Traveling with an 8 month old?

Question

I will be making an 8 hour trip right after Thanksgiving to spend a month with my family while my husband is deployed. My son at this point is about 7 months old and eats about 32 oz of formula a day and 2-3 jars of food. What are some tips to make my trip not too long but still get my son's needs met? What can I do to make the trip more enjoyable for him? We are going by car.

I know that I will have to stop every hour or two, unless he's napping. I just want to know how to avoid a 16 hour trip!

Answer 1

Well an 8 month old is likely to sleep most of the trip, but do plan stops for diaper changes, feedings and little bit of play time with mommy. Let him out of his car seat for at least a minimum of 20 minutes to stretch. Your trip wont be as hard as you think, unless he doesnt like car rides. Plan to stop about every 2-3 hours and when it comes time to stop if he is snoozing good, keep going providing there is going to be another rest stop, convenience store, or restaurant not far along. Take along his favorite teddy bear, get him some toys that attach to the car seat to keep him busy and entertained.
Good luck and have a safe trip.
Oh and by the way. Tell your husband THANK YOU! And may GOD bring him home safe!

Answer 2

We made what was supposed to be 6 hour trip but turned into a 10 hour trip with a 14 month and an 8 month olds. We stoped twice to let the girls get out and play abit but for the most part we just gave them their bottles and if they were not sleeping or playing with the toys they were looking out the windows. Good luck.Cause from now on if I plan to go anywhere I have a 6,4,and 3 year old and in February I will have a 14 month and a new born.

Answer 3

That's actually a really good idea. We drove almost 24 hours from where my husband was stationed to our home town. We left at midnight (that was the earliest his unit would let him leave, otherwise we would have left around 7 or 8 at night too) so our daughter could sleep through a lot of the drive. Don't plan a schedule though. The drive should have taken us 17-18 hours, and took just under 24. We only stopped for gas. There was construction on almost every single highway that held us up. There is a government website that is supposed to list all the roads under construction that we looked at, and none of the roads we went on were listed on the website. Crap happens, so make sure you're prepared to be in the car long past 7 AM.

Answer 4

That is actually a pretty good age to travel with a baby. Feed him before you leave, and make sure it's near to nap time. He will probably sleep for the first few hours. As long as he is asleep, keep driving! When he wakes up, stop and get him out of his seat for a little bit. Let him stretch, and move around. Change his diaper, and feed him again. He'll probably be good to go for another couple of hours. Will someone be traveling with you? I would recommend it. That way the other person can sit next to the baby and hand him toys, pacifiers, etc. They could also give him a bottle while you are driving. Good luck!

Answer 5

I took a 5 hour trip when my son was 3 months old and he did so well. We left in the middle of the night so he slept most of the way. That was the best tip I got. Maybe if you left 4 or 5 hours before he normally wakes up then you wouldn't have to stop but twice before you get to your destination.

Answer 6

I went on a fifteen hour car trip with our six month old and 4 year old. Sometimes he was freaking out and the only way to calm him down was if I got in the back with him and fed him baby food- and make it stretch. Plus his big brother would entertain him and make him laugh. I would just pray! There is nothing worse then being trapped in a car with a screaming baby. I think in other countries it is a form of torture. Just don't have high expectations. Try to bring new things for him to play with- silly things like plastic measuring cups or water bottles (without the cap). Have fun!!

Answer 7

One thing you might do is have one parent sit in the back seat next to him. That way if he needs a snack or someone to play with he's all set. Also someone is handy to check if you really need to pull over for a diaper change or not. My husband did this with our son and we had a great trip.

Prepare an extensive repertoire of songs to sing. Babies can be captivated by the sound of your voice.

If he's at the right stage for it, Cheerios. Always always always have a bag of Cheerios handy and something to drink.

He'll probably sleep most of the time so don't worry too much.

Answer 8

Its not impossible to do with an infant, we traveled a lot with babies in the car. So long as they have things to look at they do okay.

The BEST thing you can do, if you're up for it, is to plan so the BULK of the trip is at night. Then your little man can sleep through most of the trip. Thats the ultimate easy way to take road trips with children at any age. Although if you dont have a driving partner you have to plan it so you're not driving completely at night, or you'll get too tired.

Good luck!

Answer 9

just make sure that you have everything (food, diapers, etc) you need and then stop as needed to feed, change diapers, etc. He will pretty much set the schedule as he needs attention. Hopefully he will sleep alot so the going will be faster for you. Does he have music to listen to in the car? Or DVD to watch? If so, that would help make it more enjoyable for him. Good luck, take care and enjoy the trip!!!

Answer 10

i have traveled 10 hours with my son that was about 10 months the first time and just over a yr the second time. he slept almost the whole time. get toys that light up and play music and as long has he isn't fussing just let him be and you should get there in just over the 8 hours. good luck and have a safe trip