Long road trip advice

Kyla - posted on 06/09/2010

I have three kids and we have always done the bulk of our traveling at night that way the sleep through. Our last trip was this past Christmas we drove from Kansas to New York thats a 24 hour drive staight through with a 7yo a 4yo and a 3month old. We leave around 7 or 8 pm right around there bed time and the next day is full of potty breaks and we stop and get out of the car for breakfast lunch and dinner.

Crystal - posted on 06/02/2010

we traveled at night we still travel at night and our daughter is 3 yrs old now and sleeps most the way we use to liv ein oklahoma and traveled to new orleans, la it is like a 13 hours drive we left at 1am and got there abt 2 or 3 pm

Amanda - posted on 05/20/2010

i agree with what everyone else is saying... work around your child's eating/sleeping schedule. if your husband is going with you, take turns driving so that one of you is in the back seat. my son (now 20 months) has been traveling since he was 3 mos old. we are from pittsburgh, pa and my husband was stationed in va for a year and a half. i did a lot of traveling alone with my son. it can be difficult and stressful on your own, but we always managed to do well. i also recommend stopping every couple hours, if possible, to get out and stretch. we are getting ready to head to ct, which is a much longer drive and my son is older. but he is a seasoned traveler.

hope that helps. good luck!

Kathleen - posted on 05/17/2010

take lots of breaks to get her out of the car and stretch, try to plan it to where she will be asleep for most of the drive, like naptime or something. we took my son on lots of drives when he was young (around 10 hours) he slept for nap time, and then ate and stretched, and then got back in the car and slept the rest of the way. (now we bring a DVD player so that he can watch a movie while we drive which calms down a lot, but we only did that since he started facing forward). Just make sure that someone is ready to take her when you get there because she is likely gona be wide awake, and you are gona want to get some rest!!! good luck with your trip!

Amy - posted on 05/16/2010

I have made several trips with my 6 children and I found that traveling overnite if possible is the easiet. When my twins were six months, my sister and I drove from GA to NJ. We also had my three older kids. We traveled during the day that trip and stopped every 2-3 hours at rest stops, they seem to have the cleanest bathrooms with some room to walk around and get fresh air. I try to play a variety of music when traveling with the children. Right now the Backyardigans CD's are the favorites. Even now with my youngest being 3 we have to stop at about 2 hours just for a break from the car and to stretch. Your baby being 5 months is difficult, you should definitly try driving at nite and be ready to sing or talk with her through the trip. A long road trip is hard for us imagine what it would be like for them. If you can go to the store and get one of the toys that hang on the seat for your baby to look at, or a mirror so that she can enbtertain herself a little bit. Be prepared for your trip to take a little longer than planned between diaper changes, bottles ansd feeding. Safe travels and I hope this helps.

Angela - posted on 05/14/2010

We travel with our daugther to Ontario, Canada from Nova Scotia when she was just 4 months old. For the most part she did sleep. But when she was wake she enjoyed playing with a few small plushes toys, and if there is two of you traveling with her, a good idea is to have one person sitting in the back with her, this way you can interact with her. Also, i picked up a mirror that was able to mount to the back of the sit of when I was driving I could still see what she was doing.

Miriam - posted on 05/14/2010

I have taken several road trips up to 8 hours each way with two boys (now 3 and 2, so when i took the first two day, 13 hour trip the younger was only 3 months). The tip to schedule it around nap time is great! Wear them out by playing (and tummy time) before you go. If you nurse, nurse before, so that they fall asleep first. Make sure you stop at a place where they can roam around and get some of the energy out. Some rest stops have playgrounds. I did my trips alone, so it is doable. My boys have always done great. The key is to make sure to follow their schedule and realize that it is not as important to make it there in a certain amount of time, but with your sanity in tact. :)

Candi - posted on 05/13/2010

I used to travel for TX to SC (26 hrs each way) with 3 kids. I would always leave about 2 or 3 am when the kids are still in sleep mode. My youngest was great. As long as she was dry and had a noise maker, she was no trouble at all. I had a shade over the wndow to block the sun from her. At that age, its hard to really entertain them. If she starts t get fussy, just talk or sing to her. Sometimes just hearing mommy's voice is comforting.

Laura - posted on 05/12/2010

We just got back from an 36 hour round-trip home to introduce our 3 1/2 month old to family before my hubby deployed. I was so nervous, but it went amazingly well! I sat in the back so she could see me and I could entertain her while my husband drove. Also, I am still breastfeeding, so I just pumped and bottle fed her so we wouldn't have to stop every 2 hours and the milk was already warm! We changed diapers and snuggled her a bit at gas stops. Bring toys, books, etc. Also, you could try driving more at night so baby will sleep. Good luck and have fun! First introductions are fun!

Monica - posted on 05/11/2010

If your spouse is accompanying u, take turns driving (if u can) while the other sit in the back to read, sing, & play/sitting exercises with your baby. they get tired of sitting in the car as much as we do, so make your frequent stops to stretch/play with them. take plenty of wipes to wipe them down & we liked to use sing a long cds for them to listen to. As long as they hear you or your hubby, it would definitely soothe them even if the car ride don't. sun shade for car window is a must too. have fun visiting your fam

Teyaka - posted on 05/11/2010

I would say time the trip around her sleep schedule. For some reason car rides tend to put babies asleep. So make sure that the ride is as relaxing as possible. Plan on stopping somewhere to feed the baby. I know that for a six hour car ride, I spent maybe 2 in the back with my son to entertain he was awake. Traveling can be very tiresome, especially for a baby.

Emily - posted on 05/11/2010

Thanks Cassie. I hadn't thought about music. I need to start playing more music geared for her! : )

Cassie - posted on 05/11/2010

In a rear facing carseat it's hard to keep them entertained. I had to drive to and from Norfolk Va and Durham, NC all the time (3.5 hours). It's kinda hard to show them movies because they don't really care yet. I packed her favorite toys and switched them out every so often and had snacks she was allowed to eat and then stopped whenever she got fussy and let her play outside if able. If you know what kind of music doesn't make her fussy you can lean towards that. My daughter loves her princess cd and she has one particular night time cd she likes.