New Blog: Kids, Cars and Holiday Travel

The pantry is filled with leftover Halloween candy and what do we all get to face now? THE HOLIDAYS!!!

I think that Halloween was strategically planned for just before the busiest time of the year so that when you are stressed, you have the bowl of leftover Halloween candy to provide a little refuge. Ah, the holidays. This is my favorite time of year (which at the same time can be the most stressful).

As a new mom of 2 little ones, I know I am going to have a full plate this year.  My biggest worry is how to survive the travel involved during the holidays. Growing up we never celebrated the holidays at home. We were packed up in the family car with presents stuffed under our feet and any other free space that was in the car and battled the holiday traffic for 5 plus hours to my grandparent’s house.

I can hear the National Lampoon’s Vacation “Holiday Road” theme song just thinking back to those road trips. As for things to keep me busy during the long drives, I had my little brother and the game of fitting fallen presents back into the puzzle of gifts and luggage that surrounded us in the backseat. Oh and how could I forget the family dog that was somehow sandwiched between my brother and I? Not a whole lot to entertain ourselves, our best bet was to sleep as much as possible.

Now that I am on the receiving end of the “Are we there yet?” as we pull out of the driveway, I plan to have my bag of tricks ready for the little ones. As a travel agent, I have many clients inquire as to how to keep the kids entertained while en route to their vacation destination.

My best advice is to find travel toys that are quiet, engaging, and small enough to pack. With that in mind it is also important to find toys/activities that will enhance creativity, stimulate the imagination, develop fine motor skills and foster learning. Finding toys that meet at least one of those criteria are more likely to occupy kids for longer stretches of time.

In preparation for the upcoming holiday trips I have compiled a list of suggested travel toys. These are great for surviving holiday travel as well as great gift ideas!

* Peek-A-Boo Bag- Peek-a-Boo Bags are 6' square bags that are filled with a variety of objects and filler material that provide “squishable” entertainment for all ages.  Shake and squish it to spot all the objects through the window. Each bag includes a snap tag that lists everything to find. Create your own games such as find something blue, find something that rhymes with…, or tell stories with the pieces that you find. The possibilities are endless.

* Mini Tin Games by Haba- Enjoy some favorite games such as Memory in miniature versions enclosed in a small tin, perfect for travel.

* Magnetic Play Mats- These magnetic play mats come in a variety of scenes and come with 58 magnet pieces that can be moved around to create stories.

* Melissa and Doug Magnetic Picture Maker- This self-contained magnetic picture maker is great for on the go entertainment. All of the brightly colored discs stay within the board and are moved by using the attached magnetic wand. Select a design from 6 double-sided picture cards or create-your-own!

* Desk To Go Set- The Desk to Go Art Set is a carry-along tote with handle that opens up to a large, sturdy surface perfect for coloring, drawing and writing. Within the Desk to Go there are 2 big zipper pockets for art supplies and a large drawing pad for many artistic creations.

* Travel N Doodle- A soft, portable drawing toy that doesn’t make a mess and never runs out. Just add water and let your creativity flow in red and blue. Then watch your drawing disappear like magic. This is a great compact toy you can take anywhere!

* Skwish- This toy is perfect to engage your baby’s visual and tactile curiosity. Not only do the beads slide, but the entire toy “skwishes” when babies play with it.

* Slamwich- This fast-paced card game is perfect to play on the go! Flip and stack the cards to build slamwiches and double-deckers. Players will attempt to collect all of the cards while watching out for thieves and munchers that are out to steal the cards. First player to collect all of the cards wins!

* Whoozit- This award winning toy offers babies bright colors, hidden noise makers, and a variety of textured fabrics to keep little hands very busy while on the go.

* Scratch Art- Looking for something other than a drawing pad for your kids to create their masterpieces on? These black-coated scratch boards will take their creativity through the roof! Kids can use the wooden stylus to trace stencil shapes or etch their own drawings to reveal holographic silver and a variety of colors with amazing effects.

Have a travel toy that is essential for your survival when traveling with the kids? Please share what is in your bag of tricks!