In fact, spending a day strapped to a seat with abysmal lumbar support is a challenge to any human body’s tolerance for discomfort.  The act of sitting for any period of time applies more pressure on the back than any other position.  So, while strapped inside a car, any opportunity to lift the rear end off of a seat is a help.  Today’s seatbelt laws (that fortunately promote the safety and well-being of passengers) hinder us from allowing our bodies to find the positions are most comfortable for our bodies.

A lumbar support pillow is a relatively effective measure to prevent the tension that results in the lower back from sitting.  There are many brands and types of pillows on the market.  One convenient option is to purchase an inflatable pillow.  That way, each passenger’s pillow can be deflated and folded away during short drives and, depending on the size of the child, can be inflated to various pressures to suit his or her body frame. 

I recently started using an inflatable travel support pillow called Back Booster.  With some experimentation, I was able to find the most comfortable level of inflation.  When fully inflated, my upper back couldn’t rest against the top of the seat.  However, when inflated less than half its capacity, the pillow offered just enough support to mould into my lower back, thus allowing me to maintain a proper posture.  The same level of inflation turned out to fit perfectly for my six year old, as well.  His complaints stop abruptly as soon as he slips the pillow his back.    

A less effective, but easy alternative is to place a rolled towel behind the lower back.  Ideally, the driver should adjust the seat to be as straight as possible and close enough to the steering wheel to prevent leaning forward to reach the controls.  Just as important to spinal health, is to take regular breaks outside of the car.  Every few hours, pull into a rest stop for a stretch of the legs.

Apparently, the propensity to snooze at the wheel is not so uncommon.  In fact, car companies have been working on various technologies to combat this DWD (Driving While Drowsy) issue.  One of the most promising and interesting of the solutions is aromatherapy.  Nissan has created a system called “Forest AC” that releases fragrances to alter a driver’s mood or behaviour. 

Two aromas are used intermittently and alternately:

• Borneol is a combination of oils that create a calming effect, thereby reducing the potential for road rage;
• Leaf alcohol is found in most plants and is found to reduce fatigue (no more face slapping.)

Furthermore, the “forest” atmosphere is maintained within the car with its filtration system that eliminates noxious fumes out of the air.  Whether the smell originates from outside (skunk) or inside the car (dirty diapers), the system works to eliminate the offending odour immediately. 

But don’t throw out the pine scented air freshener dangling off the rear view mirror just yet.  Forest Air is only available in the Fuga luxury sedan in Japan.  And order an extra large coffee, to go.

My husband and I did the Disney last year with our three boys.  Always the budget-conscious travellers, we stayed in a condo outside of the sprawling Magic Kingdom Resort for a ridiculously reasonable sum  of $500 for one week and drove a mere ten minutes every morning to tackle yet another of their parks where, they claim, it’s “the happiest place on earth.”  With the parking voucher, we were able to bypass the typical parking attendants, with their pointing fingers and commanding hand whooshes, and zoom straight to the front of the lot.  While other visitors had to wait for shuttle buses to transport them the mile or so from their Goofy-labeled parking sign to the front gate, we strolled there in minutes.  With hours of lineups ahead of us, we truly appreciate this one hassle-free experience.

As far as the awesome deal on our condo goes… Well, if you google hard enough, there’s always a deal to be found.

The first time we drove to Florida, five years ago, the boys were aged one, three and four. We could have flown and saved ourselves 20 hours of claustrophobic “family time,” but my husband and I thought our kids should experience a good old-fashioned road trip, like the ones we’d had. Not to mention, it was cheaper. Barely any families we knew dared take long road trips any more. They would rather soar above the clouds in comfort – even if their credit cards rose with them (these were pre-recession times). But my husband and I took pride in our thriftiness the same way a 16-year-old takes pride in her sun tan.

And, we figured, if our parents could do it, why couldn’t we? True to this nostalgic impulse, I refused to pack electronic gadgetry to occupy my children’s minds. Our van had no DVD player and we owned no video games. I didn’t need that stuff when I was a kid. Why should they? Instead, I packed books: activity books, picture books, pop-up books, sticker books. These, I believed, would beguile them for hours, and, for variety, we’d play I Spy or gaze at the blur of horses and cows in passing pastures. After all, kids like that kind of stuff. At the last minute, however, we were offered an old laptop from my husband’s company at a great price. We caved. We loaded it with kids’ movies and packed it in the backseat beside the books – just in case.

Day 1 started at 3 a.m., “to make good time,” as my husband put it. The kids, bundled and tethered to their seats, were too excited to fall back asleep. Lucky us. We drove through the dark with rear passenger lights glowing as the two older boys looked at books and asked for snacks. My youngest, Cole, cried and whined, then, tired, fell asleep.

By early morning, the books had been tossed aside and the laptop was playing back-to-back movies.

By early morning, the books had been tossed aside and the laptop was playing back-to-back movies. It staved off any chance of boredom (I told myself) and allowed me to focus on appeasing my one-year-old. We were all relieved when, 16 hours after leaving our home in Oakville, Ont., we settled into a motel in Georgia for the night.

On Day 2, the laptop broke. The books were scattered across the minivan floor and my homemade muffins weren’t cutting it any more. I resorted to tossing candy bars, lollipops and Dunkaroos at the backseat to mute the chorus of complaint. I found that sugar, if doled out in small increments, sustained contentment indefinitely.

Though not impatience. “When will we be there?” was their favourite conversation starter.

“Soon,” I’d reply, my curt answer warranted because, first, kids have no concept of time and, second, I’d hardly slept in Georgia, thanks to my restless baby, and was too tired to keep my eyes open, much less move my mouth to talk. Now, I had to preserve my weary voice for singing, because nothing kept Cole happier than hearing me warble on about dogs named Bingo.

When we finally arrived at the beach, my husband and I congratulated ourselves. We had 10 days of vacation to refresh ourselves before driving home. I was jittery about the return trip, travelling laptop-free for two days. How would the kids manage? How would we?

Now that I had a new appreciation for the digitalization of children’s pastimes, I needn’t have worried. On our way home we came upon a Walmart in South Carolina and got a bargain on a portable DVD player and electronic toys.

We bought them, just in case.

This year we drove to Florida for the fourth time with the same DVD player plus three Nintendos DS portable video games. It was a breeze. I don’t know how my parents did it.

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2421376#ixzz0d5wVib13
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