Family travel: Tips for road trips with kids

It takes planning and a sense of humor to make road trips with kids fun. To make the most of the drive, spend some of it talking with and listening to your kids. Get the conversation going by telling tales of your childhood. Kids love to hear about their parents at their same age. Here are additional suggestions, oriented to age groups, on how to minimize stress and entertain kids on the road.

BABIES AND TODDLERS

•Understand your family's rhythms of the road. Some families prefer putting little ones in pajamas and starting the drive after dinner when traffic diminishes and kids sleep. Others find that early-morning departures enable them to be at their destination before the late-afternoon, kid-cranky hours.

•Work with a tot's schedule, not against it. Maximize little ones' nap time by driving when they sleep and stopping for meals when they are hungry. Don't expect your three-year-old not to be tired when it's her nap time just because you've arrived at the children's museum.

•Know what your child can drink in a moving vehicle. Some children can down a bottle of juice or milk in the car, but then upchuck it two miles down the highway. Best to give some thirsty tots only water until you pull in to a rest stop.

•Be prepared. Keep lots of wet wipes, paper towels, and diapers as well as a few trash bags and extra clothes within easy reach.

•Dress for the drive. Make sure the baby's wearing easy to undo, comfortable clothing. Save the "grandma dress" with the lace and frills for after your arrival.

GRADE-SCHOOLERS

•Vary the seating. After miles on the road, it's common to hear such backseat cries as "His foot is on my side." To manage a meltdown, divide and conquer. Switch places so that the child old enough to sit in the front moves next to the driver. If there's another adult, have him sit in the rear. That not only stops squabbles, but gives each child important one-on-one time with a parent or grandparent.

•Use the baby to mark a border. With three children, place the littlest one in the middle of the car's backseat. That creates a buffer zone between fighting older siblings and positions two kids to play with the tot.

•Think picnic. Tweak the tried-and-true rule of taking a bathroom and snack break every two to three hours: pack a lunch and pause for a picnic and a Frisbee game at a local or state park along your route.

•Bring games and toys. Bring the movies, portable electronic games and other hi-tech toys your brood favors. Nabi, Leapfrog and Polaroid have tablets designed for kids and pre-loaded with educational but fun games and content. Think low-tech, too. Pack coloring books, crayons and sticker games, plus a few new toys as a surprise.

•Charge hi-tech items. Plug in anything that needs a charge the night before so that tablets, iPhones, games and anything else electronic works on the road. Bring extra batteries/battery packs.

•Arrive by late afternoon. After a day on the road, everybody looks forward to an out-of-car experience. Plan to arrive at your daily destination well before dinner so that you and the kids can take advantage of the swimming pool or play area.

TWEENS AND TEENS

•Listen. A car provides an ideal venue for older children to open up about their feelings. Since the driver looks straight ahead and the passengers often do too, conversation feels much less judgmental than a face-to-face talk. On a long stretch of highway when it's dark, you're likely to find out what it really felt like to come in third at the swim meet.

•Let teens pick aspects of the trip. The ultimate procrastinators, most teens won't have given your journey much thought, although they will express definite opinions. Once on the highway, hand your teens guidebooks and travel apps so they can choose a few activities and restaurants.

•Share music. Music really can soothe the soul. Ask your teens to share songs from their personal iPods or media players that the family might like. Use your car's stereo system or tote a portable speaker.

Don't leave home without it

-- Healthy snacks and plenty of water

-- Extra notepads, pens and pencils for doodlers

-- A flashlight to find the lost crayons and toys when it's dark

-- Physician-approved, anti-motion sickness medication. Typically, these must be administered about one hour before you tackle the switch-back mountain road.

-- An emergency medical kit containing band-aids, thermometer, aspirin or aspirin substitute, allergy medicine and any other medicine you may need.