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    If You Have Travel Plans This Holiday Season, These 24 Products Will Make Long Car Rides With Kids More Manageable

    These products will help you deal with a bored, hungry, and impatient little passenger.

    1. travel urinal for when you can't get to a bathroom in time during a roadtrip and your toddler is squirming in their car seat.

    The travel urinal surrounded by toys
    Amazon

    Promising review: "I purchased this for my son and our long car trips. How many times can we pull over to potty on a three-and-a-half-hour car trip? Ask my 4-year-old. When I saw this, I couldn't resist. We brought it along and when he had to pee, no problem. It's only a little gross when you dump it later. Well designed, definitely recommend." —Evan

    Get it from Amazon for $9.79+ (available in two styles and various colors).

    2. kids' travel table so your child will have an all-in-one entertainment table to keep everything they'll want in arms reach on your next long drive. This has a tablet viewing stand, a cup holder, a dry-erase board, and storage pockets for art supplies or small toys. It also can double as an eating tray.

    The table on a child's lap in a car filled with snacks, art supplies, a tablet, and a water bottle
    A closeup of the table with toys, a tablet, water bottle, art supplies and other items stored

    Promising review: "Literal must-have for traveling with kids. We use this on long car trips or vacations. It’s a great place to color and keep markers and pencils close and it's also great for eating in the car. Many vacations we grab fast food to eat while we are driving and it’s so much easier for the kids to eat with this tray that keeps all their snacks and food close to them. I honestly don’t know how we traveled without this!" —Amazon Customer

    Get it from Amazon for $28.95+ (available in 10 colors/styles).

    3. And a backseat car organizer that'll provide extra storage and space to pack activities, snacks, and anything your kiddo could need during your next family trip. It has pockets for days and even one large enough to hold a tablet. 

    The organizer holding a tablet, snacks, drinks, and toys
    reviewer's photo showing the car seat organizer holding kid's stuff

    Promising review: "This was so useful for vacation! The straps will fit a variety of seats, material is very sturdy (the kids really put it to the test!), and it holds so much! My only complaint is that the pockets were too narrow for a water bottle, but they were perfect for holding markers, crayons, small snacks, and coloring books. We were able to remove it from the seat with all materials still in it and hang it on a chair in the hotel room for kids to have their supplies there, too." —LeaM

    Get it from Amazon for $11.99 (also available in a two-pack).

    4. Scented bags with a dispenser so you won't have to panic when you have to pull over to change your baby's diaper and there isn't a bathroom or trash can nearby. These are infused with baking soda and a lavender scent to cover up odor until you can toss it, and the dispenser attaches conveniently to your diaper bag.

    The disposable bag dispenser and a roll of bags in blue
    The dispenser clipped on to a reviewer's diaper bag

    Promising review: "Just got back from vacation and these little bags were a lifesaver. They are big enough to hold a couple of diapers and garbage if needed. Suggest it to any one with an infant of toddler. The dispenser fits perfectly in the diaper bag." —Turtle

    Get a dispenser with 24 bags from Amazon for $4.39 (also available with larger amounts of refill packs).

    5. portable power bank charger — now you won't have to freak out when your battery is low and your toddler needs their mid-afternoon Cocomelon fix, but there's no outlet in sight.

    A hand charging an iPhone using the black power bank
    Amazon

    Promising review: "I purchased two of these for my family prior to a vacation so that all five of us at anytime had access to charging a phone, tablet or camera. I fully charged both of them prior to the trip. While on vacation, we used them a few times and charge indicator lights never once changed below four (maximum charge). Fast-forward six months later, and both still had what seemed to be a full charge, i.e.: four lights. My wife and son took one with them to a baseball game. When they returned they told me they had recharged an Apple iPhone 6S three times; the charge indicator lights on the unit are at three out of four. Now I feel the need to buy several more." —Amazon Customer

    Get it from Amazon for $25.98+ (available in two colors).

    6. An amigurumi crochet kit so your child will be too occupied learning how to create an adorable dino to even notice how long the drive is. This set comes with step-by-step instructions and everything they'll need to learn a new hobby and create their own crochet masterpiece. 

    A crochet dinosaur
    The Woobles

    The Woobles is an Asian-owned small business whose mission is to make crocheting easy and accessible. 

    This kit might be best for older kids. New to crocheting? Don't worry, kits can be chosen by difficulty level and there are a lot of kits for beginners. And you can get help virtually or over email if you get stuck.

    Promising review: "I am a true beginner and found this pattern very easy to follow. I really love the video explanations. Can’t wait to make more!" —K.S.

    Get it from The Woobles for $25+ (available with or without a hook and in more animals here).

    7. An Animal Island "Sit & Play" preschool learning system that'll come in handy because not only will it entertain your toddler, but it's also educational. It comes preloaded with 60 stories, 25 sing-alongs, and 20 lullabies at no additional cost!

    A child model with the Aila
    A closeup of the monitor

    Recommend for ages 1 and up.

    Promising review: "This was a Christmas gift for my 13 month old. I bought this blindly and I’m so glad I did. We have used the tablet a dozen times for 30-60 minutes a day and it may just be chance, but I feel my son is comprehending the material. Also, my son has never been a fan of long car rides until we started traveling with the learning tablet. It’s a game changer." —Amazon Customer 

    Get it from Amazon for $219+ (available with or without a book).

    8. A splurge-worthy felt activity book with so many things for your little one to do, they'll never ask, "How much further?" multiple times within 10 minutes. This book has activities to encourage pretend play and teach your little one how to dress themselves.

    A child holding the book opened on their lap
    A closeup of two of the pages in the book
    Kinder Krama/Etsy

    Kinder Krama is a small business that sells handmade quiet books for children.

    Promising review: "This book is incredible. The quality is amazing and it shipped quickly. Everything came exactly as I requested and the detail work on the pages is pure perfection. I can’t wait to give it to my niece, I know she is going to love it!" —toomey125

    Get it from Kinder Krama on Etsy for $73.60+ (originally $92+; available various colors/styles and book lengths).

    9. A pack of spill-proof Munchkin snack catchers to make it easier for your toddler to snack as much as they want while traveling without getting crumbs all over the place. These genius cups make it easy for your child to get their snacks out without making a mess.

    Two snack containers in blue and green
    A child model's hand pulling a cracker out of the blue snack cup
    Reviewer's video demonstrating how the container prevent snacks from falling out

    Promising review: "The perfect companion for traveling with a toddler who loves to snack and prefers being independent. I can fit about 12 average-size grapes in it, about 5–6 regular sized cookies, about 8–10 mini cookies, a big handful or small cereal such as Cheerios, and about 10–12 standard Ritz crackers. These estimations are all things that I regularly place in there for him to snack on. Nothing spills out and whatever does come out is whatever he grabs with his hands to get which is amazing. The only thing I would suggest is placing foil or plastic wrap around the mouth of the cup to prevent any of the snack from getting stale from it being exposed. The lid doesn’t fully cover the snack from air exposure. It simply protects the snack from spilling over and promotes child independence." —Antoinette

    Get a pack of two from Amazon for $5.99 (available in two color combos, four-packs, and bundles with cups).

    10. A set of dry-erase travel games so you and your kiddo will be able to play classic games like Hangman, Tic Tac Toe, Dots and Boxes, and I Spy to keep you both entertained. These game boards are tiny enough to pack, yet huge on fun. They also come with a little bag and marker. 

    Four dry-erase games
    August Fire Designs/Etsy

    August Fire Designs is a small biz based in Bloomington, Illinois that sells handmade home decor, jewelry, games, and more.

    Promising review: "Very cute and aesthetically pleasing kids activity/toy! I bought these for my step-children to have something to do when we travel or go out to eat — that is NOT an electronic!" —Tarah Ferguson 

    Get a four-pack from August Fire Designs on Etsy for $45 (games also available individually for $10).

    11. Or a set of magnetic board games because your fam will be able to play classic board games without the pieces sliding off during a bumpy ride.

    All of the games included in the set
    A child with a checkers board on their lap while in a carseat
    Amazon

    This set includes 12 games: Checkers, Chess, Chinese Checkers, Tic Tac Toe, Backgammon, Snakes and Ladders, Solitaire, Nine Men’s Morris, Auto Racing, Ludo, Space Venure and Racing.

    Promising reviews: "I loved this product while traveling on the road. With three kids, we needed something to keep them occupied and this did the job well!" —Animal lover

    "Got these for the grandsons for a 12-hour drive. They're 14 and 7, and both enjoyed them." —hazel h

    Get it from Amazon for $24.99.

    12. A kids selfie camera that'll keep your tyke busy as they snap shots of everything they can see out of their window. You can even play an epic game of I-Spy. The best part? You won't have to surrender your phone to your little photographer, only to end up with hundreds of random blurry photos.

    A child holding up the camera to their eyes to take a picture
    A close up of the front and the back of the camera

    Recommend for ages 3 and up.

    Promising review: "Hours of fun! This was a hit! There are games to play with the camera... so it makes a great gift for the kids traveling." —Linda Martinez

    Get it from Amazon for $33.99+ (available in four colors).

    13. portable white-noise machine because nothing is worse than a fussy and tired toddler who is wayyy overdue for a nap during a long roadtrip. This will help drown out loud noise or unfamiliar sounds so your child will be able to easily drift to sleep and stay asleep pretty much anywhere.