August 2015 Moms

Driving cross country

Hello ladies, I am wondering if any of you have driven cross country or for a long period of time with your LO's? My DD will be 7 months when we make our big move and I want to know if driving with her will be complete hell or if she will take it well? We would be stopping every day to sleep and such. Please tell me your experiences! TIA!

Re: Driving cross country

  • My DH and I just took DS on his first roadtrip to see family for Thanksgiving. DS was 3 1/2 months old at the time. It's an 8hr drive normally, but ended up being a 10hr drive. He slept most of the drive but did start getting fussy around hr 6 or 7. We stopped to feed/diaper change/mini play and stretch break every couple of hrs or when needed. Not sure if it'll be same or easier or more difficult with an older baby. Definitely plan to add a decent amount of extra hrs to the trip though. Good luck!
  • My husband and and I are going to attempt a 7 hour this weekend. The most we have gone so far was 3 and our 3.5 month old little one slept the whole time. Hoping for good results on this longer excision. Good luck to you!
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  • We traveled for 6 days out of our 9 day vacation during Thanksgiving.  Our DD did pretty well overall.  She slept most of the time.  We did have someone sitting in the backseat with her the whole time.  She had a couple of toys to play with and I would sing to her off and on.  She had a couple of all out crying fits that it seemed nothing would fix.  On those 2 occasions we brought out DH's tablet and turned on a cartoon.  It would calm her almost instantly (giving her something else to focus on).  We would leave the cartoon on for a few minutes and she would be fine after that.  At the time she was still eating every 2-3 hours so it was slow going and we had to make several stops.  We would be sure to get out and walk around when we could.  Like other's said, definitely plan for extra time.
  • Oh man. The big difference is she will be crawling and more mobile in a few months. We are planning to stop very often. I just hope it will be a breeze when we are driving.
  • I have a mirror that plays music and lights up, theres a remote for the parent to put on your visor. WOrks great for my LO, especially at night when he really can see it light up. I see them sold at BRU and most places that carry baby things
  • We did a trip when DD was 2 months and it went pretty well. It's normally a six hour drive but took 8 with her. My biggest piece of advice make sure you do everything you need to when you have to stop for the LO. The motion of the car kept DD asleep most of the time. But one time we had to pull off the interstate for gas and as soon as we stopped at the red night she woke up so I had to nurse. Also don't make any plans or have anyone waiting in your arrival. Just accept the fact that the baby is making the timeline for the drive and you'll get there when you can. Good luck!
  • We made a 16 hour drive when my DS1 was 6 months. He slept most of the way. We had a to stop fairly frequently to stretch and nurse him. I will say, when you are traveling far enough that you'll need to stop to sleep, be smart about when you stop for night. Our first night we drove and drove and finally stopped for night just after midnight. Once we got settled in our hotel room DS1 decided he wanted to be awake and entertained for a few hours and we had to be up and back on the road by 9 am the next morning. After that we made a rule that when we travel, and we know we'll have to stay somewhere overnight before we get to our final destination, we'll stop at the absolute latest at 8 pm.
  • We are traveling today. A 10.5-11hr drive. Leaving around 7-730pm. Hoping for sleep
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