title: How to Fit a Car Seat on a Camel: And Other Misadventures Traveling with Kids
author: Sarah Franklin
description: Tales of travels begun with optimism and sometimes ending with vomiting, tears, or near- nervous breakdowns -- take your pick -- fill the new book "How to Fit a Car Seat on a Camel," edited by Sarah Franklin (Seal Press, $15.95). Frankin tells of her own naivet about travel with kids in the book's introduction: "My husband and I were that clich of the 30-something childless couple, traveling here, there and everywhere, with just a copy of The New Yorker and the latest iPod as accessories. Trips we made from our home in Seattle include Alaska, Hawaii, England, Wales, California, New York and the foothills of the Canadian Rockies." Franklin and hubby would look at each other and say: "We can still do all this with the baby, you know. Yeah, we were that clich, too." Their travels -- crossing the Atlantic four times with baby, Jonah -- inspired the collection of stories. -- <i>The Fresno Bee, May 12, 2008</i>
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  ![cover-image.jpg](images/cover-image.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Trapped by Nick Louth](images/scale~1920x1200~trappedpatc-1543241617-33.jpg)
  
  
  ![Canelo](images/scale~1920x1200~canelotitle-1454015556-29.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  For Louise, as always
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  >
  
  
  ‘The dead don't die. They look on and help.’
  
  
  
  
  
  D. H. Lawrence
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Chapter One
  
  
  This is my wife, Catherine, yesterday evening. Tuesday. You can see her, with
  a screwdriver, in the boot of our Nissan, trying to tighten the screws on the
  anchor points for the new child seat. I tell her that they are secure, the man
  at the shop who installed it told us so, and he is fully qualified. I’d
  already double-checked the seat too. Watched the video, read the instructions.
  Used all my strength to test the straps, wobbled it, tried to pull it loose.
  It was fine. But for her that wasn’t enough. When it comes to Ethan, nothing
  is ever enough. She fears that in a collision our one-year-old son could be
  catapulted 