Tips for car travelling with kids

A family road trip can be fun, but when one thing goes wrong, you may see a domino effect, making the vacation not so enjoyable. To prevent disaster and misery, be prepared for the unexpected. Traveling by car can be more economical than flying the whole family to your destination and you’ll have the flexibility of having your own transportation.

Get Plenty of Rest

Before you start out on your trip, make sure everyone in the family is rested. Many toddlers become cranky when they’re tired, so make sure they have something they can associate with their naps, such as a favorite blanket or stuffed animal. Holding a familiar toy may help calm your toddler and promote car napping, which is a much better experience than crying.

If you’ve been thinking about taking away your toddler’s pacifier, now is not the time to do it. Don’t make any unnecessary major changes until you return home from your trip. The pacifier may be the only thing that will soothe your child when she’s over-stimulated.

Keep Your Toddler Comfortable

Make sure your toddler is comfortable while traveling in the car. If you want to put her in that lacy dress her grandmother made, wait until you’re close to your destination to change her clothes.

Ideas for toddler travel comfort:

• Dress her in knits without scratchy embellishment.
• Leave her in her pajamas until it’s time to get out of the car.
• Layer her clothing so you can remove pieces if she gets too hot.
• Bring a blanket for additional warmth if you’re traveling during the holidays.
• If she squirms and seems uncomfortable, make sure she’s properly positioned in her car seat.

Bring Food for Your Toddler

A hungry child is a fussy one. Make sure you have plenty of nutritious snacks and treats for your toddler. Have an ice-packed cooler filled with anything that needs to be kept cold.

Ideas for food that travels well:

• Pre-cut fruit in zip type bags
• Single serving packages of crackers and cookies
• Small size cartons of yogurt
• Juice packs or sippy cups with milk or juice.

Take Breaks

When traveling with toddlers, plan to take frequent breaks. Many rest areas have large grassy areas where you and your children can run around and stretch your legs. Look for kid-friendly restaurants with play areas.

If your toddler is potty trained or in the process of being potty trained, stop frequently without being asked. By the time most toddlers let you know they have to go to the restroom, it’s probably urgent.

Toddler Activities for the Car

Have a variety of activities planned for when your toddler isn’t napping. Children in this age group often have very short attention spans, so be prepared with enough things to keep them occupied.

Suggested activities for toddlers include:

• Board books
• DVDs and CDs
• Viewfinders
• Stickers and sticker books
• Crayons and coloring books
• Stories told by parents and older kids.

Travel Emergency Kit

Pack a small emergency kit and make it accessible. You never know when you’ll need something, and there may not be a place to pull over.

Items to pack in an emergency kit include:

• Band-aids
• Wet wipes
• Fever reducing medications
• Plastic bags.

Additional Tips for Traveling with Toddlers

One of the purposes of a family trip is to bond and create memories. Getting to your destination is only one part of the excursion, so make car travel as fun and stress-free as possible.

More ways to make a road trip enjoyable and stress-free:

• Have a backpack or small suitcase for each child.
• Occasionally switch places with other family members.
• Pack meals or stop at a deli and have a family picnic.
• Rotate toys and activities frequently to prevent boredom.
• Wrap some surprises for your toddler to open as a reward for good behavior.
• If your child isn’t used to sleeping in strange beds, bring a portable crib or pack-and-play for hotels and your destination.
• Avoid rushing and embrace each moment spent with the family.

Traveling by car with toddlers can be challenging, but if you follow a few tips, you can remove some of the stress and make it fun for everyone. Get plenty of rest, dress comfortably, have plenty of food, take frequent breaks and make sure you have a variety of activities for the trip. Don’t forget to pack an emergency kit that is easily accessible.

Found at http://vacationnetwork.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/tips-for-traveling-with-kids-car-trips-with-toddlers/

Recipe Crispy bacon pizza

Recipe type: pizza, dinner Prep time: 3 hours Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 3 hours 25 mins Serves: 6 


Ingredients

• For pizza dough
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast
• 3 1/2 cups flour (bread flour or all-purpose)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• For pizza (these are approximations, since pizza is subjective)
• pizza sauce
• mozzarella cheese
• red pepper flakes
• bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or a large bowl, if you don't have a mixer), sprinkle on the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Stir to dissolve completely if needed at the end of 5 minutes.
2. Attach a mixing paddle to the mixer. Mix in the olive oil, flour, salt and sugar on low speed for about a minute. Replace the mixing paddle with a dough hook. Knead using the mixer and dough hook, on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. You can also knead the dough by hand.
3. Place ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You can also let it rise longer, if need be. (or several hours longer, a longer rise will improve the flavor).
4. Once your dough has risen, punch it out a bit so it deflates.
5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
6. Flatten the dough slowly on a lightly floured surface until it reaches your desired size. Pinch the edges a bit to form a crust.
7. Using a pastry brush, brush a bit of olive oil on the crust.
8. Layer your toppings on in the following order: pizza sauce, red pepper flakes, mozzarella cheese, bacon.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is golden brown and crispy.

Found at http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/crispy-bacon-pizza-203300876.html;_ylt=A2KJ3CX.CN9PJ2wAImyaxAt.

French Dill Potato Salad Recipe

Another classic French potato salad recipe...it is incredibly easy to make and compliments any kind of meal. Try this salad recipe....great taste !

French Recipe Ingredients:

* 10 medium-sized Yukon potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
* 1/3 cup light olive oil
* 1 teaspoon dried dill
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

French Recipe Ingredients:

First of all boil the potatoes for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are just tender. Drain the cooking water and rinse the potatoes in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set the potatoes aside.
In a small skillet set over medium heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil for 6-8 minutes, until they begin to turn golden brown. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir the dill, salt, and pepper into the hot onion and oil mixture. Allow the dressing to cool to room temperature and then toss it with the cooked potatoes. This potato salad is ready to serve....nice & healthy !  Enjoy it !


Found at http://french-recipe.blogspot.be/2008/08/dill-potato-salad-recipe.html