Road trip...

PregsMcSnoozalot

Hey Ladies, another question for you...

We'll be heading to my cousin's wedding in two weeks.  It's normally a 6 hour drive to her town, but I'm imagining it will take a lot longer with all the stops to BF and change the baby.  

Anyway, the question is:

Her wedding is at 4pm.  Should we drive up the previous day (which would make DH and I have to take an extra day off work) or leave super early the day of the wedding, drive up, check into the hotel, and make it to the wedding by 4?

My other concern about driving up the previous day is that LO has never slept anywhere but our bedroom.  I'm worried that he won't get any sleep in a hotel and we're going to be gone for a few nights, so the fewer nights in the hotel, the better, right??  I mean, I'm already exhausted as it is!!

SuperTinkerham

I would go the day before, just so you don't have to stress about trying to make it somewhere looking good on time. We've done 2 car trips and it was super easy. Grr is a very laid back baby and will sleep anywhere now.

PregsMcSnoozalot

What do you guys do about sleeping somewhere new?  Does LO do ok?  Do you try to do the same bedtime routine??  Do you bring ALL THE THINGS??

ghostof5letters

Babies at this age are way more flexible than people give them credit for. Go the day before.

Huahine

Leave the day before, after work, around the time LO would be going down for the night.  With any luck the baby will sleep most of the drive. 

SuperTinkerham

The bassinet to the pack & play is removable so we just take that (we call it the box). Set it on the floor of the hotel room (or on the floor of the living room when we rented a guest house). It really was NBD - but I have a very laid back easy going baby. (Hope I am not jinxing myself)

PregsMcSnoozalot

Danipg said:

 Naps were a whole different story, but I think that had to do with the fact we were somewhere new and he was overstimulated/really curious. 

@Danipg

Oh yeah, naps!  He fights naps at our house, so I can only imagine what it will be like with family ooohing and ahhhing and trying to snuggle him all day.  He only naps in the bouncer chair at our house and it has to be dark and quiet and we have to bounce the hell out of him or he fusses and cries.  I guess my LO doesn't fall into the "laid back easy baby" category  

ghostof5letters

Bring the bouncer!

Ekg688

My only advice is try not to stress and set boundaries if you have to. When we went on vacay DDs sleep was AWFUL! I equate it to me being stressed out about her not being able to relax (which she sensed) and of course everyone wants to play pass the baby to try and calm her which gets her even more worked up.
When its bedtime do your usual routine and try not to stress about it

kjskjs

At the beginning of October we had to do a normally 6 hour drive with DD and DS. We chose to drive in the night so that the kids would ideally sleep through. Amazingly, they did! We did bed time routine but instead of sticking them in their beds, we stuck them in the car. We drove straight through with only a stop for gas. It worked the best for us! I say go a day early and try traveling at night if you can. I know personally, I would feel really stressed trying to get there the day of.

PregsMcSnoozalot

So you guys who drove through the night, did you just not sleep at all?  My LO usually sleeps soundly from 7:30-1:30/2:30am, so that's when I sleep too!  I'm pretty much awake from 2am-ish on...

If we got in the car at 7:30pm, I would not sleep at all, no?  I'm not good at sleeping in the car (stiff neck anyone?!) and my husband likes to have on talk radio if he's driving at night and then I REALLY can't sleep...

PregsMcSnoozalot

I think maybe the solution is to leave at like 4 or 5 am, since that's when baby and I will have had our "full night" of sleep   8-}

VTKatie

My family beach house is about 5 hours away. We leave really early, by 5 or 6 AM. DD sleeps the first 3 hours of the ride. When she wakes, we stop for breakfast and a bathroom break, change and nurse her. She's usually good until we get there. I would just leave super early and plan for a stop or two. For sleep we bring her RNP, it's easy to pack.

PregsMcSnoozalot

ghostof5letters said:

Babies at this age are way more flexible than people give them credit for. Go the day before.

Shout out to @ghostof5letters, you were totally right!  LO went with the flow.  It was way easier than I feared  

We left at 8am both ways and made 2-3 stops (which took forever because LO was so distracted looking out the windows it took a super long time to BF).  

He didn't melt down at all at the wedding or reception, and slept great all three nights at the hotel.  Better than at home, actually!!  

The only tough thing was when it was nap time in the car.  It wasn't dark and we couldn't bounce him, obviously, so there was some serious fussing, but then eventually he would pass out.

Overall, a great trip and a fun time was had by all  

ghostof5letters

PregsMcSnoozalot said:

ghostof5letters said:

Babies at this age are way more flexible than people give them credit for. Go the day before.

Shout out to @ghostof5letters, you were totally right!  LO went with the flow.  It was way easier than I feared  

We left at 8am both ways and made 2-3 stops (which took forever because LO was so distracted looking out the windows it took a super long time to BF).  

He didn't melt down at all at the wedding or reception, and slept great all three nights at the hotel.  Better than at home, actually!!  

The only tough thing was when it was nap time in the car.  It wasn't dark and we couldn't bounce him, obviously, so there was some serious fussing, but then eventually he would pass out.

Overall, a great trip and a fun time was had by all  

Yay!!! I'm glad you had a blast and the baby was cooperative!