Easy-to-Pack Items to Help Kids Feel More at Home on the Road

Life on the go with children can be a challenge, but these items may make the experience easier and/or more fun. Prices do not include shipping.

Cub tub: Kel-Gar’s new Snug-Tub Deluxe, designed for children who can sit up unassisted through the toddler stage, is an inflatable vinyl inner tub that is great when traveling. The 21-ounce Snug-Tub fits inside a standard bathtub and measures 32 by 21 inches when inflated. It folds to 9 by 7 by 2 inches thick. The tub has a built-in vinyl ring-toss game and an inflatable fish that squeaks when squeezed. There’s a built-in drain plug and a suction cup so it can be hung up to dry.

Snug-Tub Deluxe is $23; (800) 388-1848, www.kelgar.com.

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Wild nights: This cute bear-head knapsack metamorphoses into a cozy 57-by-30-inch children’s sleeping bag when the innards are pulled out. The bear head can be used as a pillow, and it has long bear paws that accommodate a child’s arms. The Snooze Zoo sleeping bag has a fleece exterior and flannel lining. The animal head has adjustable shoulder straps and three pockets for pajamas and storybooks. It comes with a detachable mini flashlight and a stuffed bear for cuddling. A leopard version also is available. Too bad they don’t make these for grown-ups.

Snooze Zoo bear (item No. 10366) or leopard (No. 10365) is $74.95 from AJ Prindle & Co.; (866) 774-8278, www.ajprindle.com.

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Safe transport: Booster seats are a must for toddlers in cars, but what about youngsters who may be too small for safety belts but too grown-up (at least in their own minds) for boosters? The SafeSit is a plastic device that repositions a regular seat belt to fit a child. Attaching at the point where the car’s shoulder and lap belt meet, it pulls the shoulder strap down and away from the child’s head and neck and keeps the lap belt at the hip so it doesn’t ride over the abdomen. The SafeSit fits children 50 pounds or more--about 5- to 8-year-olds--and easily detaches so you can transfer it from one car to another.

SafeSit seat belt adjuster is $19.95 from Blue Ridge International; (800) 222-9056, www.safe fit.com.

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Family fix-up: Adventure Medical Kits, a manufacturer of first-aid packs, has developed a kit for families. The Family II model has materials to care for blisters and wounds and also includes bandages with cartoon characters, diaper pins, syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting after ingestion of poison, and a digital thermometer. A 50-page booklet, “Caring for Children in the Outdoors,” addresses health and safety issues of different age groups--how far a youngster can be expected to hike, life-threatening pediatric circumstances, correct medication dosages etc. The 9-by-6-by-2-inch-deep blue zippered nylon bag has an external zippered pocket, built-in carry straps and plastic belt loops.

Family II Medical Kit is $59.50; (800) 324-3517, www.adventuremedicalkits.com.

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Snuggle up: The horizontal version of Snugli, the popular infant carrier, is designed for carrying newborns in a cradle position. Worn like a sling (with a wide, padded adjustable strap), the lightweight carrier has an internal harness with full body support along its length. The infant is secured into the carrier before the adult puts it on. The machine-washable carrier has an internal terry cloth lining and pillow, two pockets for baby gear and a snap-together cover-up for added warmth, and it can be easily packed if you are traveling.

Evenflo’s Snugli Early Care Newborn carrier is $29.99; (800) 837-9201, www.evenflo.com.

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