There’s plenty to think about when planning and packing for a family camping trip with children under 5 years – especially if this is the first time you’ll be camping with your little one(s). I’ve covered the topic in detail in Travels with Baby, but I was recently reminded how location, location, location can make such a difference when camping with small kids. 

When picking your family’s campsite, avoid these locations if you can:

1. Next to water – The lakeside view might be lovely, or the sound of a trickling stream, but how many changes of dry clothing did you bring for this weekend getaway? You may end up constantly chasing your toddler out of the creek throughout your stay, and of course with small kids it could be a serious safety hazard. What’s more, being closest to the water may also put you in the thick of mosquitoes come dusk.

2. Next to the restroom – In the case of pit toilets, the reason may be obvious. But the constant traffic to the john, flushing noises, conversations, and lights can be very disruptive to young sleepers who are already excited enough about sleeping in the tent. Even with a potty trainee along for the adventure, you may rest better a comfortable distance away from the restrooms (and keep your training potty in the tent if you’re nervous about a potential midnight run).

3. Next to the garbage / recycling – Sure, if someone asked you if you’d prefer to be in this site, you’d probably say, “No thanks!” But if it’s one of the last campsites left when you arrive on a Friday evening, just think of those investigative raccoons and skunks that might traipse through your site en route, and the college students who may unload their case of beer cans at an unsettling hour. Try for a different space if possible.

So where does that leave you to pitch your tent or park your campervan? Hopefully at the farthest end of the loop where the bulk of campers, once settled, will be less likely to pass by on their way to the general store, or restrooms, or garbage bins. There will be plenty of time to make new friends when you’re in the mood for a stroll. 

For more help planning camping trips with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, see Chapter 2 of Travels with Baby, and check out some of the related posts and pages below. And if you’ve got your popcorn ready, here’s my segment from View from the Bay.

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These are perfect for keeping tots out of bathrooms, some closets, and other off-limit rooms in your house. Not to mention, they can help keep kids from exiting out the front door unescorted. Yet all you need to do as you come and go is squeeze and turn the knob.

When you travel, toss a couple into your suitcase to click on door knobs wherever you roam. Not only are they a great way to temporarily childproof in vacation rentals and many hotel rooms, they’re a terrific way to help keep little ones safe while staying in the homes of friends and family members–without imposing on your hosts or other guests as they come and go.

For more great gadgets for childproofing on the go, be sure to check out my page for travel-friendly childproofing & safety products. And if you’ll be visiting friends or family soon, don’t miss my segment on Childproofing at Someone Else’s Home that aired yesterday on ABC’s The View from The Bay (click here).

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Families hitting the highways for road trips this summer might do well to follow suit. Though I admit that, having survived a number of 1,000 mile road trips with babies and toddlers in my back seat, it’s hard to imagine most families with babies and small children in the car stretching out their drives by any additional minutes whatsoever.

But maybe we don’t have to. According to this article by CNNMoney.com, a LandRover SUV driving with its cruise control set to 70 mph got almost 14% better gas mileage than it did when cruising at “driver-controlled speeds” between 65 and 75 mph. The article underscores the issue that driving-style, mainly how we use the gas and break pedals, greatly impacts how far our gallons of gas carry us–especially in stop and go traffic and in passing lanes.

Still, it’s worth noting that fuel economy drops by about 1% with each additional mph of speed you add over 55 mph. As The Chronicle found in this test drive of a 2001 Chevy Malibu (back in 2005, when Bay Area gas was an alarming $2.99 per gallon instead of the $3.96 I paid this week…), the car averaged 35 miles to the gallon when sticking to 55 mph on California freeways. Driving the reverse route at just over 70 mph, the same car averaged 25 miles to the gallon.

Perhaps it’s time sites like Mapquest add a few new features to their “Get Directions” options, like “Most scenic” and “Most cruise-control friendly” routes. (They have added a cool new feature for searching gas prices, BTW.) If we’re going to slow down, let’s at least enjoy the scenery. If we’re not going to slow down, let’s at least try and take full advantage of the cruise control.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, Author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby

The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

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Travels with Baby
has been awarded a 2008 NAPPA Gold from the National
Parenting Publications Awards in the Parenting Resources category.
This is a great honor and valuable
distinction for any parenting resource!

Thank you to everyone who made this possible, including the many parents who participated in surveys and interviews and shared their stories with me, my children who have been the most delightful guinea pigs, and my husband Tim who agreed: “You CAN take a baby to Thailand…” (and a dozen or so other places) and has shared this amazing adventure with me.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby

The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

The post Travels with Baby wins NAPPA Gold in Parenting Resources appeared first on Travels With Baby.

With some 5 or 6 hours still to go, we had to come up with something new and wildly different from the menagerie of toys now flung all over the car and repertoire of road songs we’d grown almost hoarse from singing. The frigid rest areas where even dogs scarcely stepped outside of their vehicles held little entertainment value for any of us at this point. We had to think of something else, and fast.

That’s when Tim took a detour on the mountain pass in a quest to reach one of the last patches of snow still accessible by car. It was on the slope beside a dirt road within eye-shot of I-5, completely iced over from recent rains with a smattering of roadside splat and tree needles. But the children were ecstatic, shouting and chanting as we set the brake, “SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!”

Although Tim and I grew up with flurries of the stuff, it’s something we certainly never get at our home in California–except on T.V. They kids could hardly contain their excitement as they reached out to see just how cold it was. Making the most of this unlikely roadside stop that we could, Tim devised an impromptu sled out of one of our car seat travel trays, and we whooped and howled like deranged coyotes as we slid down this less-than-picturesque hillside, trying to avoid the mud puddles below. In under 15 minutes, the girls had exhausted themselves from the laughter alone, and they were beginning to feel cold enough to actually welcome a return to the warm car–and even their car seats.

A mere fifteen minutes out of the car and not a nickel spent, yet we were all the better for it–and have a very fun memory. It was a good reminder of why I like to travel with my children. The simplest things we take for granted in our grown-up travels (like expired snow on the roadside in this case, pigeons or airport “people movers” in others) can be such a source of joy and wonder to small children.

Every stop of the way doesn’t have to be Disneyland on a road trip with toddlers or preschoolers. There are plenty of simple, meaningful ways to enjoy a break from the drive with your child. Here are a few ideas:

1. In unfamiliar towns: Hit the local library to use its restrooms, drinking fountain, and enjoy a storybook (or a few if there’s time) in the children’s section before climbing back into the car.

2. At scenic turnouts: Have a picnic or snack outside of the car, using your ice chest and stroller or blankets for seating (or keep your lawn chairs handy if you’ve brought them along).

3. At rest areas: Bring an inflatable beach ball or rubber ball to chase around the lawns of roadside rest areas.

We’ll always have a warm, fuzzy spot in our hearts for Dunsmuir, California–and our handy travel tray.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby
The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

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I’m very pleased to announce that Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children has been nominated for two ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year awards. This is one of the most prestigious awards given to independent publishers, and it’s a great honor to be selected as a finalist—and twice over!

Travels with Baby has been distinguished as one of only 10 finalists in the Travel Guides category, and one of 13 finalists in the Parenting Books category (click the links to see the finalists). I’d like to take this chance to say thanks to everyone who helped to make this possible, including the three best travelers I know: Tim, Angelina, and our Rosalyn.

Cheers,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby
The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

About the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards:
ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards were established to bring increased attention from librarians and booksellers to the literary achievements of independent publishers and their authors. Our awards process is unique because we ask a jury of our readers, librarians and booksellers, to select their top categories as well as choose the winning titles. Their decisions take into consideration editorial excellence, professional production, originality of the narrative, author credentials relative to the book and the value the book adds to its genre.

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