by Monica Tunnell

Created on: November 08, 2008   Last Updated: November 16, 2008

Having children in the car with you can be an enjoyable experience if you come prepared with all you need to make it a successful ride. If you fail to do this, it will not be comfortable for you or your children. Depending on the length of time you will be in the car, and the ages of your children, there are some essentials that you will need to have with you. If you have young children or babies, you will want to make sure you have some basics like a change of clothes, diapers, bottles, formula/milk, a sipper cup, and some visual stimuli to make your young child's time more relaxing and engaging. If you do not spend a large amount of time on the phone, a plethora of children's music selections would be beneficial as well.

If your children are older, you will need things to keep them occupied depending on their interests. After trying many different approaches, I have found that a designated "car bag" for each child seems to work well. This way, your car will not be overpowered by stray toys and toy parts. I have one toddler and one older child and have packed their bags accordingly. Each has a selection of different activities within their bags. The toddler has a few toys that engage his hand-eye coordination skills such as portable shape sorters, and puzzle books. He also has the mess free Color Wonder markers so that he is able to scribble away without me worrying about marks on my interior or melting crayons. A portable DVD player always works well for this age group too. My older son has a book, a portable game book, a travel trivia book and a GameBoy. These are great for short trips and errands around town. If you want to travel farther than your city limit though, you will need more than these basic supplies.

Recently, we traveled across the U.S. in a car, and preparing for this trip was a bit more challenging. For this, we made sure to include two bags per child. One of the bags was for half of the trip and the other was to be switched out when boredom began to set in. Because we were traveling across the U.S., I wanted my oldest to learn about the states we were passing through. Highlights produces a fabulous set of books called, Which Way U.S.A.?, which we brought along for the ride. I chose each state we would be passing through and distributed the books when we hit the state line. It took most of the drive through each state to complete the book and then we were able to move on to the next one. My son was learning about the states and having fun at the same time. In addition, he would share his newly acquired knowledge with others in the car, helping us learn at the same time. Our toddler was able to enjoy many, many books along the way also.

Another company, ThinkFun, makes wonderful travel logic puzzles that are extremely engaging for all ages. These have kept us busy in the car, in food establishments and in doctor's offices. They fit nicely in the bag, and I recommend all of them for families. Sometimes the adults find these as engaging as the kids!

Traveling in the car does not have to be a chore. My children love it. But they only love it because I make it enjoyable for them. If I did not equip them with the proper equipment, they would find it dull and boring. Make sure that you remember to stock up for those little ones. It will make their car experience, and yours just a little more enjoyable. Oh, and don't forget that digital camera!

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