9 ways to run errands with your kids without going crazy

There are few things more stressful than being stuck in traffic and a two-year-old kid melting down in the back seat. But today you're more likely than ever to be running your errands with children in tow. To cope try these tips:

1. Run your errands at the right time of day for the child. If you've got a toddler, that's morning, before naptime.
2. Stock the car with snacks, juices and toys. Keep a cooler in the front with cold drinks and cut-up fruit that you can hand back to your toddler when he or she gets grumpy. Have stocks of toys that come out only when you're running errands.
3. Keep an extra diaper bag in the car. Make sure the bag is stocked with diapers, wipes, a change of clothes and diaper cream.
4. Combine errands for you with a treat for your child. It could be lunch out, an ice cream or a trip to the park.
5. Play games while you're shopping. Give a school-age child a calculator and ask him or her to add up the cost of the groceries as you go along. Let pre-school children put non-breakable items into the shopping cart. Toddlers can pick the colour of the tissues you buy, and will enjoy a game of peekaboo as you go around the aisles.
6. Bring the right carrying equipment for babies and infants: a backpack type of carrier, or a front sling, both of which leave your hands free.
7. Play a thinking game with older children to keep them disciplined and you relaxed. A good game is "jotto." You each pick a word with five letters, no two the same, and have to guess the other's word by stating five-letter words and being told how many letters match. Keeping track in your head is challenging, but fun.