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Road trip with LO

shella923shella923 member
in November 2012 Moms
We are taking a 7 hr road trip in August with M. I'm thinking we should probably leave around her bedtime, right? Too long to be in that seat even with breaks here and there? Just drink some strong espresso before  we leave? Anyone have experience with this? She will be 9 months by then...appreciate any input!
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Re: Road trip with LO

  • CurlyQ284CurlyQ284 member
    We are doing 14 hours over 2 days leaving Friday. We are going after work during his last nap time and we plan to give him lots of breaks. We are bringing a blanket to spread out at rest stops to let him roll around for 30 minutes or so every few hours.
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  • StillharborStillharbor member
    We did a 7 hour trip when LO was 6 months.  We left just before LO's nap time, I sat in the back and occupied her until it was nap time and then let her sleep.  We drove until she'd woken up and we fed her a bottle while still in the car seat.  After that, we stopped for dinner and let her have tummy time on the table at the restaurant while we ate.  Hubby and I switched spots and he played with her until bedtime.  In 2-3 hours, she needed a diaper change so we stopped, changed her, and let her stretch for 10 minutes, had a little bottle and she was out again.
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  • LuckyMissusLuckyMissus member

    We've done a few trips of 6 hours.  It was easy at first when he was less mobile and just slept mostly.  The older he gets, the more I think the drive over night advice is the way to go.  We're planning a 7 hour trip in August.  Our plan (as of now) is to leave at like 4pm, stop for dinner at 7-ish and let him play, change him, etc.  Then let him sleep while we drive the rest of the way.  That way we'd be there by like 1 am.

    ETA:  I should add we've decided against leaving at his bed time and driving half way, then finishing it off in the morning.  That just sounds even more miserable to me. 

    "A new baby is like the beginning of all things--wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities."


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  • LoveBeingMrsALoveBeingMrsA member

    We drove 4 hours this past weekend with LO. First off, let me say LO doesn't like his car seat too much. On the way down there, it was awful. On the way back, we seemed to time it much better. 

    What worked on the way back was that we left at his nap time. He usually takes a good 2 hour nap in the morning. We timed it so we woke up, all had breakfast, packed up, said our good byes (it was to DH mom's house), then headed off. LO was asleep within minutes of saying goodbye & slept for the first 1 hour 45 minutes. When he woke up, we fed him, played, then stopped for about 20 minutes & let him stretch. He got fussy when we got back in the car, but was better after we got going.

    Judge me all you want, but we took a portable DVD player & played some DVDs. It entertained him while he was playing with his toys. I also read to him & did everything to keep him occupied while he was awake. I sat in the back with him most of the time that he was awake.

    Hope this helps! 

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  • SheilaESheilaE
    We just moved from NC to CA, and we drove the whole way, and we were in separate vehicles. We decided that we wouldn't drive more than 6 to 7hours a day. So 7 hours is completely doable.

    Basically, we didn't have a time frame of getting up and out. So we let him sleep as long as he wanted/needed. When he got up we ate, played a bit, and then we got on the road. Usually, DS would keep playing, and eventually fall asleep. He'd nap about an hour and half. We stopped every 2 to 3 hours no matter what. That way I could change him, feed him, he would play, and get out of his seat. That break was anywhere from 1 hour to 1.5 hours. If he got too upset and wasn't able to calm down, we'd stop. I had toys ready to pass to him incase he lost interest or dropped them. We even had some new toys just from the trip. We brought the portable dvd player but never used it. Then in the evening we made sure to play with him a bit and do tummy time before bed. Sometimes bedtime was easy and sometimes it wasn't. It was a complete hit or miss, but moving has ruined a lot of our routines.

    But the best thing for us was to take it easy, and not push through. Follow your baby's cues. We told friends and family, "we'll get there when we there."
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  • shella923shella923 member
    Thanks for all your suggestions ladies!!! :)
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