62 Ways to Ace Holiday Travel With Kids

If you're flying — and especially if you're flying alone with your baby — then be sure to have your baby carrier easily accessible. Navigating the airport is a whole lot easier hands-free, and if your baby falls asleep on the plane, then you'll still have the ability to read or have a drink or snack.

Mama went all out babyproofing her home, but what's she to do when she arrives at the hotel (or grandma's house)? Just forget about the electrical outlets and coffee-table corners? The Travel-Tot Travel Childproofing Kit ($35) comes with all of the necessities (finger pinch guards, electrical outlet plug covers, foam corner guards, cord windups, a water thermometer, and more) for a fraction of the price you paid the childproofer.

Yes, your little one may need her hair brushed and her nails clipped, but more importantly, she may need her temperature taken and some medicine doled out. The Summer Infant Baby's Health and Grooming Kit ($23) has tools for all of this (including that all-important nasal aspirator) so Grandma doesn't find her thermometer in places she doesn't want to see it!

Most hotels and vacation homes are only outfitted with a standard-size tub in which moms, dads, kids, and babies can bathe. With the Puj tub ($45), you can be sure there is a safe place to wash up baby at the end of a long day.

Once the bottles have been washed, you will need a sanitary place to dry them. Most bottle racks are big and cumbersome, but the Babisil Rack ($22) folds up flat to slide right into a suitcase or travel bag.

At just six pounds, the Peapod Travel Bed ($70) easily packs up into a circular case and fits into a suitcase. A tighter fit than standing travel cribs, the air-filled mattress makes it perfectly suitable for small tots and can be used on the beach or outdoors to shield a baby from the sun.

Baby food jars and pouches are heavy. NuturMe ($9 for a pack of eight) is designed to lighten Mom's load while still providing tots with organic, gluten-free baby food. The company's pouches of dehydrated baby food are designed to be mixed with water, breast milk, or formula to create tasty purees for tykes. Weighing little more than a feather, the recyclable packs can be stashed away in diaper bags, airline carry-on bags, or even the car for emergencies.

"Making your own graham crackers is not hard and gets the graham flour back into the crackers. It's wholesome, and your kids will love it — wherever they are!" said blogger Rebecca R. of It's Not Easy Eating Green.

No-Bake Oatmeal Bites can be customized to include your kids' favorite nuts, dried fruit, and even chocolate chips, and they travel well.

Best For Ages: 3+

What's Inside: Plenty of space to document tots' Summer adventures — at home and on the go! A great way to encourage creativity and imagination.

Click to Buy: Children Inspire Design's Explorer Journal ($10)

Best For Ages: 4+

What's Inside: The sweetest twist on the classic fairy tale — in this follow-up to The Big Bad Wolf and Me, our hero (and his pal, Louis) take a wild and crazy road trip to the beach.

Click to Buy: Big Bad Wolf Goes On Vacation ($13)

If you're staying at a hotel or resort, give the resort a call to see if they have any referrals for local sitters. Some especially family-friendly properties even have babysitters or nannies on staff or can arrange their services for you. If you're renting a house or apartment, find out if the owner knows of anyone in the area. It never hurts to ask!

Once you've established someone who's interested in the job, set up a brief Skype interview. Introduce the potential sitter to your kids via webcam, and see if you're comfortable with his or her vibe.

Sites like UrbanSitter, Sitter City, and Care.com were designed to connect parents and sitters. Even if it's going to be just a one-time job, it's a good way to search for qualified caretakers.

The first in a series of magical interactive stories, Pan: The Fearless Beribolt ($4) tells the tale of a feisty purple panda who lives in the magical cloud city and goes on adventures, exploring the world and searching for her family with her merry group of friends. This first story tells the backstory of the Beribolt family and shows Pan growing up under the care of her grandfather, Elder Ojo. You'll like Pan because she's independent, clever, and a great role model for your kiddos.

The much-anticipated first app from Disney Junior's hit show, Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Check-Up ($4) lets your little one join Doc, along with Hallie, Lambie, and the rest of her friends for four entertaining activities. While your kids fix, sort, explore, and care for toys, the Big Book of Boo Boos saves the names and diagnoses of all the patients they cured. They also earn different Doctor's Notes that prescribe lots of love, kisses, and cuddles.

A completely new take on the classic tale, Little Red Riding Hood ($6) lets users create their own story by choosing from multiple paths, resulting in a new, fully animated adventure with different endings every time. Kids play games to help Little Red Riding Hood collect three objects on her journey through the woods; the objects they choose determine how Little Red Riding Hood defeats the Big Bad Wolf and saves grandma.

If your kids loved Monters University, then they'll flip for the new app Monsters University: Catch Archie (free). Kids join Monsters University freshman Mike Wazowski on his first day of college and catch Archie the Scare Pig, the squealing mascot of Monsters University's rival school, Fear Tech, in a fun and exciting game.

If your kids can imagine it, they can build it with Toca Builders ($3). Your kids will join the six Toca Builders, all with unique abilities, on a far-away island to create a whole new world with blocks. The game is a new way of creating and crafting things (houses, lamps, bananas?) with blocks and encourages creativity and curiosity.

All about animals, Ranger Rick's Tree House (free) is a fun house, reading corner, arcade, video screening room, and comic book, all rolled into one! Kids enter Ranger Rick Raccoon's tree house home, to find intriguing rooms ready to be explored. Each room is packed with interactive wildlife articles, photos, and videos; multilevel games; comic adventures; goofy jokes, riddles, and photos; wildlife mysteries; and more!

Duck Duck Moose's More Trucks ($2) is the sequel to the original, award-winning app. In the new version, kids can drive a fire truck, race monster trucks, build structures with a crane, steer a flatbed tow truck, and stack cars in a junkyard — a guaranteed hit for boys and girls!

What kid wouldn't get a kick out of Storybots' "Starring You" videos that feature their very own families? Try out a free Thanksgiving-themed trial, then you can upgrade to 1-month, 6-month, or 12-month subscriptions to keep the fun going.