by Tiffany Savener

Created on: September 15, 2007

As a parent, it's essential to be able to feel that you can travel with your child. My on-the-go family, which includes a young two-year-old and an older three has logged over 60 hours of car time in the last 8 months and survived to tell about it! Here are my best tips for making the most of your time in the car:

1) BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR GREAT TRAVEL TOYS

If you are planning a trip or like to travel frequently, be on the lookout for toys and books that travel easily all the time. Toys that we prefer have the following characteristics:

a) the toys are fairly quiet
b) our toddler can manage to work all the parts herself
c) they have multiple aspects of interest to engage our little ones
d) they aren't messy
e) there are no small parts to choke on or get lost

Here are some examples of toys that have worked well in the car with our toddler:
- a small baby doll and bottle, a musical steering wheel, car keys, a toy phone, Crayola "Model Magic" clay (it doesn't stick to the seats!), Magic Markers that only color on special paper (removed the lids to make them toddler safe), big board books with lots of colorful objects, a magna doodle, lift the flap books, puppets, a medium sized rubber ball, toddler toys from McDonald's Happy Meals, etc.

Your child might receive a birthday gift that would make a great travel toy, you might find some at the dollar store, the dollar area of Target, or on your own toy shelves. Once you find some toys and books that look good, set them out of the way so that they will be new to your child when it's time to hit the road.

We give each girl a cookie sheet to use as a lap tray during the trip, along with paper and crayons in her own little tote bag.

2) WRAP IT UP

Give your child a few toys at the start of the trip, but wrap the rest and keep them out of site. Let your toddler know that if he or she is good in the car, a special "present." We stop every 2 hours or so to let the girls stretch and run around, and unless they have really behaved very badly, they earn a "new" toy. Bad behavior is quite rare in our car - they really look forward to the toy. The unwrapping provides an element of surprise and occupies them for a few more minutes. We don't hand out the wrapped toys until the car is in motion and whatever snack was planned for the stop has been eaten. Don't forget to save some new things for the trip home!

3) AVOID FATIGUE AND HUNGER

Every parent knows that low blood sugar and being overtired will make even the most angelic child into a force

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