Traveling with babies or children can be a nightmare. Here are some tips for parents on how to keep kids entertained and out of mischief and babies happy and calm on long drives.

1) Pack a baby bag

Be sure to bring everything you need to keep your baby happy, comfortable, and calm. Pacifiers, comfortable blankets, toys, milk or baby food, diapers, baby wipes and tissues, plus a first aid kit with baby pharmaceuticals is a must for even short trips.

2) Toys

For toddlers and older children, pack some of their most suitable toys for the trip, or buy a few cheaper ones. Keep tabs on your stash of toys and ration them throughout the trip so your kids don’t get bored with them right away and your car, train carriage, or airline row of seats isn’t littered with discarded toys.

3) Games and Activities

Portable video game consoles, DVD and MP3 players, or low-tech travel chess and checkers can keep older kids engrossed for hours, but it’s worth learning some good traditional games and activities like I-spy, peek -a-boo, songs, storytelling,

4) The three R’s

Why not take advantage of the hours of travel to broaden the mind of your children? Pack reading and coloring books to keep your kids busy and educate them at the same time. If you are traveling by road, have the children count how many animals they can see, such as cows, sheep, dogs, horses, or how many cars of each color you pass, but keep the numbers low so as not to bore the children.

Follow these tips and hopefully you will have a pleasant trip without complaints, bad tempers, tantrums, fights or mischief from your little ones.