Just under a month ago we took our first extended road trip with our two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Before hitting the road we asked for tips and trips to help us survive. You delivered and in this post we’ll share the most popular tips. In future posts we’ll share specifics on some of the products we tried while on the road plus share links to online resources.

Have Car Seats Inspected
Sure you may have had your car seat for quite a while, but are you sure it’s installed correctly? Why not plan to have it checked before heading out for a long drive. Check out www.usa.safekids.org for more information and a directory of inspection station.

Allow Plenty of Extra Time
I was surprised by how much extra time we needed. It seemed like we were constantly stopping for one reason or another. Just accept that your trip will take much longer than your GPS or Google Maps says it will, particularly if you’re traveling with young children. And no matter why you’re stopping, be sure to let everyone out of the car as much as possible.

Know Where You’re Going
Again, this may seem obvious, but trust me when I say that the last thing you want to do is get lost during the middle of a tantrum. And there will be tantrums. Even if you have a GPS unit, make sure you have paper maps just in case.

We had a GPS, but we also packed a copy of Drive I-95. This unique flipbook let’s you know what amenities are available at each exit on I-95 from Massachusetts to Florida and also includes information on radar traps, select attractions and more. If you’re traveling on I-95, you need this book, it’s that simple. I’m a huge fan of technology, but when we needed gas or wanted to figure out which exit was best for the next rest stop, this book was simply faster to use than the GPS.

Pack Surprise/Activity Bags
This was the most common recommendation, and one that that my parents used when I was a kid. Basically you fill a bag with small surprises (think dollar store) for each child. These can be handed out at regular intervals or as rewards for certain behavior (”I need you to be quiet for the next 15 minutes while we get back to the interstate…”) Just be sure to choose gifts that can be used in the car. For example, books are a great idea, but only if your child doesn’t get carsick while reading.

Bring a Digital Camera for Your Kids
Many people suggested letting kids use a digital camera to create a record of the trip themselves.  One person also suggested using taking pictures of a favorite doll or toy in various places along the way.

While you may let older kids use your primary camera, you may want to pick up a “disposable” digital camera or find a used one on craigslist. There are also several “kid-friendly” digital cameras available for younger travelers. We took the VTech Kidizoom camera for a test run on our trip and will post a full review soon.

Portable DVD Players are Awesome!
Ok, I could argue about the importance of quality family time, but there were times on the trip when the portable DVD player really helped calm our daughter down. She was most happy with familiar movies, a plus because she could still follow the movie even with the sound turned down fairly low. The low volume allowed us to continue to interact with her while she watched. Of course, you may also want to bring headphones along.

Bring Along Some Good Music
We had a lot of good suggestions on music titles and we tried them all. We’ll go into more details in a future post, but for now let me just say that you want to be sure that whatever music you bring won’t drive YOU crazy. And don’t be afraid to scour your own music library for songs; “Our House” by Madness is now one of our daughter’s favorite songs.

Play Games
Ok, this may seem obvious, but how many of us tend to focus on the destination rather than the drive. Our 2.5 year old was quite capable of playing “I Spy” and we had a blast. If your kids are older, try the Alphabet game.

If your kids require a little more stimulation, consider age-appropriate travel games. For example, games like iPlay’s Tote-Along Travel Game and imaginetics magnetic Travel Picture Bingo are more involving than simple verbal games, but much more family-friendly than  portable video games. Just be sure that whatever travel games you choose are actually car friendly: Nobody wants to deal with a game that has to end because a piece is lost or the board gets bumped.

One last “game” suggestion that deserves mentioning is letting kids use Colorforms on the car windows. What a great idea! I didn’t know you could still buy Colorforms, but it looks like there’s a whole range of products available, including travel sets.

Avoid Sugary Snacks
The only thing worse than a cranky kids strapped into the back seat is a hyper kid strapped into the back seat. So be sure to pack snacks that are nutritious but not loaded with sugar. Finding snacks that fit the bill and are also car-friendly proved much harder than we though. Sure, we had fruit and crackers, but we also wanted some variety. We took along some Fruitabü organic smooshed fruit (think healthy and MUCH less sticky fruit roll-ups) as well as a selection of Snacktrition nut products. Due to our daughter’s age, the later wound up being enjoyed by my wife and me. And while I liked all of them, the Snacktrition cashews stood out from the others. They are simply the best I’ve ever had, especially the salt and pepper flavor.  They’re also a great source of nutrients and are “health baked with fiber,” but when they taste this good, who cares!

For drinks we brought fruit juice to mix with water (does anybody buy the pre-cut juice?) as well as Horizon singles milk. The later are shelf-stable (no refrigeration required), single-serve milk boxes available in plain, vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate flavors.  Unfortunately our daughter proved that while she’s good at drinking from a box, she’s even better at squeezing or shaking the liquid all over herself, so it looks like we’ll be using sippy cups on the road for a while still.

Have Fun!

I originally added this so I’d have a nice neat list of ten items, but it really does have a purpose. Put more than one person in a small space for an extended period of time and it’s very likely nerves are going to get frayed. If there are family members in the group, then it’s guaranteed.  Making sure that there are fun things for everyone on the trip will help keep everyone happy. Just remember to enjoy the time you have and stay calm through the rough spots.

I’d like to thank everyone who submitted ideas, including:

• Chris Cochran – California Office of Traffic Safety
• Meagan Farrell- cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com
• Shel Horowitz – www.frugalfun.com
• Lisa Kothari – www.pepperspollywogs.com
• Lisa “Chase”  Patterson & Joan Vokes – www.justanswer.com
• Jenny Reed – www.ourcruiseplanner.com
• Sharon Silver – www.proactiveparenting.net

Have more travel tips to share? Please add them below.

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Visit www.211nh.org to learn more. On the site you can also view the list of available information. Click on “Find Help” in the menu and you’ll see the following major categories:

• Basic Needs,
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• Criminal Justice and Legal Services
• Education
• Environmental Quality
• Health Care
• Income Security
• Individual and Family Life
• Mental Health Care and Counseling
• Organization/Community/International Services
• Target Populations

There are a variety of ways to search the categories, or you can enter your zip code and browse for resources specific to your community. Using the browse feature, it took me less than a minute to find the state office responsible for day care licensing.

With access to important information literally a few button presses away, 211 New Hampshire is a resource that all New Hampshire residents should know about.

Those two words bring back childhood memories. Whether it was a trip to visit my grandparents or the mother-of-all road trips to Disney World, the time spent in the car was almost always as memorable as the time at the destination. But somewhere along the way, the thrill of the road trip disappeared as I grew older. As a teen it just wasn’t “cool” to spend that much time with my family (if I could go back and smack my teen-self upside the head I would). Now as an adult, I’d rather keep travel time to a minimum so I can spend more time with my family at our destination.

But lately I’ve been thinking about road trips again. Sure, increasing airline ticket prices are a factor, but the thought of spending time together on the road as a family is also appealing. Perhaps my memories of childhood trips are colored by nostalgia or maybe I’m just crazy. We’ll know the answer soon enough because in mid-September we’re driving down the East Coast to visit family.

You can help.

We’re looking for ideas to make our daughter’s first family road trip as memorable as possible. We’d like to hear what tips, tricks and products you use on your family road trips. Post them below or e-mail . We’ll be trying them out during our approximately 20 hours on the road and sharing our experiences.

We’d also like to hear stories from your road trips, either from your childhood or traveling as a parent. Please post them in the comments below.

We look forward to hearing from you.

However, even though I held up my end of the bargain this last holiday travel season, I was greeted at my destination with no luggage. Still, I tried hard to keep it together. So I would have to buy some soap and new underwear, eventually, I thought, I would get my things back. But then I realized – one of the pieces missing was my child’s car seat.

Parents, I’m writing this as a warning. This is how United Airlines dealt with me. Scratch that: this is how United Airlines treated my child. When I asked them to provide me with a loaner, they said they had none. They did check with another airline (Northwest) and they did not have a suitable option either. This is basically the conversation that followed:

Me: It is illegal for me to drive away from this airport with my child without putting her in a car seat. What do you expect me to do?

United Agent: I’m sorry, I understand, but there is nothing more I can do for you

Me: Can’t you coordinate something with one of the rental car agencies? Surely they have car seats you could borrow?

United Agent: Ma’am, you are welcome to check with them but I do not have the authority to do that.

Me: Will United pay for any costs that I incur?

United Agent: You can call this number and ask them, but I have no idea.

Me: (Stunned look).

Still stunned by United’s inability to manage an issue that they created I trudged over to one of the rental car counters and asked if they had a car seat I could rent. The kid at the counter said yes but could only give me one if I rented a car (which I did not need). After much begging and pleading he went against his company policy and gave me a car seat for no charge. I only had to promise to bring it back the next day before his boss came to work so that he wouldn’t get in trouble. I happily agreed and did return the car seat before his boss found out.

A few points to note:

First, I know it’s appalling to some not to put your child in a car seat on a plane. And honestly, this incident has forced me to think about that a bit more. I assumed since airlines often cite safety as a reason it enforces so many rules that they know what they are talking about when they say it’s optional. It’s tricky when the seats are all different sizes and availability is scattered. Still, I’m rethinking our previous approach to flying as a family.

Second, we had a plane change in Chicago – which is a busy airport – granted! However, my husband’s bag made it, which proved to me that while it was possible for them to transfer our luggage, they simply did not. Third, it took United two full days to give us back our car seat and the rest of our luggage. My husband and I had many conversations with United’s baggage loss department and one agent said to me many times that it was always at the baggage handler’s discretion on whether or not our luggage would be put on the next flight. Weren’t these the same people who didn’t do the job right the first time? The fact that they were holding our car seat made no difference to them.

It’s appalling to me that United had no solution for us when, in my opinion, there are several procedures they could put into place to deal with these issues. One would be to implement better luggage transfer processes (Weren’t they supposed to do that as part of this homeland security thing anyway?). Next they could have loaner car seats available at airports – maybe a stash that all the airlines could use? Or they could contract with the rental car agencies to borrow car seats from them when needed. Certainly airlines should be able to coordinate something with them directly instead of forcing their passengers to go begging. If that was in place, this poor car rental agent wouldn’t have had to put his line on the job to make up for United’s mishap. Finally, I have to say if airlines can’t handle this task, they should require infants and children who fly with them to purchase a seat and to be in an approved car seat.

This incident was a huge eye opening incident for me. At the end of it all, I’m not just re-evaluating the airlines luggage policies, but also their overall disregard for their young travelers. Safety does not seem to be of any concern for them. And while I used to trust that they must know what they are talking about when they say children can sit on laps (if they are under 2) and that if they have a seat, a car seat is optional, I can no longer take them at their word. For my part, I won’t check our car seat again. At worst, I will gate check it. They just can’t be trusted with something so important.

As a frequent traveler, I can accept lost luggage as I have come to accept all of the other annoyances that are part of flying. Like all of those things, I figure out how to compensate. But when I trusted them with something that is a legal safety requirement for my child I had expected them to respect it. I did my part, why can’t they do theirs?

Since my daughter was born we have taken several airplane trips. In fact, this Christmas season will be her seventh. Since she’s under two, and since airfares are outrageous when you fly into the Midwest, we are once again going to take advantage of the “lap policy” (where any child under two can ride on the lap of a full fair adult for free). So when my husband pointed out an article on Kiplingers.com titled Traveling with Tots: A survival guide, I was all over it.

This author gives good advice. Whether you have traveled with a child before or if this is your first time, I encourage you to read this article. Some tips I thought were notable:

• Know the Rules!
  This is especially true for flyers. I personally believe that given the liquid guidelines, travelers with children are scrutinized even more heavily. I don’t know how many bottles of hand sanitizer I have lost because I didn’t put them in the quart size bag. The fact is, the rules are the rules and they change – frequently – so do yourself and your child a favor and know what you’re getting into before you head to the airport.
• Come prepared… for anything.
  This is very true. I try so hard to pack carefully and conservatively when I travel, but when my daughter is with me I must be ready for any possibly scenario. One of the best suggestions I got (and included here) was lollipops! They are brilliant – especially on a plane. My daughter is just now old enough to handle them (with my supervision) and I appreciate how they make us all happy.
• Research, research, research.
  For example, know where the play areas are in the airports that you’re traveling through. These are fabulous! Manchester airport has one by the United gates. It’s great to work off a little energy before getting on the plane. But make sure to watch your kids. I had an experience with my daughter when an older more aggressive child took over the toys that my smaller and less aggressive daughter was trying to play with. The person supervising the child didn’t seam to notice or mind. So I had to remove my daughter. Bummer!

Other tips I would offer:

• Pay no mind to the dirty looks.
  People can be so rude – especially on planes. I know I can be crabby too after all the hassle I’ve been put through just to get myself into a tiny seat that may or may not get me to my destination as scheduled. But if your child acts up and/or starts to cry and people start to give you a dirty look, or if they snap at you because your kid is kicking their seat… take a deep breath and remember that before you had kids you too thought that a child on a plane was completely controllable and that a parent with any skill could stop bad behavior if they only wanted to badly enough. You know better now. So take pity on this clueless person with the dirty looks and trust that Karma will catch up with them one day.
• Buy a cheap stroller to gate check.
  I have a friend who has lost 3 strollers to rushed baggage handlers. Imagine arriving at your transfer airport (like O’Hare) expecting to be able to plop your child and a few carry-ons into your stroller so that you can more easily and more safely run from one end of the airport to the other, only to find that the wheels on your stroller have been snapped off. Such an event is tragic for many reasons, but now imagine that the stroller cost you over $200. And there is no recourse! Remember that little tag you had to sign before the gate agent tagged your stroller for gate check? It says they are not responsible for any damage. We went to Target and bought an umbrella stroller for $15. Ironically it has never been damaged. But if it is, other than having to carry my child around the airport, I’m not at any great loss.
• If you check your car seat buy a bag for it.
  I bought an Eddie Bauer car seat bag for ours and it’s great for a couple of reasons. First, it protects the car seat. I know that is silly, given that it’s meant to go through a little wear and tear, but take a look at what your luggage goes though – busted zippers, rips, tears. I would hate for my daughters car seat to arrive with a broken harness, or buckle. Second, you are allowed to check a car seat for free – even if the child is on your lap – and it doesn’t count as part of your 2 pieces of luggage (which can’t be over 50 lbs!). So you can put the car seat in the bag and then you’ve got loads of room for extra stuff (remember the tip on being prepared for anything – this means you’ll have lots of stuff!). You can fill the extra space with sweaters, diapers, blankets, or anything that isn’t too fragile. It’s great!

So if your family, like mine, is taking to the skies this holiday season, I send you off with these good thoughts. I wish you short security lines, helpful TSA agents, looks that say “what a cute child” rather than “oh gosh, please don’t sit next to me!”, play areas close to your gate, naps that commence with take off and end at touch down, an open seat in your row, and most of all, a safe arrival of you and your little ones at your destination.

Happy Holiday Traveling!

Fortunately, Hannaford didn’t cave in to pressure and the program is still going. The program is the focus of “Three-Star Snacks in Aisle Five,” in the November 12, 2007 issue of Newsweek. The article provides a good introduction to the program and, proving once again that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, details a similar program being rolled out soon by another grocery chain.

So what are your experiences with the program? Do you find it useful?