Long car trip with a baby- tips?

[Anonymous]

I'm planning a trip that will most likely require a 6 hour drive with my 5 month old DS who usually hates the car. Any tips for making it through a long drive?

[Anonymous]

fly?

[Anonymous]

I was going to ask the same question on here! I took a long car drive last summer with our baby who was 4 months old. She actually did great on the drive. Slept a lot, I crawled into the back to entertain her at times while hubby was driving. She didn't need much entertainment at that age. Overall she was great. She's now 1 and we just took a three car hour trip and it was a nightmare. I'm completely panicked as at the end of the month we've got a 7 hour drive ahead of us. So would love to hear tips too!

[Anonymous]

My baby was the same way. We avoided long car trips until 7 months. At that age, she was completely fascinated by my bag of new toys. I let her hold each one until she got a little bored with it and then I would put it back in the bag so it would be fresh later on in the drive. Noisy or musical toys worked best... or toys with very interesting textures. I sat it the back with her. We also had a mirror for her to look at-- but car safety experts frown on that. Keep a couple bottles of milk handy, even if you're breastfeeding.

[Anonymous]

If you don't have one already, get a tablet/iPad. My son has never been a good car traveler. We tried new toys, snacks, one of us sitting in the back. Although we don't have any screen time at home, using an iPad to play Sesame Street was a huge lifesaver for us.

[Anonymous]

My tip is to fly. I don't drive anywhere that's more than 2 hours away - we fly instead.

[Anonymous]

I'd simply never do it. Even though my kids were great in the car, the length of your trip with your baby strapped in and unable to move much is painful for him/her as well as dangerous. Don't do it.

[Anonymous]

Change your plans. With the exception of a dire emergency, why put your baby thru that? If he already hates the car he may be one of those kids who feels motion-sickness.


Honestly, OP, why would you ever think of doing this to your baby?!

[Anonymous]

Leave at bedtime. It will suck for you, but your baby will sleep the whole way.

[Anonymous]

Does your DS hate the car during trips around town or hates it on long car rides? My DCs were always much better if we were on the interstate instead of stop and go traffic.

Tips: lower your expectations. A 6 hour drive will be an 8 hour trip. Stop at rest stops so that DS can lay on a blanket in the grass and stretch out his legs for awhile. Just stopping isn't good enough -- the stretching is key (so don't hold him the whole time). Driving at night is another option, depending on your kid. One of my children would not sleep in the carseat at night, but the other kids did fine. The only drawback is that once you get to your destination your DS will be wide awake and you'll be exhausted.

[Anonymous]

5 hours is not that bad. I time my departure with my DS's morning nap. He falls asleep for a good 3 hours when driving on the interstate. When he wakes up, it's about time to pull over for gas or coffee or lunch anyway. Take your time and add at least an hour or two to the total trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don't have one already, get a tablet/iPad. My son has never been a good car traveler. We tried new toys, snacks, one of us sitting in the back. Although we don't have any screen time at home, using an iPad to play Sesame Street was a huge lifesaver for us.

For a 5-month-old?

[Anonymous]

I did this a lot w/ our twins for the first two years (driving DC to upstate NY). Easiest way to do it was to leave around 6:30 or 7 pm so they would fall asleep early in the trip.

I'd work a half day, come home and nap for two hours, then load up and drive straight through w/ no stops.

A few times I did the drive during the day (before they were walking) and stopped half way for a meal and a bit of a stretch/diaper change. It made the journey a little longer but it worked. As they get older though they don't like sitting still so the sleeping version was easier.

[Anonymous]

Do you have another adult going with you? My kids are very seasoned road-trippers having done 8-10 hr. trips several times a year since infancy. At that age I just brought a ton of busy toys and one of us sat in back handing things to them. Sometimes even random things like plastic measuring spoons on a ring were good attention keepers. And infants do sleep a lot on long trips as compared to short hops usually taken.

I found 12-18 mos. the worst age for car travel because they are just getting mobile.