How to Keep a Baby Entertained on a Car Trip

Once your baby is old enough to grasp something in her hands and pass it back and forth, she'll also be old enough to realize she doesn't like being strapped in a car seat for long periods of time. There is nothing worse than driving down the freeway with a screaming baby in the backseat and no way to help her out. If you arm yourself ahead of time with some interesting objects, you can make those frantic car rides a thing of the past.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Create a toy bucket for the car of common household items (and toys) to hand back to your baby periodically. The great thing about babies is they're not picky. They'll find pretty much anything worthy of a good investigation.

2. All babies love crinkly noises. A snack-sized, unopened bag of chips may entertain your baby the whole way.

3. Raid the kitchen utensils. Whisks, measuring spoons and wooden spoons are great entertainers.

4. Bring dog leashes or keys. The cool metal feels good on gums and the leash is fascinating. A locksmith will have very cheap keys to make baby her own set!

5. Use rattles, sleigh bells, a fortune cookie in its wrapper, old television remotes, an ancient cell phone, frozen teething rings and small board books will always do the job.

6. When the baby loses interest, just hand back a new object! Preferably while at a stoplight.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure and change the items in the bucket periodically to keep things fresh.