Fantastic Four Friday - 4 Tips to Keep Children Busy During Road Trips (MobiStories Digital Book 50% Off Promotion)

On road trips, traveling with children is never easy trying to keep them entertained, having meltdowns, asking you a hundred times, "when are we going to be there?" and constantly repeating, "I'm bored."

As as single mom, it's always a bit tougher since you alone have to carry all the stuff, keep them entertained all why trying to keep cool and your sanity all at the same time.  It's a tad easier now but I remember the days of bringing along an activity every 20 minute rule.

Here are my Fantastic Four Tips to keep your kids busy during road trips or even on the subway.

1. Portable DVD Player  - Families with cars can now have DVDs as an option (isn't life grand?) but hey we can't all have new cars. Bring along a DVD player for long trips. If you have an older model, there are accessories that attach to the back of the front seat so the kids don't have to hold in their lap. This has been a lifesaver on long flights even when we fly on an airline like Jet Blue which has kids channels. Even my daughter gets bored watching cartoons.

2. Nitendo DS or Leapfrog - When my daughter was younger, the Leapfrog was a sanity saver for me and now that she is older, the Nitendo DS is now the life saver. If you travel a lot, it's a nice surprise if you buy a new cartridge for the trip that way they have a new game which is sure to keep them even more occupied than usual.

3. Games, Books, Sketch Pads, Coloring Books - We have a whole host of games, books and sketchpads that I bring along. Since my daughter is a great reader and speller, Mad Libs has been a fun game to add to our tool kit of tricks. Also she is now into reading Junie B so we bring that along plus her sketchpad.

4. MobiStories Digital Books for Kids - I discovered MobiStories at a recent Silicon Valley Moms Blog event and so happy that I did.  I am always looking for books to download on my iPhone and haven't found any worth paying for until now. What I love about the stories is the interactivity of the stories. It really engages your child. Plus the prices of each story are extremely affordable. There is even a bio of President Obama and the First Lady for purchase.  For a preview of the Marvelous Toy story, click here.




For NYC Single Mom Readers, all books in the MobiStories store are 50% off until June 20. Use SVMNY2 at checkout at MobiStories.com/svmoms  MobiStories can be downloaded onto your computer, iPhone, iTouch and iPad. 

And one for good measure, don't forget to bring lots of snacks, especially if you are flying. The last thing you want to be is stuck on a plane or the tarmac with no food.

What do you bring along on long trips to entertain your child?

Originally posted on NYC Single Mom.com. NYC Single Mom also blogs at NYCSinglemomreviews.com, NYC Momsblog, NY Metropolista and travelingmom.com