Whether it’s a short trip to the store, or a longer trek across the country, traveling with young children can be an ordeal. The key to keeping both parents and children happy is planning ahead.

Food Never Fails

Keep their stomachs full. You can’t expect children to travel long distances on empty stomachs. Bring snacks and either sippy cups for toddlers, or sports bottles for older children. Don’t fill those cups with juice or soda pop; that’s a good way to encourage tooth decay. Water keeps best in a hot or cold car, especially when replenished with ice at every stop.

Bring a cooler to keep formula or breastmilk cold. Pack the cooler with fruit, cereal, peanut butter, bread, cheese, crackers, carrot sticks and any other snacks you think will keep for a couple of days.

Size Matters

If you own a car, consider renting a minivan for longer trips. Having room to store a cooler, luggage and other items is priceless.

Remember Their Z’s

Sleepy kids are quiet kids. Leave when the sun is still down, or travel during afternoon nap times. Bring along familiar blankets, pillows and stuffed animals. Calm, soothing music on the radio helps too. You can purchase tapes of sleepy-time music ahead of time if you plan a long trip, but beware that you don’t make the driver sleepy as well!

Don’t encourage sleeping on a short trip, or you risk having sleepy grumpy children when you arrive at your destination.

Music Sooths the Savage Beast

In addition to some calming tapes, pick up some tapes of popular children’s sing-along songs. That can keep the whole family amused on a long trip. Teach your child to sing in “round” style, using songs like Row-Row-Your-Boat. Or try Christmas carols, which kids seem to appreciate year-round.

Comfort Is Key

If your 3-year-old no longer fits in the toddler seat, get her a booster. Readjust shoulder straps for your rapidly-growing baby. Replace the 2-year-old's raggedy seat cover with a nifty new one. Nothing makes my children twitch and moan more than seats that don't fit or feel comfortable. But whatever you do, don't buy used carseats or boosters. You don't know if they have been recalled or damaged in previous accidents. If you can't afford new ones, just about any social service agency, hospital or police station can point you toward a good source of free seats. And before any long trip, it pays to make an appointment at your local fire or police station for a free carseat check, to make sure it’s installed properly.

Toys Are Tops

Pack a bag with toys that a) can attach to car seats, b) can't hurt anyone if thrown, and c) are easily retrievable when dropped. When we would travel cross-country with three toddlers, magnetic drawing toys (such as Magna-Doodle and Etch-A-Sketch) saved our sanity. You can anchor toys to car seats and seatbelts using plastic chain links available at almost any hardware store. To avoid a strangulation hazard, keep the chain only just long enough for the child to play with the toy.

Hooked on Books

Board books that can attach to baby seats are wonderful if you can find them. Coloring books for toddlers and preschoolers are good too. But beware, I have almost caused more than one accident while trying to prevent a toddler from coloring the upholstery or eating crayons.

Lots of Stops

As you head to Grandma's house for Christmas, don't expect your kids to be happy unless they stretch their legs every couple hours or so. Also, keep in mind that toilet-trained toddlers can't hold it forever, even if you do limit beverages. Bring some antiseptic wipes along with you, so you can wipe off suspect toilet seats and sinks in gas station bathrooms. A smaller toddler may also appreciate a portable potty seat that can be put atop an adult-sized toilet in a rest stop. Be flexible about stops; there is no way you are going to make good time with kids in the car, so relax and enjoy yourself.

Watch the Weather

It may be 20 below zero outside, but inside the car it will get mighty warm during long rides. At some point you will have to free your little ones from their coats and scarves, or you'll have a big case of the hot-and-grumpies. On a hot day, children can be chilled by air conditioning, so pack some sweatshirts. And no matter what the season, don't forget sunscreen. Even on a cold day, children can get sunburn through car windows.

Look Around

Ask your kids to find green cars, rectangular signs or dogs in backs of pick-up trucks. They will be so excited, they won't even know it's a learning experience. Play “20 questions”, starting with the traditional question “Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?” Or try the “alphabet game”, where each player calls out letters A through Z as he or she sees them on signs. The first player to reach Z wins. The “license plate game” is also popular in my family. Older children can write down states they see on license plates. The one who has the longest list at the end of the trip wins.

The Boob Tube

Personally I’m not into the idea of putting a TV in my car to keep the kids amused during long trips. They get more than enough TV at home, and the American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under the age of two shouldn’t watch any TV at all. But I also know that many minivans are sold with TV/VCR/DVD combos in the back, so if you absolutely must use a TV to keep children quiet in a vehicle, at least turn it off every few hours. They’ll get more from books, toys, and scenery-watching than from cartoons.

Safety First

Insist that everyone wear a seat belt or stay buckled in their car seat at all times, even when sleeping. If a child acts up, don’t try to control the situation with the vehicle moving. Instead, pull over and deal with it. Many accidents are caused by drivers who are distracted by children in the back seat.

Don’t Forget to Talk

At some point during the trip, turn off everything, put away everything, and just talk with your kids. About anything. They will be glad for your undivided attention.