quick clicks

babies today articles

babies today q&a

toddlers today articles

toddlers today q&a

breastfeed.com articles

breastfeed.com q&a

message boards

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

Baby or Toddler on Board

Planning a Summer Vacation with Small Children

By Jacqueline Bodnar

Other great ideas to try for the kids that are a bit older include these:

• New Magna-doodles for everyone! Or Etch-a-Sketch, or a small dry-erase board with markers (but be aware that the markers can stain clothing, so they aren't the best bet for toddlers).
• A bag of pipe cleaners in different colors is a bargain at about a dollar and can become flowers, jewelry, stick figures – let your kids' creativity run wild so that they won't!
• A "trip bag" for each kid, filled with coloring books or story books, new crayons, games and other fun surprises. (Older kids who are avid readers may do just fine with one to two new novels.)
• Healthy snacks like granola, cereal bars, string cheese and fruit, so you don't have to rely on expensive gas station junk food.

So have fun, but keep in mind that no one idea will be enough to last the entire trip, especially for younger kids. Well-prepared parents always have a "nuclear option" to try when even the most exciting travel goodies fail to keep the kids from fighting and complaining. And if you're headed somewhere sunny don't forget to load on the sunscreen!

Want to see more?

• Swans and Slides: Remembering Simple – and Real – Family Vacations
• Hitting the Road: Preparing for Vacation: Tips to Make Things Go Smoothly for the Whole Family
• From Roughing It to Four-star: What Are the Costs of Family Vacations?
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!