How should I handle my son's first long car drive?

Question

My son is 6 months old and we are about to take our first long trip this Monday. We live in southern Maryland and will be driving to western Massachusetts-a good 7 hour drive. I can drive through in 7 hours without a problem. However, I'm not sure how my son will take being in a carseat for such a long period of time. Any suggestions on how to make this trip as smooth and easy as possible?

Answer 1

Unless you're going to do the drive overnight, I would suggest stopping at least every 4 hours so that you and your son can have a break including a bottle/meal and nappy change.

If you're driving overnight, drive safely and remember to stop and rest if you feel tired.

If you're driving during the day, remember to take a few toys and perhaps a CD to keep your son entertained.

Answer 2

Great question.  We live in Ohio and took two long trips so far...one to Baltimore, MD ( 7 hours) and one to Topsail Island, NC ( 12 hours).  On both trips he did fairly well.  My husband drives and I sit in the back with him.  He is very social so he needs entertained a lot.  Surprisingly, he slept very well and sometimes longer than usual.  He has little dangle toys from his carseat and plays with that as well as I try to do my best to bring his favorite toys and books as well.  The best thing that we did was leave in the late evening so that he slept through the ride for much longer time.  

Stopping is good.  We stopped at least 5 times on the way back home from NC.  For some reason, he had a lot of poopy diapers sitting in that chair for that long.  He is 9 months old, by the way.  I did have to take him out of the carseat and breastfeed him a few times and also fed him his solids in his chair.  My son kept his schedule pretty good during the trips.

You should be fine...best thing would be is to have someone sit with him in the back seat.  Bring his favorite blankie or teddy bear and a pacifier (if using) to help with sleeping easier.  Have fun and good luck!

Answer 3

definitely have someone sit in the back with him to entertain him when he is awake.  that would be my main suggestion, otherwise, there's not much else you can do!

good luck..

edit: i just read the above and that's a good idea,  leave at his bedtime and hopefully he sleeps through most of it!

Answer 4

Are you traveling by yourself? If so, stop every 2 hours feed the baby, change his diaper, and let him stretch and take a potty break. Plus, take new toys for him to play with and try to keep him on schedule as best as possible.

Add.

I traveled during the day and called the hotel ahead of time to see if I could get early check-in. Just explain you are traveling with a little one and ask if it is available. Usually they are accommodating if they are not full the night before. Have a safe trip.

Answer 5

When I travel with my baby he sleeps most of the time.  What I would suggest for your baby is 1) make sure he has some toys to play with, 2) make sure to stop a couple of times to get out of the car and walk around for a little while, 3) have some little treats for him (cheerios or something) 4) have the other people that are with you take turns sitting with him and playing with him (this will get his mind off of sitting in his seat for so long), 5) hope and pray that there is little traffic and that he decides to take a nice long nap. HAVE FUN :)

Answer 6

We took my son on his first long car ride when he was 4 1/2 months old.  I was really nervous about it before hand..... but it turned out just fine.... and he did great.  First off..... be sure to pack plenty of bottle water for his bottles if he is on formula.  Then be sure to bring a few fun toys.  We also brought a large blanket..... and packed a picnic to bring with.  It is good to stop and let baby have a break.   We stopped at a really nice rest area for about an hour........ and had a picnic and let baby strech out...... and have a meal..... and roll around for a while before continuing on.  We found he slept most of the way..... from the movement of the car.  Just be sure to pack everything your baby enjoys.... including favorite toys.... a familiar blanket to snuggle with, a favorite bottle.........  and whatever else.  I sat in the backseat with my son the whole time while hubby drive.  I also brought along a book that I enjoyed..... that I was able to read to him to make him fall asleep and feel secure from my voice.  If he is into lullaby's.....bring the CD.  And just be sure to allow apporitate time for stops that he may need to be changed or just stretch out.... while you are on your way.                We found our trip to be way less stressful then we could have even imagined..... just be prepared..... and you and baby will be just fine.

Answer 7

I use to live in Oklahoma but we moved to Iowa. My daughter was 8 months old at the time...what we did is we try to keep her up as long as we can during the day before we left for the trip...then we feed her before we left to go to Iowa(and of course we fed her during the day too)...We left Oklahoma during the night time..and she slept through it all because it was night and there were no lights in her eyes and etc. Its a 10 to 12 hour drive  from Oklahoma to Iowa.