TGIF

So sorry to keep you waiting, but traveling to the Outer Banks for our annual family vacation and setting up our computer took longer than anticipated, so here is Friday's post.

Great Tips For Traveling With Kids of Any Age:

1. Be Prepared. Make sure sure that your diaper bag is fully stocked with all the basic necessities like diapers, wipes, snacks, bottles, sippy cups, change of clothes etc. and that it is accessible and easy to reach when you are in the car and when you stop. Make sure that your diaper bag also includes a medicine pouch with band-aids, Motrin and other items that may prove useful if your child starts teething while on the road or accidentally gets a bee sting while at a rest stop. Put a cooler in your car as well and fill it with snacks and cold drinks for both parents and kids. This can be a real time saver while on the road and sometimes the options for where to eat are slim and not the healthiest.

2. Car Entertainment. Stock up prior to your trip on some new small toys that your child can play with while in his car seat. If you have a DVD player in your car or a portable one, purchase a new DVD for your child as well. The novelty of these new toys and new videos can be lifesavers for when you get stuck in traffic or your child just gets plain old bored and cranky from sitting in his car seat for too long.

3. Time Your Trip. If your child is on a set napping schedule, try to schedule your departure for when your child needs to nap. For example, our son naps everyday from 11am-2pm so when we need to drive a long distance somewhere, we wake up and start our day at home the usual way-breakfast, playing outside or a trip to the park to tire the little guy out and then a big snack, a bottle, and a diaper change before we get into the car to head out. Within the first fifteen minutes our son dozes off and sleeps for the first few hours of the car trip. Once our son wakes up we schedule another stop at a restaurant, a rest area with picnic tables (we pack a picnic lunch in our cooler) or a fast food joint if that is the only option. Stopping and getting out of the car, even if it is only for half an hour, does wonders for a traveling child's demeanor. Our son likes to stop and eat and stretch his legs. Lots of rest areas have grassy picnic areas where he can run around for a few minutes after lunch before getting back into the car and many McDonalds include play spaces where kids can get their energy out.

4. Plan Your Route. We all plan our route ahead of time and with all of the modern GPS technologies out there it is not hard to navigate your route. If your car does not have a navigation system in it, make sure you have a map of the area where you will be traveling and alternate routes mapped out as well in case roads are closed or there is an accident somewhere along the way. You can also plan your route according to where you will make scheduled stops. For example, when we drive REALLY long distances, like to Florida, we find malls along the way that offer a lot of resources for us when we stop. We can all get out of the car and eat at a restaurant and the stimulation of walking around a new setting with lots of new things to look at, not only gives the adults eyes a break from the monotony of driving, but for our son it is enough stimulation to keep him from getting too cranky while traveling.

Employ this strategies the next time you are traveling with kids and see how it makes your ride a little easier and little more enjoyable.