summer road trip

Tatham - posted on 07/05/2009

we just got back from driving to maine (from pa)...i had jacob in loose and comfortable clothes..we also had the air on with a light blanket covering him, and made sure to have his favorite teething toys in the car seat with him..we did stop about every 3-4 hours to nurse and stretch and for him to play..and he did awesome!

Marcia - posted on 07/03/2009

thanks to everyone who responded to me - i am feeling much more confidant on our upcoming roadtrip thanks to your words of advice and encouragement! thanks

Kerri - posted on 06/30/2009

I am currently on a 16 hour road trip. We left in the evening so she went to sleep for most of the way there. Half way through we stopped at a hotel overnight then continued the rest of the way the next day. i was also concerned and felt bad taking my 7 month old on such a long car ride. I read somewhere online that a baby should not be in thier car seat for more than 3 hours at a time. I brought lots of toys and a DVD player for her to watch her baby einstien videos. She did really well on the car ride up. The little times she did start getting cranky then we would stop to let her out of her car seat. Im glad we went on this trip since she gets to see lots of new and different things.
A couple of weeks ago I did another long trip for my grand mother's funeral and decided it was best to go throughout the night. still my daughter woke through out the night crying. I don't think she got to sleep well in the car seat. It did not turn out well for us because then we were noth tired the whole next day from no sleep.

Heather - posted on 06/29/2009

We recently went on a 7 hr road trip. We kept her dressed lightly to help her from sweating so much and the air on, favorite blankie and also we had the portable DVD player so she could see. We only turned it on once mainly because we had done everything else she just didn't want to be in the seat anymore. So we put on Sesame Street it distracted her long enough to get her relaxed again and back for her nap. Hope your trip goes well!

Margaret - posted on 06/28/2009

Leave in the middle of the night. Plan to drive in shifts, and whoever is planning to drive first, let them sleep as much as they can during the day before you leave so they'll be able to stay awake while you and baby sleep all night on the road. With any luck, baby will sleep all night and you'll be almost there by the time he wakes up. Our typical road trip is 6-8 hour distances and doing it this way worked like a charm for us every time.

Abbey - posted on 06/28/2009

We did a 6 hour road trip with only a few short stops. We left right after breakfast, so had to stop for lunch and got there just in time for afternoon snack. I just sat in the back with him a lot to keep him entertained when he was awake. He did really well. He sweats a lot too, but did well. If you haven't started a sippy cup yet, that may help entertain and keep your LO cool.

Molly - posted on 06/28/2009

keep the air on to stay cool but give him a blankey (i think they sleep better when covered). also, if you can, drive at night when he'll do a lot of sleeping. when he starts crying, pull over. dont wait too long. when you do stop to stretch your legs/get gas/nurse or w/e, make sure to play. get him laughing and going and tire him out a bit. Our son made an 8 hour car trip at 6 months and he did great (with no AC, it sucked). I'm sure yours will too! gl