S/O Traveling with a newborn or baby under 1

cpm1223 · December 2013

This was mentioned in todays FFFC so I thought I'd ask here what your thoughts are on traveling with a newborn or a baby under the age of 1.

My personal dilemma at the moment: MIL wants us to go to Canada in August for a family reunion. We've gone before (years ago) and we drive usually without stopping to sleep overnight anywhere. When she first said it I laughed out loud thinking she was kidding about us going. Then she looked like she was going to cry and I was like oh shit, she was serious....

LO will (obviously) be 8-ish months at that point and I guess there's no way to know exactly how LO will do in the car (might hate it or love it I guess.) I also worry that we'll have to stop every 2 hours to feed LO, pump etc....just seems like a HUGE hassle to me. Oh and we'll need to get LO a passport which isn't a huge deal, but it's one more thing I'd have to do.

I wouldn't mind to much if we were flying or traveling 4-6 hours but this trip is like 12-14 hours (without any stops) so I really don't know what to do.

I guess my question for FTMs is, how soon will you travel a decent distance with your LO? and for BTDT moms, how difficult (or easy) is traveling on long car rides for babies under a year old? Would this trip that I posted about something that you'd do and not over think it (like I am!) I have time to make a decision, but since it was brought up recently, I figured I'd ask you ladies what you thought!

ashleywiz · December 2013

Well, we will be moving from Honolulu to Minneapolis in June. That's a 10 hour flight even if it's direct- and we will be switching flights in California. So...more like a 15-16 hour travel day. So not much choice but I'm already saying my prayers. I feel like the under 1 year olds would be a lot easier to travel with, as they sleep a lot easier (esp in loud places) and don't require "entertainment" so to speak. Just diaper changes, cuddles and boob (or formula of course).

bensmommy518 · December 2013

I am actually in a similar dilemma. My cousin is getting married in June so LO will be about 6 months old and it is a 12 hour drive. We have already decided we are going so it is not a question of if I should but more how to best prepare.

I am less worried about DS because he has gone on some long car rides already so we know what we are in for with him but I have no idea how this baby will be and how much extra time to add for stopping to breastfeed and change LO. I will be watching this post for others experiences traveling around this age.

shortstuff15 · December 2013

Honestly, I don't see a problem with it. At 8 months babe probably won't be eating every 2 hours but should still be relatively easy to travel with. My in-laws live 8 hours away and we will be going for Easter, which is at about 2 1/2 months old. It's really not that bad, although I would suggest making it a 2 day trip with an overnight stay at a hotel, just drive as much as you can the first day so that the second day is as short as possible.

Deblondie1 · December 2013

We've travelled a ton with Emme and I wish I could be more help. But the longest car ride we've done with her was Galveston to Little Rock when she was almost 2. We fly and only fly because our trips are all cross country. Yay for being military and stationed on the other side of the country.

ScarlettDahlia · December 2013

We really only have plans to go camping. But we're also looking for property in Michigan, so we'll head to Michigan a few times to look at different properties. So we're looking at maybe 4 hours in the car, 6 hours max if we expand our camping radius.

We typically don't fly anywhere, so I don't really have any feelings on that.

cpm1223 · December 2013

Wahhh you were all supposed to say "Don't go! Too long of a ride!"

(

Just kidding...I guess it's ME that doesn't really want to go, but seems like if we did decide to give it a shot, it wouldn't be as big of a deal as I'm thinking it would be in my head. Thanks ladies!!

valigrl21 · December 2013

We still haven't traveled that far with DD#1 by car. We took DD on a few 2-4 hour car trips when she was under 1 and when she was about 1 1/2 we flew across country. So I can't really say for sure and its going to depend on the child quite a bit too, but I think it's doable if you plan for lots of stops and are going for more than a few days.

I can warn ya though that you will need to be prepared to pack a lot! Pack and play, stroller, diaper bag, bottles, toys/books, lots of extra clothes, etc! So plan ahead!

Also, when do you have to decide? If you can, put off making a commitment until a month or 2 before. By then you will have gotten a better feel for how LO will do in the car.

jmdaisy2 · December 2013

Both of our families live in San Diego (we just moved to Washington in August), but we won't be going back home for awhile because:

1. We have no one to watch our furbabies while we are gone and I can't/won't board them)

2. I don't want the hassle and chaos of trying to see everyone in a short period of time (this goes back to the fact we have no one to watch out furbabies while we are away)

3. We plan on getting married next august up here, and need to save money for our small ceremony/reception.

Everyone understands this and no one has tried to make me feel guilty. The downside is I am anticipating a never ending wave of house guests, lol.

Edited to add that I don't want to travel with our < 1 year old, so I'm glad we have these reasons/excuses not to deal with it.

Edited again to add that we have family in Seattle (approx 3.5 hours from us), who we will likely make a long day trip to visit over summer, which I'm excited about at this point

ccip82 · December 2013

This is hard to exactly answer because every baby is different. Some babies are better travelers than others. We have no choice. We have to travel long distances to see family in the States so I've gotten used to traveling far distances with small children.

To try to help the other questions: Getting a passport is pretty easy. The US government has a website with all the info on what you need to get a baby a passport. The hardest part I remember was trying to get DD's picture at 5 weeks old!

By the time LO is 8 months old, he/she will be eating solid foods so you will not have to worry about BFing as often.

FWIW we are planning a beach trip down to southwest England in June/July and that will be an eleven hour road trip!

csandroo · December 2013

I'm a FTM but people have to travel far with their LO's all the time. We don't have any planned trips and I'm sure it's inconvenient but hey even if shit hits the fan it will be a memory and story to remember and tell LO when they're older

especially if it means so much to the rest of your family I think if it were me I would definitely go! Plus I am half Canadian so have to say its beautiful up there in August!!!!

peanutmuse · December 2013

Like I said in FFFC, we're going to St. Thomas in May, when the baby will be 4ish months old. I was also considering a Disney trip with my dance studio in April, but decided against it because I would be working and my husband can't come.

If you don't want to go, that's of course another story. But we're big travelers, so I wouldn't even think twice about the trip you are describing. And to be honest, I think driving would be easier than flying -- simply because you aren't limited in what you can bring with you.

moosebaby2011 · December 2013

We started taking 4-5 hour road trips to see family when DS was only a couple of months old, and then drove to see my IL's for Easter when DS was about 5 months old. The Easter trip would normally take around 9 hours and it went very well. DS has lots of practice going on road trips and so is (mostly) very good in the car.

You will have to stop frequently, but maybe not as frequently as every 2 hours if your LO will be 8 months old. I'd still strongly recommend planning the trip over 2 days instead of trying to do it all in one if you can. It's a lot less stressful on everybody that way. My favorite places to stop while travelling with a BF'ing infant is Babies R Us. Most of them have a mother's room with couches or gliders and changing facilities, so it's much more comfortable than trying to feed LO in the car.

Also, your LO will not need a passport for land travel into Canada. They only require proof of citizenship (a certified copy of their birth certificate will do) for children under 16.

ccip82 · December 2013

In moving out to Scotland from California, we drove with a 2 1/2 month old and dog from California to Texas. A couple weeks later we drove from Texas to New Jersey. Looking back on it, it was not too bad in all honesty.

We had an adapter that allowed me to use my electric breast pump in the car for feedings, I BFed DD when we would stop for gas, and we made more frequent stops. I remember losing it somewhat only a handful of times

-Once when DD had a poop explosion somewhere in Arizona.

-Once when she started screaming about 45 minutes from our hotel for the evening...but we just wanted to get there and continued to drive.

-Once when I said "fuck it" because my pump parts were dirty and I hand expressed into a bottle in the front passenger seat...I got a couple truck beeps for that...

Bwhitten · December 2013

Babies don't breastfeed every 2 hours at 8 months and the car ride will probably make the baby sleepy anyways so I don't think it would be a big deal.
You can always pump while driving, no need to stop unless breasfeeding and to change a diaper.

last14real · December 2013

Like a pp had in their comment, at eight months the baby shouldn't be eating every 2 hrs, 3-4 is much more accurate. Also baby can start rice or oatmeal at 4-6 months and fruits and veggies at 6-8 months so will most likely not be solely breast feeding at that time. If you pump 3-4 hours is plenty frequent enough you don't need to do every 2. I would say not to worry so much about the feeding as you would the baby's temprement. If baby does ok in their carseat I would say it's completely doable. If your LO hates being in a carseat than its whether you want to hear your baby scream the whole way. My DS did not sleep through the night until almost 18 months, but if you get a normal baby who will sleep 5-6 hrs by 8 months you could knock out a big chunk of your trip during the night. If you truly want to go on the trip I would say you can make it work, but if you don't want to than I wouldn't put yourself and your DH through it.

tesskerr · December 2013

We have a 10 hour car trip to do in march... I hadn't really thought about it, we gotta do it!

shortstuff15 · December 2013

moosebaby2011 said:

We started taking 4-5 hour road trips to see family when DS was only a couple of months old, and then drove to see my IL's for Easter when DS was about 5 months old. The Easter trip would normally take around 9 hours and it went very well. DS has lots of practice going on road trips and so is (mostly) very good in the car.

You will have to stop frequently, but maybe not as frequently as every 2 hours if your LO will be 8 months old. I'd still strongly recommend planning the trip over 2 days instead of trying to do it all in one if you can. It's a lot less stressful on everybody that way. My favorite places to stop while travelling with a BF'ing infant is Babies R Us. Most of them have a mother's room with couches or gliders and changing facilities, so it's much more comfortable than trying to feed LO in the car.

Also, your LO will not need a passport for land travel into Canada. They only require proof of citizenship (a certified copy of their birth certificate will do) for children under 16.

The bolded is actually not true. As of 2009 everybody travelling by land, air or sea requires a passport to enter into Canada - Canadian and US included. It's not that hard to get a passport for a baby and it's too much of a risk to not have it.

joshsmandy · December 2013

We have always taken the LO's traveling we just built in extra time to accommodate them and finger foods for them for snacks when they got to the right age

bethughknee · December 2013

We were trying to decide where to go for our big family vacation and decided on a beach that's 3 hours away instead of one that's 6 hours. Since you have to book so far in advance, I would just rather take less of a chance that Lo hates long car rides.

If I had to decide this early out on a 12-14 hour drive, I'd probably just say no. But, I'm a wuss so there's that. Although, after reading all the responses to this I'm wondering if I made a bigger deal out of this in my head than I actually needed to!

moosebaby2011 · December 2013

dhviel said:

moosebaby2011 said:

We started taking 4-5 hour road trips to see family when DS was only a couple of months old, and then drove to see my IL's for Easter when DS was about 5 months old. The Easter trip would normally take around 9 hours and it went very well. DS has lots of practice going on road trips and so is (mostly) very good in the car.

You will have to stop frequently, but maybe not as frequently as every 2 hours if your LO will be 8 months old. I'd still strongly recommend planning the trip over 2 days instead of trying to do it all in one if you can. It's a lot less stressful on everybody that way. My favorite places to stop while travelling with a BF'ing infant is Babies R Us. Most of them have a mother's room with couches or gliders and changing facilities, so it's much more comfortable than trying to feed LO in the car.

Also, your LO will not need a passport for land travel into Canada. They only require proof of citizenship (a certified copy of their birth certificate will do) for children under 16.

The bolded is actually not true. As of 2009 everybody travelling by land, air or sea requires a passport to enter into Canada - Canadian and US included. It's not that hard to get a passport for a baby and it's too much of a risk to not have it.

Living only a few miles from Canada, I am aware of the new passport requirements (including that for minor children), but I also double checked the US consulate web site before posting this just to be on the safe side. https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html.

shortstuff15 · December 2013

moosebaby2011 said:

dhviel said:

moosebaby2011 said:

We started taking 4-5 hour road trips to see family when DS was only a couple of months old, and then drove to see my IL's for Easter when DS was about 5 months old. The Easter trip would normally take around 9 hours and it went very well. DS has lots of practice going on road trips and so is (mostly) very good in the car.

You will have to stop frequently, but maybe not as frequently as every 2 hours if your LO will be 8 months old. I'd still strongly recommend planning the trip over 2 days instead of trying to do it all in one if you can. It's a lot less stressful on everybody that way. My favorite places to stop while travelling with a BF'ing infant is Babies R Us. Most of them have a mother's room with couches or gliders and changing facilities, so it's much more comfortable than trying to feed LO in the car.

Also, your LO will not need a passport for land travel into Canada. They only require proof of citizenship (a certified copy of their birth certificate will do) for children under 16.

The bolded is actually not true. As of 2009 everybody travelling by land, air or sea requires a passport to enter into Canada - Canadian and US included. It's not that hard to get a passport for a baby and it's too much of a risk to not have it.

Living only a few miles from Canada, I am aware of the new passport requirements (including that for minor children), but I also double checked the US consulate web site before posting this just to be on the safe side. https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html.

And living in Canada I would say don't even try it. While you could technically get into Canada without it, you may not be able to get back into the States without it. I looked on the Canada web site before posting just to be sure too!

moosebaby2011 · December 2013

dhviel said:

moosebaby2011 said:

dhviel said:

moosebaby2011 said:

We started taking 4-5 hour road trips to see family when DS was only a couple of months old, and then drove to see my IL's for Easter when DS was about 5 months old. The Easter trip would normally take around 9 hours and it went very well. DS has lots of practice going on road trips and so is (mostly) very good in the car.

You will have to stop frequently, but maybe not as frequently as every 2 hours if your LO will be 8 months old. I'd still strongly recommend planning the trip over 2 days instead of trying to do it all in one if you can. It's a lot less stressful on everybody that way. My favorite places to stop while travelling with a BF'ing infant is Babies R Us. Most of them have a mother's room with couches or gliders and changing facilities, so it's much more comfortable than trying to feed LO in the car.

Also, your LO will not need a passport for land travel into Canada. They only require proof of citizenship (a certified copy of their birth certificate will do) for children under 16.

The bolded is actually not true. As of 2009 everybody travelling by land, air or sea requires a passport to enter into Canada - Canadian and US included. It's not that hard to get a passport for a baby and it's too much of a risk to not have it.

Living only a few miles from Canada, I am aware of the new passport requirements (including that for minor children), but I also double checked the US consulate web site before posting this just to be on the safe side. https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html.

And living in Canada I would say don't even try it. While you could technically get into Canada without it, you may not be able to get back into the States without it. I looked on the Canada web site before posting just to be sure too!

Fair enough. I agree it's better to be safe than sorry.

cja06 · December 2013

We have always lived halfway across the country from one of our families so we've been traveling with kids for years both by air and car. Since our second was a toddler we've been making a 12 hour drive to see family at least twice a year. We often will do the trip in one day. We plan to make the trek from Philly to Chicago in April so my family can meet the baby and then again in August for a family wedding that my boys are in. Does it suck? Yes. Is it completely doable? Absolutely. Our most successful trip with the boys was us getting up and starting the drive at 3 am, so they slept a good deal of the trip, but the adults were a wreck. With both our boys we firs traveled when they were about 8 weeks old.

Jackapatamus · December 2013

If you do the trip overnight it will probably be easier for you! We started taking road trips relatively early (2 months) and it really wasn't a big deal. I think our first trip was 7 hours (usually) and I think it took us closer to 8 1/2 with the baby. Trip home took less, baby slept for almost the entire trip! I think driving is easier than flying, only because you do have the option of stopping and walking around if baby gets fussy.

worleygirl · December 2013

When DS was 10 months old we drove 10 hours to go skiing. We left at 3am and he slept about 1/2 way. It really wasn't a big deal and we had a blast. We are big travelers though and just sort of blended him in with how we do things. I'm not worried about traveling with 2 kids but we won't get to do it as much with so much money going to daycare.

wifetomrb101 · December 2013

We did it with DD when she was 5 months for a wedding. We did 17 hours one way on the way out there. Stopped overnight tho. We stopped every 2-3 hours, depending on how she was doing. We'd stop for an hour, I'd feed her if she needed food, play with her, let her stretch her legs, go to the washroom and spend some time in the gas station. She did fine. On the way home we did some pit stops at different tourist attractions, so that was easier. I think it's do able with an 8 month old tho, as long as they don't mind driving! Just allow a lot of extra time for stops...

erika_sue · December 2013

My family and my ILs are 8 hours apart. The first five years of our marriage we lived in the same city as my ILs and now we live in the same city as my family. We did our first trip with DD when she was 5 weeks old. DS was about 4 months for his first, and this LO will be about four months when we travel for the first time. We normally make the trip three or four times a year so my kids are pretty used to it.

MiaMyPuggle · December 2013

We took DS 5 hours to upstate NY for my SIL's wedding that I was in. He was 17 days old. We stopped twice to feed and change. He had a nice blowout the one time....yay! He did so well and he's amazing in the car. That being said....12-14 hours is rough...I'd def fly.

SandFHasse · December 2013

We took DD to Disneyland when she was 9 months old along with our nephew who is the same age. Both of them did really good in the car. We stopped every so often to take them out of their car seats and we made sure we had lots of toys.

LittleMommaBlueHen · December 2013

My parents live 7 or 8 hours away by car from where I live. DS took his first road trip up at 6 weeks old. By the time he was one we had traveled to see my parents 4 times. DD was about 5 months old when she took her first trip to see them . It really wasn't a big deal. We stopped to eat when they needed to. When babies get closer to a year DH and I tend to leave for trips at night so that they don't need to be awake to eat as much.

rowanthefrog · December 2013

We did a 7 hr drive in the car when DS2 was about 2-3 months old. We bought a minivan a few weeks before and I would just hang over the carseat and stick my boob in his mouth as we cruised down the road. No stops necessary! I probably flashed a few people but whatever

Someone actually told me recently that it was legal to take a baby out of the carseat to nurse while on the road. I haven't tried that.

We moved to NJ when DS1 was 3 months old and we traveled back and forth probably 6-8 times before he turned two...sometimes in the car (14+hr drive) and sometimes we flew. Honestly its much easier to travel with a baby/non-walker than it is once they are older and want to go go go all the time.

A

ashybear · December 2013

I'm hoping we'll go to Hawaii with my parents in August, and possibly Portland, OR with friends in April, but both of those will be relatively short plane rides. Since we have to drive 1 1/2 hours to do anything, I'm hoping LO is just a travel rocksteady by that point.

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