There's no sugarcoating it: traveling with small children is overwhelming. For most parents, the days of packing a small bag and jet-setting across the country are a distant memory. Babies and small children need a lot of stuff, which means traveling families have to lug strollers, pack 'n plays, and big suitcases stuffed with everything from bottles to blankies.

Luckily, if you're using a car service, there's one important—and heavy—item that you can stop stressing about. Many NJ car services now offer car seats for babies, toddlers, and young children, and we've rounded up a dozen of them here. On your next vacation, lighten your load! 

Want to call a Lyft or Uber? Not so fast. Uber only offers car seats for passengers in New York City, Philadelphia or Washington, D.C. Lyft charges an extra $10 per ride for a car seat, but this service is currently only available in NYC. To find more car service with car seat options in NYC, check out NYC Car Services with Car Seats for Babies & Kids.

The annual Hour of Code is entering its fourth year next month, and Microsoft is adding something for 2017 that your little Minecraft lovers will surely go nuts over. Whether your family is new to this free international mass coding phenomenon or you've explored it before, the 2017 campaign has new and exciting features for everyone—including coding projects about Moana, Star Wars, and Minecraft.

Nestled on the edge of the Armand Bayou Nature Preserve in Southeast Houston, is a beautifully shaded park with newly renovated playground equipment for children of all abilities, two dog parks, a canoe launch, and plenty of ducks to feed. Bay Area Park is also home to a host of wildlife living in natural marsh lands, making it a great place to visit for nature lovers. The park even has its own designated campground for scout troops. Whether you're fishing or hiking, playing ball or picnicking, this park is sure to delight. This 64-acre park is a mere minutes away from our home now, but with so much to do here, we found ourselves frequenting the park even when we didn't live nearby. Take a look at what makes Bay Area Park is one of our favorites in the Bayou City. 

As a recent convert to west coast life, I'm prepared to say that, while the rivalry between east and west may never be settled, there’s no doubt that Los Angeles is the best choice when it comes to raising a family. Sure, a New York subway ride has its gritty charms, but the Big Apple just can’t compete with all that the City of Angels has to offer when it comes to entertaining kids. Don’t believe it? Feel free to tour Manhattan in February, though a better idea would be to start working your way down our LA Bucket List. Meanwhile, here are my favorite 10 things about parenting among the palm trees.

You don't have to go far in NYC to see gorgeous holiday lights and festive Christmas displays. Right here in Midtown Manhattan, the big department stores, such as Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue, light up the streets with gorgeous gratis holiday window displays. They're playful, colorful, whimisical, and even interactive in some cases.

Take a family stroll down Fifth Avenue to see the 2017 windows—it's one of our favorite FREE holiday activities in the city! But first get a sneak peek of this year's fun with our video and photos of the the top displays.

Be sure to visit our Holiday Fun Guide to find other activities and things to do along the route and throughout the season, including Santa pictures, tree lightings, and train shows.

We Angelenos love our holiday lights, and we are blessed with an abundance of viewing opportunities. But sometimes logistics can be an obstacle, particularly for families with small children. Where do we park? How far do we have to walk or drive? Can we find all the displays…? One simple and family-friendly solution is the Zoo Lights display at the Los Angeles Zoo. This large scale sparkle, which replaces the old Griffith Park Lights drive-through event, puts everything you want to see within the grounds of the LA Zoo, and parking is free (merry Christmas to me!).

Do you find yourself doing the "Hot Dog Dance" while making dinner? Do you sometimes sway to the sound of Doc McStuffins singing “Time for Your Check Up?” Then you—and presumably your kids—will be excited to hear that Disney Junior is launching a national dance party tour featuring characters and music from many of their most-loved shows.

Kicking off in March, the Disney Junior Dance Party On Tour will be an interactive concert with singing, dancing, and even games. You’ll hear songs from Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Sofia the First, Elena of Avalor, Doc McStuffins, The Lion Guard, Vampirina, and Puppy Dog Pals. It’s the first time all of these characters will appear together in one live show. 

It will tour several Mommy Poppins regions, including New Jersey, Texas, and Los Angeles.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show returned to New York City this fall with new Eric Carle stories to tell. Running an easily digestible 55 minutes and filled with bright colors and oversize puppets, this beautiful stage show easily captivates toddlers and preschoolers.

We caught the show when it first opened in January 2016, and so we were eager to see the new version, which swapped out two of the previous Carle picture book stories for two new ones. It also moved to a theater downtown. Read on for our full parent review of this show playing throughout the holidays and into February 2018.