Driving Long Distances with a Newborn (cross-posted)

[Anonymous]

[Cross-posted in 'Single Moms' and 'Dads']

I was wondering if anyone could provide some insights on long drives with newborns. I anticipate moving next year with what will be (at that time) a 3-month old baby. It's about an 8-hour drive.

Of course I assume you have to pull over every time you have to nurse, but what about for general crying/fussiness? Is there anything I can buy that will help the baby stay quiet and happy, and so that I don't have to pull over every ten minutes?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I think this will depend somewhat on how well your baby likes the car in general, but DS falls asleep in the car instantly so our 6-hr road trip over the weekend was (almost) no different than normal. We pulled over for feedings/diaper change, which tacked on about 2 hours to the total trip (7 hrs total). Other than that, he was asleep the entire drive - we kept the paci handy for any fussiness.

[Anonymous]

totally depends on the kid. I hate to be the contrarian but our 4MO DS *HATES* the car - screams till he exhausts himself (or at least did the last time we took him anywhere - we avoid it at all costs). That said, when he was exactly 3MO and we had to go on a 4 hour drive for a family event, we drove one way at his bedtime. By then he was generally sleeping for 4 hours between about 8pm and midnight, so we fed him, rocked him to sleep, put him in his carseat and hit the road. That direction was far better than the one when he was awake!

Then again, maybe you'll have one of those who loves the car.

Either way, I'd recommend a mirror that hangs above DC's seat - more so you can see him/her in the rearview than the other way around. And if he/she likes music, maybe some mellow classical. At that age there aren't many toys they can handle on their own. And if there will be 2 adults, consider having one ride in the back with toys and a paci. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I haven't tried it, but a friend swore by night driving if you can stand it (and stay awake) - baby should sleep for most of it (hopefully), and you don't have to worry about traffic worries, etc. I did take a long flight with DD when she was about 2 months old and was surprised how much she slept, so hopefully you'll get lucky!

[Anonymous]

We did several 8 hour trips between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 months. We always drove overnight, leaving after the first night feeding, usually around 1am or so. It really cut down on the stops for nursing because we were taking advantage of the longer nighttime stretches of sleep. At 6 weeks we had to stop twice, 30 minutes each time, to nurse. At around 3 months, I think we only had to stop once to nurse. If you attempt the night driving, especially by yourself, I recommend ensuring that there is someone on the other end who is prepared to take over when you arrive so you can get some sleep . . .