September 2016 Moms

Baby's First Road Trip

the baby and I went to visit my mom. She was in tears every time we talked because she hadn't yet met the baby but is too sick to travel. Pretty much had to do it now before my maternity leave is up. 

Its a 9 hour drive so we split it in to two days. Victoria still likes to nurse every 2-3 hours day and night. Plus I have no reserve when it comes to being tired. Didn't think it would be smart to push through driving while sleepy. 

We'll be taking another trip toward the end of October. Anyone have any travel tips (car / plane / train / whatever!) ?? I'd love to hear them... 

Re: Baby's First Road Trip

  • Just expect it to take WAY longer than planned :) I've done a 6hr road trip when my son was 6wks. The way there was pretty smooth, the way back was HORRIBLE and took 10hrs. I was alone with 2 kids though. I've flown quite a bit with the kids and baby wearing is the best bet for that. No matter what, it won't be "easy"!
  • hejo2016 said:
    I've flown quite a bit with the kids and baby wearing is the best bet for that. 


    Stuck in box... 

    Did you worry about baby's ears on the plane? What did you do to keep them calm besides babywearing (great idea!). Think I read something once that sucking / swallowing helps. 

    Thanks for tips!!
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  • I flew alone with DS1 when he was about 10 weeks, and it was SO hard! He didn't cry until we landed, but he cried the whole time people were deplaning and some guy said I was a bad mom when he walked by me. Ugh. My best advice is don't be afraid to nurse in public and to stay ahead of nursing sessions as much as you can to head off this kind of situation, haha... I was anxious about nursing around lots of people and planned to nurse him as soon as I got off the plane but it wasn't soon enough for him! lol... 

    I've heard nursing during take off and landing is helpful, because of the sucking like you said, but DS1 slept through both because of the vibrations and white noise. I brought a car seat for him and bought him a seat, which was helpful on the plane so I could have my hands free for short spurts of time, but I don't feel like it was worth it since carrying the seat around the airport along with all our other junk was SUPER annoying. If I flew with DS2 as a newborn, I would put him in a carrier and just check the car seat so you don't have to deal with it until you're at baggage claim. Might also help to research or call ahead and find out how various airlines handle families, because I flew United and they did not allow me to pre-board and get situated with my infant--I had to board with everyone else and it was awful. Plus they had no changing table in the bathroom so I had to do three diaper changes (one poopsplosion, even!) on the narrow toilet seat and DS1's little head kept falling into the space between the toilet seat and the wall. United = not baby friendly at all! 

    Good luck with your travels! I hope all goes smoothly! 


  • Yep, definitely breastfeeding or bottle during take off and landing. I honestly just had my boob available basically the whole flight. I sat next to window and my daughter was in the middle seat so I had a little more room/privacy. I never really did anything other than that for infant age. Older kids are a whole other ball game :) 
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