Road trip with baby?

Question

We are driving 7 hours with my 6 month old to be with family for Christmas. He really doesn't like riding in his carseat much, we are thinking of leaving at night instead of day in hopes that he'll sleep...I want to know what others have experienced. Thanks!

Answer 1

I would definately travel at night...... leave at like 8 or 9 pm, and when you get there, go on to bed and let someone else help withthe baby the first day.......

We went to Phoenix (15 hour drive) when my son was 10 months old, and we left at 9pm, arrived at noon and passed him off to his grandma so we could rest.... he slept in the car all night, which was very nice, and his sleep schedule remained in tact......... Good luck.....

Answer 2

We are also driving to be with family for Christmas, but we are driving 14 hours and we have a 7 1/2 month old. I agree with the driving at night thing especially if your child is sleeping thru the night. Keep the same schedule that you've always kept like feeding time, changing time, etc. That will help your child be more comfortable. Stop every couple of hours and get your child out of his carseat to stretch. We traveled with our baby when she was about 2 months old to the beach. It was a 5 hour trip and she basically slept the whole way. But, now that she's older she stays up for longer periods of time so I am kinda nervous about this 14 hour trip myself. Good luck. Oh, and don't give your baby anything that will make him go to sleep unless your doctor says it's ok. Doing this could hurt him.

Answer 3

I travelled seven with my child..he wasn't 6 months, he was 14, so I guess my story is a little different. Just keep her bum dry and cozy, and keep her well fed. i bet the drive will be relaxing to her. Maybe travelling my day may be better. At least if you have a tough day you will all get some sleep at night. Hard times. Wish I had an easy fix for you, but I don't.
Good luck and be patient.
Go to a website like babycenter.com I think they have tips and checklists for travelling with babies and toddlers. I flew with my six month old, but it was a less than an hour flight, so I didn't have the stresses. He slept both ways.
Here's a tip. If you formula feed. My husband and I would tote a thermos of hot water and a bottle of cool water and mix up the formula like that. Seemed easier than relying on hot water from restaurants and coffee shops. If you breastfeed. even better. But please pull over to feed your child. Do not feed your baby while driving. Make sure your baby's carseat is properly installed and that he is comfortable in it.

Answer 4

We took few long trips with our infant daughter and yes, it is best to drive when they sleep (my kids hate car seats so that way we avoided A LOT of crying). I would suggest leaving couple hours before his actual bedtime - you all can handle little whining and it's gonna buy you few hours you can sleep once you get there. That is if you guys can drive at night comfortably (some people just get too sleepy and can't drive long at night). If that's the case, try to drive the most of the way, sleep over at the motel on the way and finish during his morning nap. That's how we drove from Chicago to Las Vegas! Half nights and naps....took us five days but it was in peace :-))))
Oh, and get him some brand new toy for the ride - like a little something with sounds and light, it will keep him entertained when awake. Good luck to you.

Answer 5

obviously some of the ppl answering, don't have children.." crank the radio, ignore them, give them drugs to knock them out" Can anyone say CHILD ABUSE? Neway, I think driving at night is a great idea, as long as you do it safely, keep in mind that you'll be losing some sleep so be sure to nap before you leave. We've always traveled at night when children were going along on the road, As for whoever it was that said after an hour they'll get over it...please...please tell me you aren't serious. I've heard children SCREAM for hours on end, they don't just say "oh well apparently i'm not going to get my way" and stop crying...
Well anyway good luck..Enjoy your trip. Merry Christmas!

Answer 6

Actually thats what i did with my first long drive with my daughter, she was 8 months old, we drove 500 miles and did it overnight. Thank god for my bro-in-law - he did most of the driving and i SLEPT. I am so bad at driving at night i wont do it, but my daughter loved the car, so it was never an issue....just dont do it alone at night. Its too hard to pull over, get coffee, pee and you dont want to wake him up and take him with you....also, whenever you turn the car off he will wake up...so try and drive with as many people as possible to take turns! We still drive 500 miles twice a year (kids are 11 and 8) and i like to leave at 5 AM or so, to avoid the traffic. Good Luck!

Answer 7

driving at night is a good idea, i always sing to my daughter when she gets upset in the car seat, she's 6mo's as well. but basically you just have to bite the bullet and put him in the seat and go, turn up the radio or sing as loudly as you can eventually your child has to learn that driving can't be avoided and throwing fits won't change that.

Answer 8

I agree with the night time traveling. Just make sure any drivers are well rested for safe night driving. Make sure you pack extra everything just in case of emergency's.

Answer 9

night driving is much easier! the only drawback is that you may not get the sleep you need!

we have four kids and all road trips were scheduled for night time for many years... i had forgotten that you could actually drive on the dayside!

Answer 10

I agree with the night driving...