Travel Toys aka: "Sanity Savers"

The smaller the toys, the more variety you'll have room for when traveling with kids. Yet "small" can be a choking hazard for your very young child. Also, small toys are more easily lost, dropped, and caught in tight places.

Consider preparing three bags of toys: one for the trip; one for your destination; and one for the trip home.

• Include soft toys to hug, cuddle and sleep with. If you attach an elastic loop to a soft toy, a child can carry it on the wrist. (If necessary, you can wear it on YOUR wrist).

• Make surprise packages by wrapping several toys and books with lots of string and tape, Let your child select one when things get tense.

• Place a special surprise bag for each child and fill it with surprises and special favorites. An old attache case makes a good carrying case as does an old purse filled with jewelry, a small brush, and old wallet, etc.

• Bring hand puppets to entertain a child when restlessness sets in. A puppet "eating" a small, deflated balloon looks as if it is blowing bubbles.

• Carry on WASHABLE markers with you. Be cautious with crayons. They can-and do- melt in the heat of summer.

• Blowing up balloons can provide good entertainment if there's an extra adult in the car. Keep them small, or let the air whistle out, draw faces on the balloons, tie one to a car seat. (Never let a child chew on broken pieces of balloons because there are chemicals on the inside of the pieces, and the pieces can also cause choking or asphyxiation.)

• Keep a supply of colored-dot-stickers-with-pictures on hand. They are fairly neat and really keep kids occupied.

• Consider buying travel-size versions of board games. Especially those that come with magnetized boards or pieces. Or use waterproof markers to trace your kids' favorite board game on a piece of clear, heavy plastic that can be rolled up and taken with you.

• Store small toys in a metal Band-Aid box.

• For kids hooked on video games, hand-held versions may well be worth the investment.

• Don't forget a Magic Slate! It can provide hours of fun with no mess and eliminates the need for excess paper. It probably will get ripped along the way, but then it will be one less thing to carry home. Also MagnaDoodle!

• Above all, carry books, books and more books to read to your child while you're traveling, while you're waiting in restaurants, and before bedtime.

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