Road Trips with Littles
Summertime is road trip season and families are hitting the road! First-time parents or parents with littles who don’t love the car seat may learn by trial and error what works for their families when it comes to traveling via the open road.
I know what it’s like to feel helpless with a crying infant in the back, anyone else?
We recently drove from Colorado to Ohio with our 10-week old little boy and although I felt prepared and overall I would say it was a success, it was a major learning moment for the whole family.
I’ve listed some of the things we prepared that made our trip successful along with what we learned along the way. There are also some tips and hacks you all shared with us on our Instagram @nurtured.pediatrics.
Stop to eat rather than feeding on the go
Nursing or bottle feeding in your baby’s normal positioning and allowing time to properly burp following the feed can prevent trapped gas and fussy babies later on. Prolonging a stop to 30-45 minutes can prevent you from having to stop every 30-45 minutes later on for those uncomfortable has pains or indigestion.
STOP AHEAD OF TIME
Speaking of stopping - preemptively stop rather than waiting for baby to wake and cry for food. If there’s a rest stop 3 miles ahead and it’s time to eat but ther’re sleeping, go ahead and stop. They will probably wake up when you park and you’ll be ready! While you’re stopped - be sure to get all those burps and change that diaper while you’re at it. Getting in all the cares in one-stop can help you sneak in another 2-5 after with a happy baby.
Prioritize Rest Areas
They are cleaner, there’s grass if you want to get out to play a bit, and there are safe parking areas to feed and change baby. There’s not much to it other than that - has stations are hit or miss and walking a baby to sleep around a crowded parking lot full of fumes can be no fun! Opt for those rest stops.
PACK VARIETY
Hang toys from the car seat handle and bring variety!! Babies get bored on the road and like variety just like we do. If a toy doesn’t hang use a pacifier clip to make it hangable. Here were a few of our favorite along the way. I actually purchased a few more for the return trip because we were not as prepared as I thought! The car mirror with the lights and remote is AWESOME!
Music saves the day
Download a playlist (for *when* you lose service) of babi’s favorite songs. Spirit Forest or Singing Bowls on @spotify can be great to have baby tune into listening and calm down.
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
If you’re driving with your partner, have one of you sit in the back. Depending on your car’s safety guidelines, you can remove the headrest from the passenger seat and adjust the seat all the way forward — giving the back seat parent a much more comfortable seat and easy access to your child. This way you can start a bottle during a meltdown if needed, but mostly just to be a friendly face when they wake up or you hit a big bump.
Patience Patience
If all else fails and all of babi’s needs are met - give it 5 minutes. Take deep breaths! I know it’s tough to hear your baby cry, but sometimes they need to express their frustration before calming down to rest or play or sleep.
Parents tips from the road
“Plan for an extra day just in case!”
“We loved the A to Z Adventure Playmat to stretch and play on pit stops.”
“Bring all the toys! Kids can get bored so quickly and we ran out of things to offer.”
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