Road trip advice?

Re: Road trip advice?

• brianna91chavez member

  March 2016

  Don't brag about baby. My son was a perfect angel on the way to Fort Worth (5 hours from me) on Valentine's weekend. He slept almost the whole time except to eat at the half way point. I bragged and told everyone how good he was. On the way home he screamed for 3 of the 5 hours. 

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• SoFlaMommie1128 member

  March 2016

  No advice, just letting you know I'll also be taking LO on his first road trip this weekend (about a 4 hour drive pre-baby, without the stops.) I'm making a detailed checklist to get organized and make sure we have everything we need, and am just assuming it will take a while, which is fine!

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• nmwheel1 member

  March 2016

  We drove 12 hours with Cora at 3 months old and a 2 year old who was just potty trained.  The drive there was hell.  We planned stops every 3 hours to eat, gas up, breastfeed Cora, and pee.  Cora decided she didn't want to be fed every 3 hours but every 4 hours instead.  I had my nursing pillow in the car which was good because we mostly ended up on road side turn outs to breastfeed in the car.  
  We didn't stay at a hotel, we drove the whole way.  The thought of unpacking for one night with two kids just wasn't worth it.  With our oldest we did 12 hour drives to the in laws in two days and always had the pack n play for hotels. 
  
  Pack a separate bag of essentials only for the hotel stay.  Plan for unexpected stops (blow out poops when not close to a town).  We had a change pad and laid it on the passenger seat of the car to do those unexpected diaper change.  Bring plastic bags to tie dirty diapers in until you get to a stop.  Bring snacks for yourself, that way if baby is sleeping you can push ahead a stop.  

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• MargaretC5 member

  March 2016

  If possible have someone in the backseat with baby and drive as much as possible at times your baby normally sleeps.  Also if your baby gets over stimulated you may want a light blanket to drape over the car seat to help them sleep (assuming someone is back there in case it falls).  Good luck.

  

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• Escheffler34 member

  March 2016

  Thanks everyone!!

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• tinaay member

  March 2016

  We are headed to Orlando tonight, it is about 19.5 hours from us, we have a 7yr old, 5 yr old and 3 month old. Should make for and interesting  drive lol. We did it when the older 2 were babies, biggest advice avoid huge cities like Atlanta. We got stuck in traffic onece for 3 hours with the baby screaming almost the whole time. It was aweful  this time we are driving 30 min out of the way just to avoid that happening.

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• nycmommy13 member

  March 2016

  As much as it sucks, the best advice I have is to travel overnight when LO would normally be sleeping. We had to do an 8 hour trip to visit my parents. On the way there, we left at 2am and it worked out so well. He was only awake for the last hour or two and just looked out the window. On the way back, we had to leave at noon because of weather. He did really well for the first four hours, taking a long nap and listening to me read books to him and playing with toys. The last four hours, though, he cried quite a bit but when we stopped for me to feed and change him, it turns out he was just really sick of being stuck in the same position for so long.

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• angelinthepit23 member

  March 2016

  We haven't taken a long trip yet but our friends that had a baby around the same time have multiple times and they swear by basing the trip times around when LO sleeps at night. 

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• Escheffler34 member

  March 2016

  Was thinking we may just skip the hotel and drive through the night cause he sleeps great at night! Ah im so nervous. Also packing what he might need for a week sucks. So stressful

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• elbou member

  March 2016 edited March 2016

  Escheffler34 said:

  Was thinking we may just skip the hotel and drive through the night cause he sleeps great at night! Ah im so nervous. Also packing what he might need for a week sucks. So stressful

  If he is a good sleeper in the car, go for it!
  
  We were pleasantly surprised the first time we took DD1 on a long road trip (about 5 hours in the car) because we needed to stop before she did!! We left in the evening around 6 because we were hoping to avoid all the after-work traffic, and made it halfway before stopping. We both needed a bathroom break and a snack, and she woke up just as we finished doing our stuff. She fell asleep again as soon as we finished changing and feeding her, and slept the rest of the way there.
  
  As far as packing for the week: do you have the option to do laundry while you're away? If so, take about 3-5 outfits/blankets, and plan to wash some clothes while you're gone. (If not, bring lots of extras!! For a 7 day trip, I would bring enough clothes for about 10 days. Don't forget extra clothes for you as well!) For diapers/wipes: pay attention to how many you typically use per day, and multiply that by the number of days you'll be gone. Then bring enough for the days you'll be away plus 1-2 extra days. (OR: bring enough for the first few days, and just plan on buying more while you're there.)
  
  Extras: your own playpen (and sheet!) is a good idea...hotels don't always have one and/or it might not have all the pieces; a nursing pillow is also very handy if you're used to using one (a regular pillow might do the trick though) plus any other feeding supplies you use regularly (possibly a small bottle of dish soap as well) and soothers if you use them; stroller or carrier for going places when you get there...maybe both depending on trunk space; your own towels/washcloths (if you're worried about sensitive skin/detergent reactions...if not, you should be able to use the ones where you are staying) and travel sized baby toiletries; some toys/books for baby...especially if baby has favourites already; and a thermometer and baby painkiller (Tylenol/Advil/Motrin/whatever you use) just in case!

  
  

  

  

  

  

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• rgz member

  March 2016

  *lurker from D15 here* DD just turned 3 mo this week and her and I road tripped it alone, on Sunday/Monday driving 7.5 hrs, staying in a hotel, then another 4 hrs. My baby carrier was a saving grace to strap her on the front of me when going in to go to the bathroom (gross I know but better than lugging a car seat and putting down on the ground in whatever place I had to stop). She slept a lot but had a few screaming moments  of not wanting to be in the car seat for any longer. I kept a rattle and crinkle toy within reach for her while in the car seat and changing pad,diapers, and nursing pillow in backseat for the stops.  As for hotel, I again strapped her on me to check in then got the cart and with the help of the front desk person loaded it up to bring everything to our room. Don't forget your sound machine!! We are staying at 5 different places in 10 days, so I packed a separate bag of her& my clothes for each place. I have a couple bags I bring in each place (playmat/toys, pump (sm cooler&  breast milk bags, dishsoap, & bottle scrubber), bag for toiletries, noise machine/monitor, pnp, small Tupperware bin w/washcloths,towel, for baths).  I'm on place 3 and lil gal is napping and sleeping almost as good as at home. But she is a good baby so that likely has a lot to do with it...but I will pretend it's because I'm well prepared!  A lot of this echoes what pp says but just wanted to let you know if I can do alone I'm sure you will be fine with your little one!  One thing I may do on the way home is rig up a cartoon on the iPad and try to strap to the seat and turn on in case she has a screaming fit and can't calm down on the way home. Broke my heart to hear her cry on the way here! Def too young to plant in front of the tv normally but might be worth it just this once to calm her down. 

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• jlynnd75 member

  March 2016

  Once a month or more my son and I drive to my parents to visit. The trip is about 4 hours, with him it's always at least 5 lol he does great though. I start our morning with him the same as normal, I don't wake him up early to leave because I want him to be on his schedule as possible. After he eats we'll take off and about 2 1/2 hrs in we will stop for gas. If he's awake I'll get him out and change him, feed him if he's hungry. Most of the time he's sleeping or just hangs out content as can be. If he's fussy we just stop for about 30 mins to change and get him out of the car seat. I definitely got lucky he's such a great little traveler. We put a mirror in front of him and when he's awake he loves staring at himself. 

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