ÔŞř Child to Go Travel Blog » Car travel
Jan 21

The holidays seem to take a toll on everybody’s schedule, mine especially. This season, we embarked on a 13 hour road trip to St. Louis, Mo. In the past, I have prepared the surprise bags that are given out for good behaviour every couple of hours or 100 miles or so, but we’ve settled into a comfortable routine of watching movies or playing his Leapster to pass the time.

The thing that struck me the most useful on this trip, and I have to say in all past trips, is having their toys, drinks, snacks, etc. within their own reach. I’ve been a big fan of the Taby Tray, which has been useful day in and day out for providing a flat place to have a picnic, draw or imaginary play. But my son doesn’t want it across his lap the whole time. He did want to be able to reach down and grab whatever he was interested in and not have to bug me in the front seat to get it.

It was the first time that I traveled with the Travel Pal. I’ve sold them in my store for car clutter organization, but I didn’t realize their true value was putting my son’s things within his reach. If reaching over the sides of the carseat is too difficult, then I’d recommend the Kangaroo Kiddie. It holds enough to keep a sippy cup, small books or toys. Plus it comes in fun colors such as pink and blue camo.

For the younger travelers, I recommend using one of the tether systems, such as Gigi-Mae or the SippiGrip. They help eliminate the pick-up game that a lot of kids play in the car or stroller.

So the lesson I learned for those long rides, is that if my child can reach his things, the less whining I hear, and everyone arrives much happier.

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Nov 12

The holidays are coming up and families are preparing for long road trips or flights to visit families and friends. So what do you do to entertain the kids for the long trip?

Well it depends on the age.

For Babies: they like access to toys that they can manipulate with their hands to feel and taste. The problem is that they also like to drop them frequently. The Miss Gigi-Mae tether system solves that problem as it can be attached to most car seats, high chairs, strollers, etc. It has four extension hooks that can attach to any item that has a loop or hole. Get babies picture books or link toys like the dingly dangler. Sing songs or play baby lullaby music. They also like finger games like “peek-a-boo” and “this little piggy.” If you have space, blowing bubbles is a great way to entertain babies.

For Toddlers: Travel surprises for milestones on the trip are exciting and can be used to reward good behavior on the trip. If you are traveling by car, you can use it by time, say for each hour or so in the car, they can open one of their surprises or by mileage, when we drive 50 miles they get to pick a surprise. For air travel it could be for boarding the airplane well or for making it through the meal without a fuss or upon landing. The surprises don’t have to be extravagant, a favorite food treat, a puzzle, a small game, or favorite character figurine. They also are old enough to play travel games, like car bingo. You can pick out things by color or by type (i.e. how many gas stations, grocery stores, big trucks). Also having a flat writing surface for coloring or playing their games or even eating a snack can keep them entertained. I prefer the Taby Tray because it is a solid surface and pencils don’t poke through the surface. Having their things in close reach is also important for toddlers. If your carseat doesn’t already have a holder, you can get an attachment like the Side Rider to keep pens and small toys near by or have a larger organizer like the Travel Pal to keep things in order. Games that are good for travel are felt boards or magnetic sets. That way pieces don’t fly all over the place. Hand held toys like figurines or cars are good for travel and easy to put in your bag for trips to restaurants. Also you may want to invest in a portable DVD player to play their favorite shows while on the road. This has saved many hours of sanity in our car and gave the driver (me) the ability to concentrate on the road instead of trying to think of the next song to sing of I Spy game to play.

For Preschoolers: I recommend the same for toddlers. Have a place to spread out their stuff, like with the Taby Tray, but they also can work on workbooks like connect-the-dots, mazes, coloring. They are also old enough for handheld games like the Leapster to keep them busy and learn basic reading and math skills. Drawing and playsets are more interesting to children this age. They are also old enough to look at maps and play more complicated games of car bingo and I Spy. And never forget the sing-a-long. They love the silly songs.

Have fun traveling this season and be safe!

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Oct 16

Traveling is an exciting time for the entire family, and if you are taking a toddler along on the trip, you’ll need to plan ahead with activities, snacks, and all the right tools to stay organized.

Traveling with kids is
much more fun when everyone is well-prepared for the adventure; this
means packing the right items, making sure there are enough activities
to keep the kids busy, and keeping everyone’s safety in mind. Whether
you’re planning a short weekend getaway or a few weeks on a family
vacation, here are some simple tips for traveling with a toddler:

1. Car seats, baby carriers, strollers, and booster seats.
Making sure you have a safe car seat, a stroller and booster seats
available, will make it much easier to travel to different venues with
your toddler. Car seats can ensure a safe drive, while your own
collapsible stroller will make it simple to tour and visit different
areas without having to rent equipment. Leave room in your car to pack
the stroller easily, and take along a booster seat if you have some
extra space. You may also want to bring a sling or baby carrier to
reduce the amount of gear to pack if your child is not too heavy for
you to carry. Most slings can support a child up to 35 lbs. Check with
your sling’s/carrier’s manufacturer for details.

2. Comfortable clothing. The right outfit for
the day of traveling is important, since you want your toddler to be
comfortable and enjoy the experience. Light-colored clothing works
best, especially if you’re traveling to a warmer climate. You’ll want
to pack at least two outfits for the days you’ll be traveling on the
road or in an airplane, as your toddler may spill food and drinks on
their clothes and that will require an outfit change.

3. Diaper bags and accessories. You’ll need a
place to store those extra diaper bags, toys, videos, snacks, and
clothing, so that everything is within easy reach. If you are traveling
by car or van, pick up an organizer bag that you can just hang over the
car seat, or a tote-style box/organizer that you can slip into the
trunk of the car.

4. Puzzles and games. Puzzles and games will
keep your toddler and kids busy during those very long travel times, so
make sure you’re taking along a tote bag of their favorite toys,
coloring books, and games. Games don’t have to contain lots of pieces
when you’re on the road – think about simple activities such as
coloring books with crayons, picture books, and activity books that
will keep them occupied. You also may want to create a surprise bag of
little games/treats for each hour/certain number of miles passed. This
keeps them entertained and wondering what will come next.

5. DVDs and media activities. A portable DVD
player, an iPod, or just a simple CD player are other activities that
can keep your toddler and kids occupied on a long trip. Rent some of
their favorite movies for the DVD player, or just pick up some fun
books on tape for them to listen to. These activities can keep kids
busy for a few hours, and are especially valuable for those extra-long
trips.

6. Snacks and food. Taking along enough snacks
is essential when traveling with kids, especially since you don’t want
to waste lots of money on food and snacks along the way. Packing your
own snacks and food will also ensure that your kids can eat healthy
when traveling, so think of simple and tasty snacks the whole family
can enjoy. Fruit wedges, granola bars, peanut butter sandwiches, and
even homemade trail mix are great foods for traveling, and can make
long hours of traveling much more fun.

7. Immunizations and medical records. If you’re
traveling out of the country, you’ll need to have your kids immunized
against various diseases and conditions, but you’ll also want to have
everyone get a health checkup before leaving and upon your return. Make
an appointment with the doctor or physician at least two to three weeks
before your travel dates, so that everyone can enjoy the trip in the
best of health.

8. Passports, visas, and identity cards. Make
sure you have all of the paperwork and materials you will need for your
travel plans well ahead of time, and pack all of these in a separate
case for easy access. All of your personal records need to be in an
easily accessible place in case of emergency, so be sure to make a
place for these and keep them on close-at-hand during your trip.

Whether you’re traveling
on a long road trip or taking an airplane ride with your kids, making
sure they are comfortable, safe, and enjoying the experience should be
a top priority. Stay organized and plan ahead, using all of these
simple strategies, so that you can deliver a fun vacation the whole
family will enjoy!

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