YakPack

Most families carry a first aid kit, but few are prepared for motion sickness, illness and food spills. Each YakPack comes with plastic bags, latex gloves, a plastic scoop, antimicrobial wipes and absorbent, deodorizing powder. Though you may never have to actually use the YakPack, having peace of mind knowing that your car's interior won't be sacrificed on the way home from Aunt Betsy's Thanksgiving dinner is worth the $8 alone.

Sleeping Bags

Bring at least one per child. Operating as blankets, pillows, backseat forts, dividers between siblings or picnic blankets for roadside meals, sleeping bags may actually be the only thing bringing weary parents peace.

Music That Doesn't Suck

Six hours of Old MacDonald is going to get old mighty fast. To break the boredom, either create your own family-friendly playlist — say, for every song the kids pick, Mom and Dad get to pick one too — or try out a few kid CDs that are adult-friendly too. We highly suggest Brats on the Beat: Ramones for Kids , Kimya Dawson's Alphabutt album and No! by They Might Be Giants.

Car Games

Tired of I-Spy, Twenty Questions and the license plate game? So are your kids. Ultimate Road Trip Games ($14.95) provides 140 pages of fresh family-friendly games to beat the boredom and Pressman Toy's 12 in 1 game set ($5.29) offers a dozen games including magnetic checkers, chess and tic tac toe. While the latter may not be suitable for smaller children (due to the tiny, oh-so-swallowable pieces), it's sure to keep kids ages seven and up occupied for a while. Free printable travel games are also available at GetRoadReady.com.

Cyclops Atom Headlamp

Driving at night usually means that traveling kids are either sleeping or whining. To keep the whines at bay, this miner-style reading light gives children a few more hours of reading and playtime when the sun goes down. It's also useful for nighttime games once you've finally reached your destination.

An Audio Escape

If the kids are wrapped up in games or sleeping, take time for yourself (while you can). To get a few adult moments in between family time, pop in an audio book or one of the bazillion cheap podcasts on iTunes. "This American Life," "How Stuff Works," NASA, Oprah and National Public Radio all offer free podcasts on topics ranging from celebrity gossip to space technology.

Nintendo DS

In an ideal world, road trips would be delightful excursions filled with engaging family conversation. In reality, sitting in a cramped car for several hours with kids usually means at least some whining, sibling fights and wars over the music. Burying your kid in a video game for an hour or so may not be the most intellectual way to spend a lengthy car ride, but it can give Mom and Dad a few hours of peace. To avoid numbing your child's brain, check out our list of creativity-building video games here .

Space Bags

Road trips are hard enough even if everyone's got ample leg room. To save on packing space, these vacuum-sealed bags shrink clothes to one-third of their normal size so you can pack more with less space. While the bag is like kryptonite for clothes that wrinkle easily, it works wonders for casual outfits, under-things and children's wear.

CarMD

The last thing you need is a mid-trip breakdown. Designed to catch engine problems early, this handheld gadget plugs into your car's internal computer (provided that the car was made after 1996) and lets drivers know if there are any engine or emissions problems before they begin driving. If there is one, CarMD will connect you with a call support center manned by trained mechanics and technicians. While the device can't guarantee that your trip will run smooth as butter, it can predict if your car will.

Chapter Books

They may not be as flashy or eye-catching as DS games, but good old fashioned books can actually be fun on a road trip, particularly when they're read round-robin style in zany voices. To get kids excited about their destination, choose a book that's either set in or about the town where you're headed. GoodLittleTraveler.com contains an extensive list of travel books for toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Tom Tom One 125 Portable GPS Navigator

Were you supposed to take 55 West to 65 North or 65 West to 55 North? Don't worry, this guy will read your directions for you. One of the cheapest and most reliable GPS systems on the market, the Tom Tom One 125 comes with US maps already loaded as well as alternative routes in case of traffic or a sudden detour. Roadside necessities — food, gas stations, toll roads — are all in the system, as are major attractions, beaches, campgrounds, car repair shops, hospitals and police stations. Granted, it's not as well-stocked as newer, pricier models, but for families looking for a modestly-priced way to avoid getting lost, it's hard to beat.

Keep Your Cooler Beach Backpack Cooler

You're going to need snacks for the road, so instead of relying on crappy fast food, pack healthy hunger-busters and keep them cold. In addition to feeding traveling kids on the go, the backpack straps make this sucker easy to haul out to the beach, sports games and family hikes.

Potette Plus Portable Potty

Everybody poops and thanks to this fold-away potty with disposable liners, your kids can even when there's not a sanitary restroom for miles. Holding up to five ounces of liquid and suitable for children weighing 50 lbs or less, the Potette Plus doubles as both a stand-alone portable toilet and a collapsible training seat. The potty comes with three disposable liners, but getting rid of them . . . well . . . that's up to you.

Wagan Power Dome

If you do have a roadside breakdown, Wagan Power Dome will come to the rescue. A jump starter, air compressor, storage unit and outlet all rolled into one, the Power Dome can restart a dead battery, pump up a tire and play your iPod at the same time. Lights, jumper cables and space to store a first aid kit are also included. Go ahead, breathe a sigh of relief.

Find more:

25 Kid Car Songs Even Parents Can Stand

Best Audio Books for Road Trips

10 Most Famous Road Trips in the U.S.

This article was written by Christina Couch for Babble.com, the magazine and community for a new generation of parents.

Universal Car Seat Carrier/Snap N' Go

Rather than lugging the car seat, stroller and gear through the airport, a much smarter solution is the all-in-one infant car seat carrier. One of these lightweight carriers will hold your favorite car seat on top (presumably, with baby) and a load of infant accoutrements underneath. Take the baby and the car seat out when you board and fold and check the carrier at the gate. You can pick it up upon departure and wheel everyone out the door. (When the kiddo needs the bigger toddler seat, check out the Sit ‘n' Stroll.)

Get the Kolcraft Universal Infant Seat Carrier at Amazon for $54.96.

Get the Snap N' Go from Amazon for $59.99.

CARES Safety Restraint

What a relief to check the car seat when your toddler reaches twenty-two pounds! Slip the CARES safety restraint into your carry-on and that's all you need until your little one can use the regular airplane seat belt. CARES is the only harness child restraint device that is FAA approved and is adjustable until your child reaches forty-four pounds. Giving you extra security and extra space in your bag makes CARES every parent's best friend.

Get it from Amazon for $70.

Trunki Suitcase For Kids

Not only is this carry-on for kids adorable (we were stopped multiple times on the way to the gate) the Trunki is the most practical kid item we tested. Let your child pack games, books and blanket in their very own suitcase and pull it through the terminal independently. When the little traveler gets tired, they can hop on for a ride. Choose your animal or bright color pattern and go!

Get it from Amazon for $49.99.

FeltTales Storyboard

No mess, no noise — a perfect airplane companion. This felt dress up game even has a handle for easy transport. Whether your kiddos like pirates, princesses or celebrating the Jewish holidays — there's a felt theme for every kid fantasy.

Get it from Babalu for $19.95.

Zoobies Plush Animals

It's a blanket, it's a lovey — it's both! Your baby will be entertained and swaddled by this compact plush toy all at the same time. Zoobies come in many species of animal and sizes but we recommend the baby Hada the Hippo (and she fits nicely in the Trunki).

Get it from Zoobies for $25.

The Gürdle

Especially helpful if you're traveling alone with baby, the Gürdle is a simple strap that streamlines your luggage. Small but strong, one step connects your diaper bag to your suitcase, freeing up that third arm you'll be needing. Available in many colors for easy luggage identifying, see how the Gürdle works here.

Get it from The Gürdle for $29.99

Jill E. Bag

The Jill E. bag serves two purposes — hauling the kid stuff and making you look fabulous. Originally a camera bag, Jill E. realized the potential of expansion and sold us on this bag as travel tool. While you stroll to the gate with the latest design in handbags hanging on your arm, the luscious leather outer is actually hiding the secret weapon — tons of separate compartments to keep snacks, toys, games, crayons and myriad other kid props in their own place.

Get it from Jill E. for $169.99.

Nature Baby Organics Travel Set

Allergist-approved for baby, the Nature Baby Organics travel set includes shampoo, body wash, conditioner, face and body moisturizer and can be used by every member of the family (one set lasts a family of four an entire week). Additionally, you should use the calming lavender aromatherapy spray liberally ? perhaps even on your fellow passengers.?

Get it from Nature Baby Organics for $15.95.

Itzy Ritzy Wet Happened!

When you're doing a ton of a laundry, suddenly keeping the dirty and clean separated en route and return is incredibly important. Toss your soiled baby clothes into the zip up Wet Happened! from Itzy Ritzy and forget about whatever it was that leaked, spilled or squirted all over that onesie. Available in fabulous styles and two sizes, you'll wonder why you never traveled with a wet bag before.

Get it from Itzy Ritzy starting at $17.95.?

Coby Portable DVD Player

If you're lucky your flight will come equipped with a personal TV on every seat. Why take that chance when you can guarantee a happy, occupied child with a portable DVD player? The Coby has traveled many miles with our family and reliably saves the day when all else fails. Travel tip: Pick up never-seen episodes of your child's favorite shows to achieve maximum down time.

Get it from Amazon for $65.99.

Find more:

25 Family Travel Tips

The Best Travel High Chairs

The Family That Never Stopped Traveling

This article was written by April Peveteaux for Babble.com, the magazine and community for a new generation of parents.

Jane Jetson, The Jetsons

If the Real Housewives went animated, doting Jane (with the live-in help of maid/nanny/pseudo-mom Robot Rosey) would no doubt be given a starring role. We're not so stoked that she makes the rest of Mom-kind look bad in the creative dinner department, and sigh, her orange hair always looks coiffed, but boy, does she dote on Judy and Elroy.

Betty Rubble, The Flintstones

Betty finds an abandoned infant at her doorstop one day, and BOOM. No question about it, takes little Bamm-Bamm in as her own, even going to court against legendary "Perry Masonry" to win custody of her baby boy. Such a good adoptive momma, that Betty — we're willing to look past the annoying giggle.

Bambi's Mom, Bambi

Still chokes us up to this day to think about Bambi's dad telling his son, "Your mother can no longer be with you." Any mom who risks death to protect her four-legged offspring earns a "Mother of the Year Award" in our books. Sniff.

Mama Bear, Berenstain Bears

Really, is there a life lesson this wise, furry momma didn't teach her two mischievous cubs? Handling pressure, staying safe, living by the golden rule? The list goes on. Oh, and she manages to balance parent and social time quite impressively: she's a whiz at quilt-making and president of the Bear Country Garden Club.

Mother Bear, Little Bear

Oh, Mother Bear. You are so kind and sweet and soft-spoken. You must have some alternate wacked-out personality. Except you don't. And even though you're so nicey-nice it makes us want to choke on our kid's animal crackers sometimes, we appreciate that your bear humming calms them down when they're watching the tube.

Mrs. Jumbo, Dumbo

Like any good mom, Mrs. Jumbo sticks up for her floppy-eared son when the rest of the elephants poke fun of his large ears — even getting imprisoned by the circus folk for her outburst. Need we even mention the heart-wrenching mother/son trunk nuzzling scene? Too much.

Miss Spider, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends

The warm spider with the big blue eyes is the epitome of a loving mother. She treats all her Sunny Patch kids equal and instills wholesome values like, "We have to be good to bugs, all bugs." Right on.

Wilma Flintstone, The Flintstones

The level-headed matriarch of the Flintstone clan, Wilma maintains a clean home and family sanity for baby Pebbles. Not an easy task, when you've got an elephant vacuum cleaner and a husband like Fred. Plus, does she look fab in pearls or what?

Didi Pickles, Rugrats

Sure, she's a tad overprotective of her son, Tommy, but frizzy-haired Didi sure means well in the Mom department. And we can't fault her for heeding every piece of Dr. Lipschitz parenting advice she can get her hands on.

Martha Generic, Bobby's World

She's got that universal mom quality: eyes in the back of her head! (Which, of course, come in quite handy when disciplining goofball Bobby.) Plus, it's quite entertaining to hear her spew motherly advice in that Upper Midwestern "gee golly" accent.

Nanny, Muppet Babies

We may never see her face, but her distinctive pink skirt and striped socks hold court over the Muppet nursery. Let's face it — any lady who can quiet the likes of Gonzo, Kermit and the gang simply by walking in the room has some serious mamma powers.

Grammi Gummi, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears

The matriarch of the Gummi Clan, she possesses the traits of all great moms: maternal, but means business when she has to. Plus, she's got a signature Mom dish — her famous gummiberry juice!

Rebecca Cunningham, TaleSpin

Representin' the single mammas, stubborn, all- business Rebecca not only watches over her daughter Molly, but also plays step-mom to orphan Kit and keeps lazy Baloo in-line. That can't be easy for one lady.

Fairy Godmother, Cinderella

So she's technically not a mom, per se, but she saves little Cindy from the wrath of her evil stepmother with some pretty spectacular magical powers. Imagine: Bibbity-bobbity-boo! Clean diaper!

Marge Simpson, The Simpsons

She owns her Mom-ness and her sexiness. Yep, the scratchy-voiced, blue-haired mamacita bared all for Playboy, and still manages to be the voice of reason in a yellow family full of dysfunction. Plus, years after it went out of style, Marge still makes the retro beehive look rockin'.

]]>Babble http://www.babble.com/facebook-common-parenting-pitfalls/What was once the domain of rowdy college co-eds has now become a centralized hub for new parents. You can't so much as check your status updates without seeing some adorable tyke smiling a toothless grin or a parent giving the latest update on what their little genius is up to today. With everyone from Dr. Sears to CafeMom hanging up their FB shingle, it seems this former bastion of social networking cool has been taken over entirely by parents — oftentimes with mixed results. Here are the five biggest offenders. — Elina Furman

The Bragger Parent

As the most popular type of parent, this category has trapped even the most well-meaning moms and dads. While your progeny may have walked early, used an adverb correctly or even commented on the recent health care debate, does everyone really need to hear about it? Sure, occasional bragging is part of the parental bill of rights, but abuse of this privilege can be met with swift exclusion from friend lists. And though your pals would not mention anything to your face, you can tell by your ever-waning wall activity that it's time to put a lid on it.

The Whiner Parent

Baby been keeping you up all night? Spitting up his food? Won't go poopy on the potty? Say hello to the Whiner Parent. Always complaining about their sleep and happiness deprivation, you'd think these parents and their colicky offspring had a monopoly on the crying game. While it's okay to occasionally post an FB rant to gain much-needed sympathy and even advice from other veteran parent pals, if you're always complaining prepare to lose some Facebook friends and fast.

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The Cool Parent

Oh, the good old halcyon days of all-night clubbing and indie rock concerts. Those were good times. The problem is they're over and have been replaced with broken sleep cycles and Laurie Berkner concerts. While many parents have changed their wild ways with the arrival of their precious, others refuse to alter their lifestyle or sacrifice their hipness, using Facebook to affirm their undying alternative ways. Expect to see lots of postings for concert attendance, plaintive invites to loft parties and recounts of nights on the town. And while these parents may in fact be having fun, they're really not fooling anyone.

The Obsessed Parent

Obsessed parents and Facebook go together like peas and pods. After all, where else can these hyper-consumed parents find such a captive audience for their myriad of photos, videos and announcements? This type of parent has completely given up their Facebook identity to their offspring, sticking their baby's photos smack dab where their own used to be. Of course, if you're going to be obsessed with your baby, Facebook is as good a place as any — beats whipping out your iPhone baby pics at parties.

The Zen Parent

"Oh, this little thing? It's just my thirty-pound toddler that I lug around on my back. Is he heavy? No, quite light actually. It's really much easier than it looks." The Zen parent is a relatively new phenomenon brought about by sustainable living and attachment parenting philosophies and they are multiplying by the droves. Common posts include pithy aphorisms about the joys of parenting and the general beauty of the world. Based on their posts, you'd think their babies have never shed a tear in their life. Yeah, we get it. Life is great. Babies are wonderful. Being a mom is the best thing you've ever done. Bleary-eyed parents with spit up on your shirts take note: Their babies are probably pooping their pants even as you read.

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It's the kind of scenario that can make parents of a toddler and an infant toss down their burp cloths in despair and think, as they narrowly avoid tripping over the musical truck, that having two young kids means no one's ever satisfied.

But while you can't keep 'em both happy all of the time, here are a few tricks to keep them, and you, from pitching a fit most of the time. — Shoshana Kordova

It takes three to tango (and eat, and change a diaper)

When the latest arrival needs to be held or fed, your primary interest may be baby's basic needs, but just about any infant-centered activity can become fun for the kid who might be feeling displaced. The baby's gassy? Hold her while dancing and singing silly songs with your older kid (our favorite made-up ditty includes the line "Don't drink beer in my ear, it makes it hard to hear"). The baby's gotta eat? Whether you're nursing or bottle-feeding, extend your limited lap space by grabbing a spot where you can put up your legs, and ask your toddler if she wants to sit on you (even better if you have toys or books nearby). As for the diaper change, lots of toddlers like being, er, helpful, and handing you a diaper is one of the least calamitous forms of help a toddler can offer.

Find the pattern

It's always a good idea to pay attention to what sets off your kid, and that's all the more true when monitoring the way the former center of attention reacts to the cause of her reduction in star status. Maybe there's something about the time of day or the way you relate to your infant that sparks a meltdown in your toddler; pay attention to the contributing factors and you may be able to head off an ear-numbing exercise of the will. I noticed that my oldest would get upset if I tried to feed the baby at a time when big sis was usually hungry. Now I grab some food, get my toddler into the high chair and sit next to her while feeding both of them. Which brings us to the next point . . .

Don't paint yourself into a nursing corner

Some moms like settling in with baby in the same comfy feeding spot every time. But while that can be great at the right moment, be open to feeding the baby wherever your toddler is. The same holds for other necessaries, especially if you've got multiple rooms, or floors, you hang out in. If you have diaper-changing basics or safe baby-dumping spots (even just a blanket or towel spread out on the floor) in a few strategic locations, it'll be easier to stay with both kids. And if you do have to, or want to, go somewhere else with the little one, try asking your toddler if she wants to sit on the couch with mommy too.

View your home as a kid lab

Don't keep doing something just because it's what you started off doing; your kids are changing every day, so if something isn't working right now (even if it used to), modify it. The trickiest time in our house is my toddler's bath-and-bed time, because I need to give her my attention when the baby is likely to be hungry or kvetchy. I tried sticking to our old routine, but got too stressed if I could hear crying in the other room. I tried simultaneous bath-giving and baby-wearing, but found it too cumbersome. I tried giving big sis an earlier bath if the baby was calm, and that worked well until I started hitting resistance. I ultimately settled on putting the baby in her car seat and bringing her into the bathroom with us, but I'm up for figuring out something else if this doesn't pan out either. There's no way of knowing what will work best for you at any given time other than by trial and error, so try, try, try again.

I'll take two

Keep spares of baby stuff in stock, ready to offer to your toddler if she expresses interest. Mine hadn't used a bottle in nearly a year, but as soon as she saw the baby getting one, it became the hottest item of the season. Instead of saying, "No, that's for the baby," we gave her a bottle of her own that looks different from the others. She also adores having her own blanket spread out on the floor, right next to the baby mat; when I first put it down she stalked around the perimeter with this huge proprietary grin, proud to have her own territory to stake out.

Make some one-on-one

No matter how well you manage to incorporate both kids into your daily tasks, at some point you'll probably feel like you're shortchanging at least one of them. So before you rush off on the never-ending quest to cross off everything on your to-do list when one of them falls asleep, take a few minutes to let your toddler swing like a monkey from your neck or to have a staring contest with your baby while speaking in a ridiculously high-pitched voice. It's worth building up a bank of one-on-one time, both for your kids' sense of security and so that the next time one or both of them is too tired, hungry or sick for any of these tricks to work, at least you'll know in your heart that — despite the surround-sound crying you're sure will have the neighbors calling social services — you've been doing your darndest.

Patrimony: A True Story by Philip Roth

I can't think of a more honest or unflinching account of fatherhood. This is the story of Roth taking care of his father, who is dying of brain cancer. There is a scene in the beginning — Roth's sick, aged father wipes his feces all over the bathroom. It's very easy to talk about feeling awe or great affection or worry about the family but I think it's very hard, and also more honest, to talk about the shit and blood and physicality of it. That was one of the things that surprised me about parenting, actually. Babies are not intellectual human beings — in the beginning, they are not even capable of smiling, the most simple expression of human life — and yet they're demanding of a physical relationship. One of the funny — or not so funny — tricks of life: As you get older, relationships come back to that physicality. You might find yourself wearing a diaper again and needing someone to bathe and feed you. Can anyone hold a baby without imagining oneself as an old person or the baby as an old person?

Kaddish by Leon Wieseltier

This book is like the continuation of Patrimony in a sense, because it begins after the end. Weiseltier immerses himself in the Jewish ritual of saying Kaddish after his father dies ? this act of committing himself does not mean he can make sense of death but he engages with it. Religious or not, as a parent, you are somebody who makes rituals. Whether it is a particular succession of books at bedtime or waffles on Thursday mornings ? they're all practices that you repeat and they take on a special meaning. Ritual gives kids and adults a sense of structure where structure is naturally lacking. It's the counting on it that matters.

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

I was so moved by this novel, particularly by the way the father and daughter are bound together through shame. The father's shame comes from the fact that he won't admit to an affair he had and the shame of his daughter is for her country, about apartheid in South Africa. Shame can be a good thing though ? it can prompt exploration. It was actually the inspiration for me to write my new book, Eating Animals . There is the shame of a kid asking you a question and not being able to answer it, of almost entirely forgetting your responsibility. Why do we eat animals? Children's questions highlight our inconsistencies and paradoxes, but they also inspire us to consider the answers.

Life? Or Theatre? By Charlotte Salomon

I was in Amsterdam and I just stumbled into the Jewish museum. Salomon's work — the paintings and text that make up this book — was on display there. There was something about the line of suicides in her family — her grandmother, aunt and mother all took their own lives — and the idea of inescapable fate that drew me in. Since I've become a father I've become very aware of things that are handed down on purpose and by accident. And I'm interested in what can be resisted. I have a bad habit, for example, of being anti-confrontational. I know why I have it — we can usually trace these things to historical and familial trauma. Part of being a parent is the opportunity to correct these things. I admire Salomon for resisting her fate so forcefully through her art. Sorrowfully, the Nazis captured her not long after she made these paintings and she was killed at Auschwitz. The conflict is: How can art redeem or correct? Sometimes it can't. And yet we keep doing it.

Here's the dish those articles never serve up. Read it, and enjoy Halloween a little more this year, knowing that you don't need to be scared of . . .

Poisoned Candy

According to Harper's index, the number of children ever killed by doctored Halloween candy given to them by strangers equals a whopping zero. I for one plan to continue taste-testing my kids' snacks for poisons, but only the good stuff

Choking

Now that you're not worried about your kids' candy being poisoned, you can go ahead and let them eat it without fear of choking. Between 1999 and 2002, over 75% of choking deaths were people over 65. Only about 100 children die from choking each year. While many more are rushed to hospital emergency rooms, fewer than 20% of those kids choke on candy, according to the CDC.

Sugar

Afraid a candy binge will make your kids into little monsters? Experts say the link between hyperactivity and sugar just isn't there. On the other hand, if parents think their kids have had sugar, they will report more hyperactive behavior, even if the child did not actually eat any sugar. The same goes for artificial food coloring and other additives. Look the other way and let the little ones gorge on their loot.

Food allergies

Wait! What about all the potential allergens lurking in those brightly wrapped treats? Only about 6% of children and 1-2% of adults have a food allergy, and most of those are not the fatal variety. While the cause of food allergies remains a mystery, the Mayo Clinic and other experts place increasing weight on the "hygiene" hypothesis: that keeping potential allergens away from kids certainly doesn't help, and may make them more susceptible to food allergies. If you know your child has an allergy, of course you need to be vigilant, but if you've never had a reaction, count yourself lucky and indulge.

Dirt

Speaking of the hygiene hypothesis, it's probably healthy to let your kid eat that piece of candy that fell on the ground. The hygiene hypothesis states that children who are exposed to a wide variety of microorganisms at an early age develop more robust immune systems. Around here, we call the dust that invariably gets into our trail mix Vitamin Fun.

Satanic cults

Worried that some of those demons and witches prowling the street might be real? While Satanic cults make great TV, they've never been shown to exist in real life. If your child does run into a real witch on Halloween, she's likely to be an earth-loving Wiccan who might trick you into taking home some whole wheat brownies instead of the commercial chocolate.

The Internet

What Satanic ritual abuse was to my generation, Internet predators are to my kids' era: the bogeyman in the closet. The Internet Safety Technical Task Force, a Harvard-backed study that included forty-nine state's attorneys general, found that fears about Internet predation vastly outweigh the reality of this fairly rare crime. Unlike Satanic cults, creeps with computers really do exist. But they're a danger to be aware of, not lived in fear of. For most kids, the most dangerous person they'll meet on Facebook is their mom, who might well use the social networking site to find out what they were really up to last Friday night.

Abduction

Not only do you not have to worry about your child being stolen by Satanists or virtual predators, you don't have to worry about your child being stolen by any random stranger. How long would you have to leave your children outside unattended to make it statistically likely that they'd be abducted by a stranger? 750,000 years, says Warwick Cairns, author of How to Live Dangerously. Let the kids trick or treat on their own if you feel like it.

Death

Kids tend to survive. Only about 3% of the deaths in the United States each year are people under twenty-five. While tragedies do occur, it's worth remembering that kids are resilient, and that the scary things on the news make the news because they're rare. As safety guru Bruce Schneier says, "I tell people that if it's in the news, don't worry about it. The very definition of "news" is "something that hardly ever happens." It's when something isn't in the news, when it's so common that it's no longer news -- car crashes, domestic violence -- that you should start worrying."

There is one real terror on Halloween to watch out for: cars. Kids are four times more likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than on any other night of the year, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign in Washington, DC. So tell your kids to look both ways, and then relax - Halloween isn't nearly as scary as you think.

Oscar and the Bat: A Book About Sound by Geoff Waring

Lots of spooky noises come alive at night that can scare kids: hooting owls, whispering wind, clashing thunder. This book explains why sound--even scary sound--is important. Plus, it will show your children how to use their ears to tell how far or near something is, and to find something, like a bird's nest or raindrops, before their eyes can actually see it.

Lesson: The world would be really boring without sound.

There's No Place Like Space! by Tish Rabe

Nighttime is synonymous with being dark and dreary, but it doesn't have to be that way. Why not teach them about just what's out there in our vast universe? Starting with the moon, this book takes kids on a super-speedy trip through our solar system, and addresses questions like, 'If the Earth is always spinning, why aren't we dizzy?' Who knows, after a few reads, you may have some night owls on your hands!

Lesson learned: Darkness isn't scary when you know what's out there.

Dark Night by Dorothee de Monfreid

This story about a boy named Felix who encounters some ferocious-looking animals in the woods will give your kids a boost of bravery before bedtime. At first, the forest animals frighten Felix but he runs into a wise rabbit that says, hey, if something scares you, scare 'em back! Halloween mask in hand, Felix turns the tables on his nemeses.

Lesson learned: Confidence goes along way in combating scary stuff.

The Scariest Monster In The World by Lee Weatherly & Algy Craig Hall

If your kids are scared of monsters under the bed, read them this funny tale about a monster that gets hiccups?and can?t get rid of them! Not only does it show that even the most menacing creatures have a soft side, we find out in the end that the monster?s scare tactics are mostly for show.

Lesson learned: Monsters aren?t that different than you and me.

What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss

You can?t go wrong with classic Dr. Seuss, and lucky for you, he?s concocted a tale sure to soothe your child?s fears of creatures lurking in the dark. Read this wacky tale about a kid who stumbles upon a pair of (literal) scared-ey pants that rides bikes, rows boats?even runs around with no feet!

Lesson learned: The things you?re most scared of are probably just as scared of you. (Bonus: The book is glow-in-the-dark!)

Creaky Old House by Linda Ashman

Got a creaky house? Read this to your kids. This story about a family with a house full of drafty shutters and dilapidated stairs shows that everything ?spooky? only became that way through years of love. (The fraying rug? That?s where Gran and Grandpa jitterbug!)

Lesson learned: A creaky house is a happy house.