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A month from today many families will be boarding a plane or loading the car for a long journey to visit family. The time together is great, but as the hours tick by and bored, cramped kids become unhappy, stir-crazy kids as well you will swear to your spouse that you are staying home next year. Here are some tips culled from my own nine-hour car trips and numerous flights home as well as other well-traveled families.
The "dollar store." All of them stock maze books, doodle pads, day-glow pens, magnetic games, sticker books and plastic everything from snakes to dolls. Hand your child something new each hour you're on the road. They may not cherish these toys for years to come, but it's a cheap way to keep them occupied. (Beware of packing anything with lots of little pieces that can get dropped between car or plane seats and result in your kids whining or you doing advanced yoga in order to find them.)
Bubbles. A friend of mine said her mother always keeps bubbles in her purse to distract crying babies she encounters. She's right. Most babies and toddlers will smile and laugh as they try to catch those floating, mysterious creatures. Fellow passengers on a plane may think the airline has some weird tribute to Lawrence Welk, but most adults would prefer a few bubbles to a screaming baby.
Electronic games. We have a hand-held electronic Hangman and Connect Four game that my kids play with only on the plane or long car trips. As soon as we come home I stash them away for the next trip so they don't get sick of them. Target sells these titles along with Simon, Boggle, baseball, basketball and others for $10 to $14 each.
Sticker books. Most bookstores carry a wide array of these paperback books with more than a hundred bright stickers to place on pages of different backgrounds. Choose from dogs, horses, trains, fairy tales, outer space, insects, sea creatures and many more. Take about 10 minutes before you hand them to toddlers to peel off the edges around the stickers so it's much easier for their little hands to grab just the sticker itself.
Books on tape. The library has racks full of children's stories recorded on tape and you can check out the book with it, too. Or make your own by recording yourself reading.
Car TVs. I know it seems awful, but we use one and so do many others who own or borrow the little televisions that can plug into a cigarette lighter and play video after video. You could tape a few episodes of Arthur or whatever your child likes watching. I felt a little better after talking to one of the doctors who was on the American Academy of Pediatrics committee that two years ago urged parents to seriously curtail how much TV kids watch. "I don't think it is inherently bad to watch television in the car," said Dr. Michael Rich. "Your options may be the TV or having the kids tear each other's hair out." Just make sure they don't expect to watch four straight hours at home, he added.
Make stops. You may add an extra hour on your trip, but the overall journey will be much better if you go in a fast-food joint or restaurant for lunch. Or let the kids run around the souvenir shop for 10 minutes when you stop for gas.
Car games. Cow counting: Each side of the car competes to see who can count more cows but you lose them all if you pass a graveyard. Scavenger hunt: Make a list of things such as a green truck, picture of a tiger, hitchhiker, etc. Then see who can spot the most. ABCs: Look for the alphabet in order on billboards, road signs and license plates. State search: Who can find the most states' license plates.