Look What the Stork Brought

Family travel always has had its challenges--creating safe spaces for infants to play, keeping car seats clean in the presence of sticky fingers and sudden spills, making sure Junior can reach the tabletop in the absence of a booster seat and finding just the right carryalls for baby gear and other kids’ stuff. The items below won’t preclude cries of: “Are we there yet?” nor “I have to go to the bathroom,” but they will come in handy for families on the go. Shipping and handling are not included in the prices.

Babies are a handful--two handfuls, in fact--so what to do about toting around diapers, bottles and other infant paraphernalia while remaining hands-free for the little one? Land’s End, a distributor of upscale sportswear for adults and children, has developed a backpack diaper bag that solves the problem handily. The lightweight (1 1/4 -pound) navy nylon bag has two primary zippered compartments; a large one contains two insulated pockets for bottles, a removable zippered bag for dirty diapers or other soiled items, and a key ring; a smaller outside compartment unzips to reveal a see-through plastic toilet kit and a removable soft changing pad (25 inches by 12 inches). Two front pockets could hold adult items, such as a wallet, paperbacks, etc. The adjustable back-straps are padded for extra comfort. I found the bag efficient not only for carrying infant gear, but also as a beach bag for adult wet stuff, when baby’s not around.

Backpack Diaper Bag (No. 2887-2121) is $29.50 from Land’s End; (800) 356-4444.

Little kids are always struggling with too-tall table tops, and booster seats just aren’t available everywhere. This neat item not only provides a ready boost of five inches, but also has a built-in place to store toys, coloring books, diapers, bottles or whatever. The brightly colored purple, green and yellow plastic seat (designed for ages 1 to 3) has a fold-out backrest and storage space under the seat lid. An adjustable safety strap secures the child and the seat to a chair.

When collapsed, the backrest becomes a handle for easy toting. The whole shebang weighs just two pounds. The portable booster seat is quite hard and junior may require a little pillow for maximum comfort. But it’s great to have along in a car trunk in a pinch and can come in handy when other tots come to call.

Portable Booster Seat, with built-in toy tote (No. 101839) is $24.98 from Lillian Vernon; (800) 285-5555.

There comes an age--a very young age--when children are able to move around just enough to get into trouble. At home, a playpen can solve the problem, but what about on the road?

Evenflo, a manufacturer of children’s furniture, recently introduced a collapsible travel crib/play yard that comes with its own mattress and fitted quilted sheet and a zippered carryall. The two side panels are a see-through mesh, the end panels are a solid material; one end has a removable toy bag. When set up, the playpen measures a comfy 38 inches by 25 inches by 22 inches high.

The crib fabric is a cheerful geometric-patterned nylon material, the frame is a solid plastic, both of which make for easy cleaning. Wheels at one end aid mobility.

This item’s a winner; it’s easy to set up and pack (the frame locks in place or collapses via rotating connector bars. The playpen stores easily in a car trunk or as checked baggage on an airplane, though it might be too big (31 inches by 10 inches by 10 inches when collapsed) and a bit heavy (22 pounds) to get by as a carry-on bag.

Happy Camper Travel Crib and Play Yard is about $80. A slightly larger deluxe version is about $100. To find a store near you contact the manufacturer at (800) 233-5921.

The back seat of any car that plays host to young kids is usually a sticky collage of everything they’ve ever eaten there, not to mention crushed crayons and leaked ink. The Car Towel is a big soft felt-like pad bonded to vinyl to prevent wet stuff from penetrating through to the car upholstery. Used vertically the towel can be tied to a head rest and takes care of one kid’s mess.

Used horizontally, it covers most of the seat, providing protection from a whole back-seat brood.

Car Towel (No . 728873) is $14.98 from Just Between Us, a mail-order company; (800) 546-2255 .Everybody needs a place to carry their stuff--including kids. This multicolored zippered carryall and matching waist pack is big enough for plenty of toys, books and other neat essentials, but small enough to be kid-friendly.

The 17-inch by 13-inch by 6 1/2-inch carryall has a big zippered outside pocket, nylon web handles and an adjustable shoulder strap. The waist pack has large and small zippered pockets, an adjustable waist belt and buckle closure.

Kids Carry-all and Waist Pack kit, including child’s name (up to 12 letters) is $19.98 from Lillian Vernon; (800) 285-5555. Specify primary color mix (No. 780806) or pastel mix (No. 159206).

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Gear & Gadgets appears the first week of every month.