traveling with a 2-month old?

tomandcourt

This is a long way off, but before I got pregnant we were planning to spend Thanksgiving in Maine with my dad's family. Now, of course, we're going to have the baby, who will be about 2 months old at that point.

Would it be crazy to try to make this trip still? Would it be easier to fly (about 1.5 hours nonstop) or drive (two days, 8 hours and 3 hours with a stop over at my uncle's). Obviously I won't know the baby's temperament until s/he gets here, but I'd love to hear your experiences taking long trips with an infant.

JenGK

Not crazy at all to fly.  I flew with Zach at 2.5 months and it was the easiest trip because he slept pretty much the whole time.  I carried him in my hotsling through security, walked the airport with him in it until the last minute, and then just plopped my butt in the seat.  I was flying by myself, and the nice guy next to me helped me mix a bottle of formula right before landing when he woke up.  Little babies are so much easier than toddlers who want to squirm and run around everywhere.

 

Ana0927

We drove to New Jersey and Massachusetts with a 2 month old and it wasn' bad at all. She slept most of the way only stoping when she would wake up to eat. The biggest hassle was all the stuff we had to bring (stroller, pack and play, etc.). 

tomandcourt

Ana0927:

The biggest hassle was all the stuff we had to bring (stroller, pack and play, etc.). 

This was my other concern when trying to decide between flying/driving - flying seems like it would be much easier time-wise but would really limit the gear we could bring. I could probably make my dad bring some of it though.

ani25

I am on the same boat. DH and I are flying home for Christmas and I have been worried about this. Glad to hear is not that bad!

cands

We flew for thanksgiving with our twins when they were 2.5 months old.  We've flown with them three times since, and taken two long car rides, and the easiest trip by far was the flights at 2.5 months.  They were still in the stage of sleeping a lot of the time and were happy to be fed and then sleep for the flight.  Security took a lot longer than pre-kids, but other than that, the flight was a complete breeze.

I recommend flying rather than driving, because you would need to stop the car for every time you hold the baby or need to change a diaper, and it could make for a very slow trip. 

JenGK

We just borrowed gear from other family in the area.  Depending on how many times you are going to visit, and if there is the potential for other grandchildren, it might make sense for the grandparents to invest in a few of the basics -- pack and play and a bouncy seat, for instance.  They could probably get a good deal on Craigslist, wash the bouncy seat cover, and all you would have to bring is a clean sheet for the PnP.

MingoMoll

We're flying out to CA in July for BIL's wedding, so are in the same boat (except definitely weren't going to drive). The ILs are planning on buying or borrowing either a PnP or a crib, since they're assuming this will just be the first of many visits by grandkids over the future years. A lot of friends have told me this will likely be the easiest time to travel with kids for a few years (of course, we're also headed to the UK for a week in October).

crazyDCbride

ellie will be 8 weeks tomorrow.

at this point, i would feel very comfortable traveling with her - but, she's a pretty easy baby and doesn't really get too fussy. 

if you're planning on flying, i would make sure its after she has all of her vaccinations and stuff, since the air in the plane is all recirculated.

personally, i think i'd rather drive - but, she likes her car seat... and, she likes highway driving.  it may make for a longer trip, though.  (and, while she likes the car - she's never been in there for more than an hour or so non-stop... i don't know how 8 hours would be...)

flying with the gear would be doable... i'd probably just take the pnp and the carseat w/ stroller base.

smacb

We flew cross country with my son at 5 months and it was HELL.  Drove cross country with him at 6 months and it was fine.

I would not have wanted to do a long trip at 2 months.