Long drives with a newborn

[santoki77]

Am I crazy for thinking we can drive to FL and back to visit my husband's grandmother when my LO is about 2.5 months old? We live in the Philadelphia area and pre-baby conditions it used to be a 13 hours (one way). My husband's grandmother is ~90 and, while healthy, too frail to travel/fly. He wants her to meet her grandson at least once (she broke her hip a few years ago). If we're going to do this, we need to do it before I return from maternity leave. Although a flight would be <4 hrs, I'm paranoid about being on a plane with potentially non-vaccinated ppl...any advice?

[herbavein]

I think it's probably fine, but you want to see if you have a baby who hates the car, or loves the car. If you have a car-hater, it would be torture... Otherwise, you just need to plan for lots of stops for feeding, diaper changes, etc.

[Deleted]

No real advice because I'm a FTM, but we have two road trips planned after this baby is born. One 5 hr trip when she is about 3 months old and one 13 hr trip when she's 6 months. For the 13 hour trip we plan to stop half way and spend the night somewhere, just to make it easier on all of us (since we'll be traveling with my parents and two dogs). Maybe you can do something like that?

[hbanana18]

I would suggest taking two days to get there and two days to get back. Or driving through the night so stopping for feedings will be a little less. I think it is totally do able though, as long as your peanut likes the car.

[Widget123]

It will be easier to go while your LO is younger and sleeps more IMO. Yeah you will have to stop for feedings and diaper changes a lot but id rather do that than with a stir crazy toddler. I do agree with PP comment about some babies hating the car; DD wasnt like that lets just hope your LO isnt like that

[nettje]

We took DD on a road trip when she was 6 weeks. The trip would normally take about 7 hours but ended up taking 9 for bathroom breaks/ feeding/ diaper changes. I ended up moving to the backseat to "entertain" dd for the last hour or two. Once we got to the hotel (we went down for a wedding) DD and I pretty much disappeared into our hotel room and I nursed and cuddled her for a bit. We then went to sleep.

It'll be doable but I would probably break it into a two day trip just so that LO and you have a break.

[wegrowsheep]

Mar 1, 2015 19:27:19 GMT -5 herbavein said:

I think it's probably fine, but you want to see if you have a baby who hates the car, or loves the car. If you have a car-hater, it would be torture... Otherwise, you just need to plan for lots of stops for feeding, diaper changes, etc.

This. Had one of each. But if baby is pretty young and a good sleeper, you will probably do fine. Easier than with a toddler!

[Deleted]

FTM as well but also planning a 5+ hour drive soon after the baby is born. My FIL can't travel to us so hoping he will still be with us in June, we want him to meet his grandson as soon as the doctor clears us go. Tentative plan is for me to sit in the back to entertain baby, stop for feedings etc. And just plan to make a day of it.

[santoki77]

Thx ladies. This summer is going to be a whirlwind. FIL & gf are coming for the first few days, then my mom for about a month, then the trip to FL, then back to work. We'll play it by ear but it'll be crazy!

[honeybunches101]

Another vote for playing it by ear based on how baby likes the car. We drove 5 hrs when DS was 4 months old and it was torture. He screamed the entire time, wouldn't take a bottle or pacifier, so we stopped constantly to try to get him to calm down. But if your baby likes the car and takes a bottle, it will be an easy time to travel. The bottle because there were times we were stuck in traffic jams for an hour and DS was hungry but there wasn't really a place for us to pull off and stop, so we would just go to the side of the road if we had to.

Honestly I would plan to fly if you can afford it. At 2.5 months baby will have had a first round of vaccines and you can carry him in a carrier through the airport and only take him out to go through security. We flew every time after our disasterous road trip and it was way easier because I could hold and feed him the whole time and it was much faster. If it were flu season or baby was early or sick I wouldn't do it, but I've had several friends fly with 2 months olds with their pediatrician's blessing.

[bendherova]

^you don't have to take a baby out of a carrier at security in the airport. But you aren't allowed to wear baby during the flight. (you can hold him in your arms though)

Anyway, I'd play it by ear depending on how baby likes the car or not. DS1 is a great traveler- car or plane, but we started him with road trips at 2mo and flights at 3mo. I hope I get lucky and DS2 is the same!


However, I'd be the one wanting to fly over a 13h roadtrip. 7-8h is about my max!

[girpipley]

I did a few long trips with DD 1 before she was 1. Several times, I ended up leaning over the car seat with my boob in her mouth just to get her to calm down.

As long as you plan on a longer trip than usual, you should be fine.

[billyhorrible]

My kid hated the car. Like literally screamed his head off every time he was in the carseat. He refused to sleep in the car/carseat so even quick trips to the store were a nightmare. We took a 2 hour roadtrip when he was 3 months old and he screamed/cried the entire way to and from. Even with me in the back "entertaining him."

It got better once we he was around 6 months, but there's no way I would have done a long road trip with him at 2.5 months. As it was, even when he was "good" in the car, we did a 6 hour road trip with him around a year and it took us 12 hours with stops.

[erbear]

I just told my MIL today that I wouldn't want to drive 2.5 hours with my under 2 month old to visit H's family. I have other reasons (they're chain smokers and hello, SIDS risk!), but the thought of a drive even longer than that makes me shudder.

[noeliav]

Considering that trip if the kiddo is like DD was: NOPE. Nope nope nope.
She would just scream bloody murder for every freaking car ride until she was, geez, at least 6 months? And even then, I (or someone else) had to be in the back to keep her entertained. And if she was slightly hungry/tired/uncomfortable? Oh lord. NOPE.

I'd wait and see what kind of baby you have before making any concrete plans.

[wink568]

I applied for a leadership development program that (if I'm accepted) will require me to be on travel four separate weeks over a 10 month period. The first one is in September, so I'm trying to figure out which will be more difficult, spending a week without my newborn, or bringing LO and DH with me on a 13 hour drive (I'd be flying if traveling by myself, but am weary of doing so with a newborn).

[teenybird]

We are planning to do a road trip when our little dude is about 2 months, too. It's a 12-14 hour drive from where DH and I live back to my folks in Chicago, but we are planning to do the drive over 2-3 days and stop at little (baby-friendly) B&Bs or hotels along the way. I've been dying to go home for months, but given how things have been going with this pregnancy, I don't feel comfortable going too far away from my MW/hospital. I am right with you, OP, on not feeling comfortable taking a teeny human on an airplane before he/she can get those initial vaccines - especially given all the hoopla with measles, etc. this year. My MW also doesn't recommend air travel for LOs before 3 months, but I only get 12 weeks of job-protected leave, so we have to make the most of it.

I would say see how your little one does with car travel in general, even just the short distances around town to do errands. If he/she loves it and falls right asleep with the motion of the car, you probably won't have any issues with a longer drive. If he/she cries the whole time, though, might be something to re-consider until LO is a little older/more tolerant of the car/carseat.

[trixi282]

If it were me, I would choose to fly if you can afford it. I know logistically it's crazy to pack for a flight, and the car you can bring a lot more, but flying is actually quite easy with an infant. And you can take breast milk, formula and premeasured water, and anything else you need in the diaper bag.

We took our first flight with J when she was 3 months old and she did great, it was so easy. I strapped her in the baby carrier and wore her through security, and then held her on the plane, and when she fell asleep I strapped her back in to relieve my arms.

PP that said you can't wear them while in flight - technically you can, the attendants just don't like you to. I felt more comfortable wearing baby during the flight personally. But their reasoning is if something happens to you (mom/dad) while wearing baby then it could take longer or be harder to help you (if you go unconscious or have a medical emergency).

[upandbelow]

I'm a FTM, so no real input other than I'm planning on driving from Edmonton to Vancouver so my LO can meet my grandma too! We're looking at going when LO is about 7 or 8 weeks. The drive straight through is about 13 hours, so we're breaking it up into 2 days and stopping overnight in Vernon. I think it's important for LO to meet great-grandma, both for me and for my grandmother, so we're going to bite the bullet on this one. I'm actually quite looking forward to it