Buckling a child in a car is like buckling that child in hell. Wiggly children hate being bound in a car, which can make any car trip painful. But for a long road trip is can be unbearable.

Entertaining a child in a car takes some thought, skill and a little innovation you can turn even long road trips into a fun adventure with few tears and a lot of smiles.

Even if you are not planning a long road trip, these tips will help you maintain the peace even tooling around town.

• Keep breaks to a minimum. It sounds awful, but frequent breaks will slow down the road trip. That is not to say that you should not take breaks, especially on long drives. But nothing puts a kink in the plan if you have to stop every 30 minutes for a potty break. First, make sure everyone goes to the bathroom right before getting in the car. This will help avoid any accidents. You also should not restrict drinking fluids, just regulate them. Soda is the ultimate no-no. Not only will the bubbly soft drink rot your teeth and insides, it is actually a diuretic, meaning very frequent bathroom breaks. Stick to juice or water.
• Bring movies. Even if you are not in love with the idea of your child vegging out in front of the TV, it might be the right ticket to avoiding car meltdown. More and more cars and vans are coming equipped with DVD players and headphones so you don’t have to listen to a loud cartoon over and over. Bring along a variety of movies to suit all tastes.
• Do a scavenger hunt. Back in my day, a TV in the car seemed so futuristic. We had to bide our time by playing ‘eye spy’ and the alphabet game, which is a game where you try to find every letter of the alphabet in billboards and signs. You can also create a scavenger hunt with items like a semi-truck, cows, rest stops and other common things you see along the side of the road.
• Bring a pack of aluminum foil. It sounds outrageous, but a roll of aluminum foil can provide hours of entertainment. The sturdy feel of the material is ideal for making shapes, sculptures and other funny things. And aluminum foil is relatively cheap. So hand your kids a roll and let them create. Sure it might get all over the place, but the clean up should be a cinch.
• Pack snacks. Stopping for fast food on a road trip is bad news. Yes, you should stop for breaks, but stopping for fast food is not ideal. First, fast food feels and smells greasy. Little hands covered in fast food will create a mess and the smell will haunt you for the rest of the trip. Plus, fast food just makes your digestive system cry. Pack snacks or a healthy meal if needed to avoid stopping and to eat healthy.

After you entertain your kids makes sure you entertain yourself by saving money on car insurance. You can get an online car insurance quote on this website by just filling out a form. Trust me, you will save money doing that.