Traveling with kids: What’s your secret?

[gandas]

Hello from the editors of Parenting.com! We want to hear from you. What’s your trick for navigating theme parks? What do you do to keep kids amused on the plane? What’s your most surprising must-pack item? We want to hear ALL your best travel tips, from what makes your life easier to what keeps your kids smiling. Our favorite tips will be featured in an upcoming issue of Parenting magazine!

[sarahdennisscott]

What’s your most surprising must-pack item?

My 15 month-old son is obsessed with tissue boxes... pulling the tissues all out and stuffing them back in. I took two bright-colored washcloths and cut them into strips and squares. He likes this much better and the pieces don't shred. He plays with it it the car, in the grocery, the stroller, etc.

Spoons in a mason jar (or plastic cup on the go) are a big hit in our home right now. The spoons go in and out, in and out. Then, he likes to hear his voice echo in the glass jar when it's empty.

[gandas]

I love the tissue box idea! Why is it so fun for kids to pull tissues out (and unroll toilet paper)?

[ChaumtoliHuq]

I bring a new book or toy and take it out when my son gets bored with his regular toys. The novelty of the new book or toy keeps him occupied for the flight.

[AAS2007]

Generally my baby is a happy girl, but not so when stuck in the back in her car seat. Therefore, when my husband and I plan on traveling for an hour or more I will pump a bottle of breastmilk before we leave and sit in the back seat with her. This helps when she starts to get fussy. I have even taken my breast pump on long trips in the car and pumped as my husband drove. It makes it easier than having to stop and the milk is always the right temperature!

[soph_joles]

Back in June of 2006, my family and I moved to Pennsylvania from NewHampshire. We traveled by car w/ my, now 5 year old Jolie and now 18 month old Sophia.
The trip was 12 hours long, ugh! I knew the estimated time of the trip so I decided to pack a cooler for a picnic. Around 4 hours into the drive, we pulled into a rest area on the side of the highway. My youngest wasn't quite old enough to enjoy it but my oldest was. She loved the idea that we could still do something nice and relaxing as a family, even when enduring such a long boring ride. My youngest, Sophia, strangely enough became car sick. I had brought bottles of water, some cold some not and used the warmer ones to cool her off on rest stops and the cold ones to let her sip on. When the bottles were empty, they'd keep her entertained to a decent amount of time.

[slbentle]

When flying with my baby I breastfed her during take off and landing to help her ears pop. It worked great and was very soothing to her and I am sure my neighbors who did not have to listen to a crying baby!

[proud_momma3]

When traveling with our three boys, the best way we found to keep them intertained was to buy a portable dvd player. The long drive is more bearable when they have Blues Clues or Spongebob to watch.

[iloveoandj]

My boobs. I fear traveling with my son after he weans. He is great on flights as long as he can nurse.

[SpinMom]

We took a cruise with my entire family with my then 7 month old son. We brought things we didn't need and didn't bring things we could have really used. The cruise line provided a crib, but we should have brought our own pop up, because the crib they provided was the old fashioned metal type with bars... he woke up screaming one night because his leg was stuck between the bars. We had to improvise and used sheets tied tightly to secure him in the crib. We brought his deluxe stroller, and although it folds up, it was still very large and difficult to maneuver through the narrow doorways... we should have just brought the umbrella stroller with an attachable diaper bag. By the way, my son was eating baby food and formula only (both of which we brought with us), but his cost to travel was the same price as an adult. The cruise line offers child care, but only for potty trained children over 2 years old. Our cruise was planned before I was even pregnant, or I would have definitely postponed it until he was at least a couple of years old.

[winslowtribe]

I pack little sandwich baggies full of cherrios for my 2 and 4 year olds it's a great thing to pull out from the side pocket on my car door just as the kids start to get cranky. WE also pack two small backpacks (we got from ordering Dr Seuss books) with toy cars, babies, and books the kids love picking out the toys they want to take with them and pulling the toys in and out of there packs while in the car.

[oasisannie]

I got this tip from another mom and it was the best. When we travel by plane, I buy a 50 or 100 pack of pipe cleaners! They are all different colors, they are silent, don't smell, aren't sticky, and can be made into countless shapes like letters, numbers, stick figures, bend them together to form bracelets, silly glasses etc. And if you drop them and lose a few, it doesn't matter. We even gave some to other kids on the plane to play with and the parents were so grateful. My kids (ages 2 and 5) loved playing with pipe cleaners and they are readily available at any craft store or dollar store.

[doncobeth]

We have travelled a lot with our 5 year old daughter. A portable dvd player has been wonderful for those long car drives! We also play a lot of games - eye spy, 'how many McDonald's signs/cows/white trucks (substitute whatever fits!) can we see - and sing a lot (it's always fun to make up songs once you've had enough of 'Old Mcdonald's farm' and 'the wheels on the bus'! A few weeks before we go I take a few small toys out of her toy box and hide them away - by the time we leave they are 'new' again, and she will play happily with them. I pick up sticker and activity books on special when I see them, and they also keep her happily entertained on planes, trains or long stops. I pack A LOT of food (healthy stuff that isn't going to hype her up too much), as well as a few treats. Etch-a-sketch is great (don't lose pencils down the sides of the seats), and a 'felt shapes' set has also provided hours of entertainment by letting her create pictures. With a bit of forethought, travelling with kids needn't make you pull your hair out, though it still will on occassions!

[BCMomma]

I wish to delete this post, thank you.

[hotmomof2]

To keep my kids qieut on car rides, I give them sippy cups. this is a great way to make sure they drink enough water throughout the day because they have nothing else to do. Most of the time, they drink atleast 1/2 a sippy cup per ride each. Sometimes i'll try to sneak in healthy foods like carrot sticks. They're usually too busy looking out the window to notice that they're eating something healthy.