You may be surprised at how often babies will sleep to & from
destination. Be sure to have their favorite stuffed animal ready & blanket for trip (also a pacifier & bottle if child is young enough). For babies & toddlers, bring along cassette tapes filled with stories & music that is age appropriate. You can sing along to help entertain them. Other items that you will want to take with you are :
A foldable playpen
An age appropriate car seat
A diaper bag
Something to keep sun out of child抯 eyes
For children ages 1 ? years, bring items to play with. Such items can include: scotch tape, window clings, books, coloring books, crayons, a couple plush animals & finger food.
Be sure to bring out toy at a time. When you get out one toy, put others away. This way items stay new. Switch toys every 10 ?5 minutes (longer if child is older). This keeps toys & books new and exciting. You will want to have at least 12 toys. 12 toys is appropriate for a trip of 12 hours or less. To be on safe side add a couple extra or buy a few at stops on way there. This will allow you to rotate for two hours without having anything boring. You will not need a ton of toys for under a year old, as they will sleep most of way there (at least hopefully ?if you child isn抰 prone to sleeping in car ?you will have to improvise).
You will want someone next to young child at all times to make sure they stay happy during entire trip. It can be upsetting to driver if baby is constantly crying.
For those crying fits: First try
