Commuting with baby.

mmille19 · December 2013

I think DH and I have come to an agreement that once we have a baby I will continue to work. I do want to stay at home but right now it won’t be financially possible. We do have free daycare with my MIL the only issue is I would have to drive into the city to drop the baby off with her. I currently take the bus to the city for work but wont be able to do that when LO arrives. I will be able to take HOV with a baby but im wondering how long of a commute you take with your children. Its only 25 miles but sometimes that can take 35-45 minutes. I don’t think it will be a problem and I am grateful it will give me extra time to be with the baby. I do believe kids are adaptable and do well with a routine. How long is your commute with a baby?

jnnfrrose6 · December 2013

Anywhere from 20-30 min now. Used to take a little longer, but we moved. 35-45 minutes shouldn't be a problem at all. When DS was smaller he would fall asleep. Now we "talk" to each other or dance to the music on the radio.

whynotwhynot · December 2013

Up to 45 minutes. I recommend getting a mirror that faces the baby--it will help to keep your LO occupied and you will be able to see it in the rear view mirror.

jf198400 · December 2013

I commuted 30mins with DD when she was little, she slept most of the time. When they get older you may need snacks for the ride home.

emberlee3 · December 2013

20-40 minutes depending on traffic. The bright side is that both kids got used to being in the car early on, making road trips, day trips, and errands much easier.

MommyAtty · December 2013

You may not have to give up the bus if you don't want to, so long as it still gets you where you need to go. When we lived in D.C., I commuted with a woman every morning who had her baby with her. I loved watching him grow up, from being a teeny thing to saying "Yight on, yight off" whenever the bus door would open and the light would come on. I have a friend now who would have about an hour-long commute by car, and he takes the train to work. It's still about an hour total, but he uses the time to interact with the baby.

I don't have to commute with mine (Grandma is DC and is 1 mile away), but she does fine on 45 minute car trips. Kids are surprisingly resilient, and you're thinking correctly about getting used to whatever routine you throw at them.

Samiantha101 · December 2013

My commute to daycare is only about 15 minutes, however, she's has always been a terror in the car. When she was an infant, I didnt work, but we had to drive a good deal. It was horrible. I hated driving by myself with her. She would scream non stop. My intentions aren't to scare you, but it's something that could happen.

*sparky* · December 2013

I also had a kid who hated the car so a long commute would not have worked for him but some babies are fine with it. Ditto the PP's - definitely get a mirror and plan to have snacks when they get a bit older. Also unless the bus does not work because of where MIL vs. your work or something like that then there is really no reason not to take the baby on the bus. It may actually be an easier trip because you can interact and there are lots of things for them to see vs. being strapped in a car seat.

APendola · December 2013

We chose a dayhome close to our home so that she doesn't have to commute too long. DH spends about 10 minutes on the bus with her in the morning and she does just fine. I pick her up in the car on the way home and it's a short drive back. She does better in the morning on the bus ...maybe because she likes being in DH's arms over the carseat or maybe because she is just generally happier in the mornings. On the way home she is often cranky.

Carnation77 · December 2013

My commute is 40 minutes each way. The commute isn't bad - he just sleeps which is good because LO has trouble sleeping so it gets him two nice little naps. However, I hate it. Those extra 80 minutes a day are taking a real toll on us.

laurakaz13 · January 2014

For the first 7 months she was in daycare it was 1 hour each way. I didn't love dragging her along with me, but I loved the daycare center in the hospital where I worked, so that's where she went.

I did enjoy "spending time" in the car with her. I would sing to her and talk to her the whole way. She also slept a lot. Now my commute is 10 minutes each way and I love it. I think 25-40 minutes will be just fine for you.

laurakaz13 · January 2014

theresat858 said:

*sparky* said:

I also had a kid who hated the car so a long commute would not have worked for him but some babies are fine with it. Ditto the PP's - definitely get a mirror and plan to have snacks when they get a bit older. Also unless the bus does not work because of where MIL vs. your work or something like that then there is really no reason not to take the baby on the bus. It may actually be an easier trip because you can interact and there are lots of things for them to see vs. being strapped in a car seat.

Actually, don't. Mirrors are not safe as they can become projectiles in an accident.

Um, I had a mirror made of soft plastic that strapped around the headrest of the back seat. It couldn't have hurt a fly.

groovygrl · January 2014

Will you have to pay for parking and what will this do to your commute time after dropping off LO? I would take a number of things into acct aside from the commute time for your LO. I personally like having my childcare near home not only so they are not in the car for long but also so that if I am sick (or one of my kids is sick since i have 2) or I have a day off for whatever reason I can still easily take them to daycare.

That being said, if it is just about commute time, I am sure your LO will do fine!

daisy662 · January 2014

Since your commute isn't super long, I think it would be fine. Here is my story though, and reasoning for choosing a daycare 5 minutes from home. I commute an hour plus. My husband s job is in the complete opposite direction about 30 minutes away and we take turns taking him to daycare depending on what our day looks like (i.e. Sometimes one of us can get out earlier than the other and that one would pick him up, etc). The other thing to think about, sometimes I work from home so on those days it makes more sense to have him close by. Also, if I am home sick or when we have baby #2 and I need to stay home with one of them because they are sick, the other one will only be down the road. Just some things to consider. Good luck! Oh ya, and then there are the days you will take a personal day or half day to have to yourself, you'll still have to do the drive...

mommatotwo2 · January 2014

laurakaz13 said:

theresat858 said:

*sparky* said:

I also had a kid who hated the car so a long commute would not have worked for him but some babies are fine with it. Ditto the PP's - definitely get a mirror and plan to have snacks when they get a bit older. Also unless the bus does not work because of where MIL vs. your work or something like that then there is really no reason not to take the baby on the bus. It may actually be an easier trip because you can interact and there are lots of things for them to see vs. being strapped in a car seat.

Actually, don't. Mirrors are not safe as they can become projectiles in an accident.

Um, I had a mirror made of soft plastic that strapped around the headrest of the back seat. It couldn't have hurt a fly.

@teresat858 is right. Any car seat expert will tell you that you should not put anything on or near the carseat that didn't come with it, because it's not safe in an accident. While a soft plastic mirror isn't dangerous normally, if your car suddenly goes from 70 to zero and it flies off, a 70 mph plastic mirror could be extremely dangerous.

mmille19 · January 2014

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the advice. I would love to do DC closer but the reality is we just cant afford it. It is very expensive but we also cant afford for me to stay at home. I think it will work out. My MIL will watch the LO so that is great that they will get one on one attention all day. I dont think its the most ideal situation but sometimes you do what you have to do to make it work. I really dont want to leave my job now but who knows what will happen in the future. thanks!

jennyelf · January 2014

emberlee3 said:

20-40 minutes depending on traffic. The bright side is that both kids got used to being in the car early on, making road trips, day trips, and errands much easier.

Pretty much the same for us. LO is used to his car seat now (19 months) and it has made all sorts of travel easier. We even drag the carseat on airplanes and it makes life a lot easier since LO knows that being in the carseat is a place he can't expect to escape from.

Commuting with baby.

Re: Commuting with baby.

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