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D.C. Area Babies
Tips for long car ride w/8 month old?
Hi ladies, we've taken several couple hour trips with DS because all of my family is OOT and they've gone ok, but gotten progressively harder. I'm nervous that this weekend's trip is going to be especially hard - help!
The last trip we took we tried to drive at night and it was a huge fail - DS cried most of the 3 hour trip, in between short 20 minute naps. when we returned from that trip we left in the morning and DS took a good 1.5 hour nap in the car and then was generally ok until we got home.
This time, we're driving for 7 hours. The plan is to leave before his morning nap, take a break for lunch and get back in the car for his afternoon nap, so hopefully only 3-4 hours of the trip he's awake. We'd take breaks to nurse, but I'll probably feed him baby food in the car seat rather than stop - am I a terrible mom for that?
Any tips for amusing him in the car during awake times? or helping him to sleep in the car if he's restless? is it wrong to bribe him with cheerios when things get rough?
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Re: Tips for long car ride w/8 month old?
We haven't done a long car ride, but based on my experience flying with our twins, I'd definitely recommend bribing with cheerios and puffs. Also, buy a few new toys and books to have on hand for when he gets cranky. And, when he does start getting cranky and bored, sit in the back seat with him for a while, maybe read him some new books. My LOs LOVE when I sit in the back seat between them. They think it's hysterical to see me back there. Finally, when you take a break for lunch, bring a blanket to let him outside to crawl/roll around. That way he can stretch his legs and get away from being tethered into a seat for a few minutes.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
This is a normal trip home for me! I did it at 9/10 months by myself once.
When we take long trips like that, one of us will sit in the back seat with DS. Yeah, it's boring because you don't have anyone to talk to, but it helps with the crying.
No, it's not wrong to bribe him with Cherrios. I would definitely leave right before his morning nap which is what we used to do. When you stop, don't make it a quick stop. I learned that the hard way. Put DC in their stroller and take a little walk. DS liked the change of scenery.
Take books, and toys with you. The person sitting in the back can read to them and play with the toys. DS loved to play peek-a-boo about that age. I think we played it for about 15 minutes straight during that trip.
Not sure where you are traveling to and what route, but be up for any circumstances. DS was throwing a fit one time and we had to to stop. The place we stopped was so gross and dirty that I ended up nursing & changing him in the car.
Bribing with cheerios is not a bad thing! That's how we survived our plane ride to Seattle.
Leaving before the morning nap is a good idea. Like pp said, take along a couple of new and/or favorite toys and snacks. Plan to make at least one 30-minute stop in the middle of your drive, possibly more.
By the way, thanks for your input about driving at night. My husband has been swearing up and down that it would be easy for us to drive down to Florida at night, because M would sleep the entire time. I have my doubts.
We regularly drive to Charlotte (7-8 hours) and NJ (4.5 hours). There is no perfect way. I find if I leave at night and arrive around midnight, while the kids will sleep in the car, they are so excited to be at their destination, they are wired till 2 a.m. Not good for me, since I am beyond exhausted at that point. I've had the best luck in driving to Charlotte, leaving at 4:30/5 in the morning. The kids usually fall back asleep in the car (we keep them in in their jammies), we stop for breakfast and a break about a half hour after they get up and then they both usually nap again for part of the second half of the trip. If they're hungry we'll stop for lunch as well or just push through and have lunch upon arrival at my inlaws. I also like leaving right after lunch for the trip to NJ (4.5 hours). They both take naps for 2 hours, we stop for a walk around and then are home in time for dinner.
As to entertaining the kids, if both of us are in the car, one of us will usually sit part of the trip in the back seat and entertain the babies. We read stories, play peekaboo, sing songs, tickle, give them the loud obnoxious electronic toys that they LOVE, you name it. Bribing with food also works. DD hated the car so car trips when she was that age were terrible.
Oh, one other tip, instead of stopping to nurse, I pump in the car and then give the baby that bottle. It saves a lot of time. Especially since I imagine your child can hold the bottle by themselves.
as PPs said, bribing is acceptable! Sit in the back with him, bring some of those open-the-flap books and pump and give him a bottle.
good luck!
my kids hate the car so we don't drive far; we drove 5hrs each way when DD was 5mo old and I still remember the screaming-her-head-off that went on for the entire last hour of our trip home.
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with a couple Barney DVDs, you will be golden
we've done a ride this long a few times with H going to visit family in SC. We usually try to leave early morning (6-7 am) which is well before her usual wake up time. We just put her right in the car in her jammies from the crib. Since I wasn't nursing any longer, the only reasons we stopped were to change a diaper, or for us to eat or pee, or an all out melt down. We'd give bottles while driving.
I found that having a couple toys she didn't usually get access to helped (we had some that are actually for cats but out cats hated them so they became baby toys. GREAT for the car because they hang from the clothes hook and dangle down) and the backseat mirror was a hit because she loved looking at herself.
I found she actually slept more than she would normally and i could spend most of my ride in the front seat. i brought our sleep sheep just in case. i did have to climb back there a few times, near the end when she was really done with being in the car. and if it was dark, i just stayed back there (but she doesn't like riding in the car in the dark anyway, long trip or not).
good luck!