sat next to was very kind and even offered to help us with Elijah. Even stuffy business travelers have kids of their own and understand what you’re going through.
  
• Pack lightly. If the pioneers did it then so can we! When traveling with an infant it’s tempting to pack for every situation under the sun. We’ve found it’s a lot easier to maneuver when you’re not weighed down by 2 jumbo packs of pampers, 4 packs of binkies, a high chair, the collapsible playpen you got at a yard sale and have been waiting for an opportunity to use, an umbrella stroller for the mall and an “SUV stroller” in case Uncle Outdoorsman decides to take you and Junior out for mountain climbing one afternoon, and a spare car seat in the event one gets routed to Malaysia on accident. Although there are definitely things you will need to take with you on your trip, there’s much you can do without or pick up at the store on your way from the airport to your destination. For example, pack just enough diapers for a day or two and call Grandma, asking her if she could get some size 3s and wipes. She’ll be tickled pink to have something to do to get ready for her little visitor. If there won’t be a crib where you’ll be staying, you can always empty your suitcase or a large box and put a few blankets inside it. The baby won’t know the difference. Basically, be conservative and creative when packing for your baby. Remember that you will be limited on the number of bags the airline allows you. This is especially true if you are going to be holding your infant on your lap (and not purchasing a separate ticket for him). The airlines will only allow you a certain number of bags(usually 2 checked bags and one carry-on) for each ticket you have purchased.
  
• Arrive at the airport early. Get to the airport more than the usual hour before flight time. You might think it’s a waste of time, but it works for several reasons. First of all, everyone else on the flight is going to check in an hour before the flight and you’ll beat the rush and not have to stand in line near as long. After you’ve breezed through the ticket counter, you’ll have plenty of time to feed and change your baby. Keep in mind that there are no changing stations on the aircraft. If you’ve fed your baby right before the flight, the better the chance he’ll be content and sleep. If you have toddlers, the extra time can be spent luggage-free and letting her run wild to wear herself out. Request an aisle seat if you think your child will get restless so that you will not have to crawl over other passengers to get up to walk the aisle. Don’t be afraid to ask the airline attendant to warm a bottle if you need it. Request to gate check carriers and strollers if you want to keep them with you until you board. By gate checking them you will be able to retrieve them as soon as you step off the plane. As a last resort we have given Elijah small doses of Benadryl to help him sleep on flights. And finally...
  
• Pray.  ‘nuf said.

Karin Mother of two My suggestion when traveling with kids (having flown with 2 babies alone and driven halfway across the country multiple times):

Have things that they love but aren't messy. We watch movies, have snacks, read books, and most importantly nap. Our snacks are special for road trips, so it is a great thing to be in the car for 21+ hours. And my oldest (the one who can talk) picks out the movie. I also am quite entertaining when I am awake, my youngest loves peek-a-boo (very easy to hide behind the front seat).

Andrea Mother of three, ages 6-1/2, 4, and 10 months

I traveled by plane with a baby (four months old) and two others: ages 3 and 6. We selected a direct flight (I think it was a 3 or 4 hour flight), so I wouldn't have to change planes with three kids. The older kids each packed a backpack of snacks (which they had a say in) and activities. I bought a couple of special things (sticker book, word search, picture book) and saved them just for this trip which seemed to keep their interest better than a toy

I made sure we all went to the bathroom right before our flight. I was not about to try and take three kids into an airplane bathroom! We also headed straight for the bathroom after the flight.

After the flight we went to claim our baggage and the older children were able to pull their own suitcases because we invested in the rolling kind with a handle. It worked well because I had my own case and the baby's case in addition to the carry-on stuff to carry. Luckily, my brother-in-law came to pick us up and helped with a couple of cases. Having a cell phone along was great to get in touch with our ride when I did not see him at the baggage claim. I didn't panic, but just found a bench where we could all sit and wait.

My kids like to listen to me read now and then, and if I had to fly again, I'd probably take along a good chapter book to read to them. Some we like are the Boxcar Children and the Magic Tree House series.