Here are some products I recently discovered that can make the trip smoother

Comfy Car Rides

We’ve spent many hours with the kids in the car over the years. Here are some products I recently discovered that can make the trip smoother.

We often schedule our long rides with some daytime hours and some nighttime hours so we can have some quiet while the younger kids sleep. This pillow will help avoid that dreaded crick in the neck.
INFANZIA Kids Chin Supporting Travel Neck Pillow
$17 on Amazon

This relatively inexpensive purchase will keep kids from complaining about their seat belts and is ultimately safer.
R HORSE 4Pack Seatbelt Pillow Seat Belt Covers for Kids
$18 for 2 sets

I can’t be the only one who makes a resolution to keep my car clean forever after cleaning it out so thoroughly for Pesach. This combination trash can/storage container will help.
HOTOR Car Trash Can
$11 on Amazon

For really long drives use this organizer to keep all of your child’s paraphernalia in easy reach, no matter how old they are. It’s great for big kids who bring an MP3 player, a book, and a flash light, and little kids who bring coloring supplies and little toys.
ONE PIX Backseat Car Organizer Mats
$13 on Amazon

For kids who like having a surface for coloring, or reading, or even eating a snack, this backseat organizer can be very helpful.
Kids Backseat Travel Tray Organizer
$30 on Amazon

Tons of Toys

If you’ll be hosting lots of kids this Yom Tov, there will likely be lots of filling your play room around the clock. Here’s a way to make some order out of the madness. It takes a few minutes of prep — try to get a bigger kid to set it up for you — but it’s well worth it.

Make a chart with two columns. Each of the kids’ names should be in the left column and a blank box on the right of each name with a small piece of Velcro in the middle of the box. Then, write each of the toys in your playroom on a strip of paper with a piece of Velcro on the back of them (OK, maybe not each one, but do it for the popular toys).

When each kid takes out a toy, they should put the strip with the name of the toy next to their name. If there are lots of little kids, put the oldest child in charge of the chart.

The benefits of this are twofold. First, you know who took out each toy when it comes time for clean-up so you don’t have a chorus of “it wasn’t me!” The second is that they’ll have to clean up the first toy before switching to a new one.