How To Keep The Kids Comfortable

How Not to Lose Your Child!
- In case of separation, every second counts! Carry a recent, full-length photo taken of him in his standard travel outfit (his blue windsuit) - a quick way for people to recognize him in a busy place!

ID for the Kids
- When taking cross country road trips, take small photos of children (school shots, etc.) On the back write their name and age, along with any other information you desire (such as emergency medical, who to notify). Put these in a ziplock baggy and tape to the dash or somewhere noticeable in the vehicle. If an accident were to happen most kids haven't any identifcation like adults do.

Inexpensive Camera
- Buy an inexpensive camera (with flash) for children old enough to use it. The trip is then photographed from the child's prospective. 

Keep Clean and Hydrated on the Plane
- When travelling with children, be sure to pack a change of clothes for yourself. Also it helps to premake airsickness bags at home as the ones the airlines provide are not always there. Another tip - put some cold drinks such as Capri Sun or juice boxes in your carry-on. If your child is thirsty and it will be a while for the drink steward to come down the isle, you will be glad you have them.

Keep Individual Control of Kids in the Airport
- Never hand a child to a fellow passenger or traveler while you go through airport security. Walk through with your children yourself.

Keep it Small
- Do yourself a favor and try to travel with items that can fold up. It just makes everything easier for you, no matter what way you travel or where you go. When you travel by air with kids, everything has to be screened. This means that it must go through the x-ray machines or be visually inspected.

Keeping the Kids Comfortable
- Fill the sippy cup with ice cubes, and put in about 1/2 inch of water. This keeps them getting sips of water for the whole trip, and prevents any major spills from happening. Also, in a carseat, a child's little 'sit-bones' tend to get sore very quickly. A gel-pad that you can get at a bicycle shop will make the journey much more pleasant for everyone.

Keeps the Kids Entertained
- Wrap potato chips, biscuits, raisins etc., and individual bottles of water with plenty of top up water. Fruit doesn't work as well - as I usually find it weeks later stashed behind the booster seats! Also take lots of children's stories and music on tapes, plenty of cheap toys, and new books. Have the kids constantly check out strip maps for you to 'advise you' how far we had gone. Pointing out any sights along the way keeps the kids interest up.

Leave the Noisy Toys at Home
- When selecting toys for your baby or toddler on a long road trip, remember to leave the 'noisy' or 'musical' toys at home. Although they are entertaining, they can be very distracting to the driver (especially anything that sounds even remotely like a police siren) and no matter how much your baby loves 'the cow says moooo', you're going to find yourself ready to throw that toy out the window after a few hundred miles!

MagnaDoodle
- One of the best toys for keeping a toddler occupied on trips is a travel-sized MagnaDoodle. When he drops the 'pen', it is attached by string; there are no pieces to lose; and he doesn't run out of paper. Write easy words on it, and he learns to read them, and gets really excited when he knows one ... or,  draw simple pictures and he figures those out. It should be great for kids of all ages - Mommy & Daddy have fun with it, too!