Ttma travel with an infant

[King26]

We are going to my brothers for Thanksgiving and I'm panicking. J will be 3 months old. My brother lives 2.5 hours away. What do I need to know? I'm worried about the drive and once we are there.

[mpc]

Are you staying the night?

We started bringing our small travel swing when we're spending the whole day at a relatives house. DD liked the swing at home so it helped her nap when we were away. Or the rock n play, if your baby likes something like that better.

Our first 2.5 hour drive with DS we almost made it the whole way before he melted down. We ended up stopping 20 minutes away and feeding him in a parking lot. I think it helps to expect that something like that might happen and just to roll with it.

I like to bring a small quilt and a handful of toys so DD can chill on the floor in other people's homes. Sometimes everybody needs a break from holding.

I hope you have a great trip! You can do it!

[loira]

We went across to the mainland for 2 days to go to the consulate when A was 2.5 months old. About 4 hours away with driving plus ferry. We brought a TON of stuff. More than we needed, but I felt a lot more relaxed knowing I had an arsenal of supplies at hand.

She was still sleeping in a bassinet at that point, and we brought the bassinet with us.

A did have a massive blowout on the ferry, and we had to clean the car seat with lysol wipes.

[pooh8402]

Leave yourself lots of time to get there. Like about twice the amount of time. I agree that you do not stop while the baby is sleeping!

Ditto the pack n play! I always brought a shitton of diapers and wipes, but remember that you can almost always buy more at your destination. Bring at least twice the amount of clothes and burp rags you think you'll need. I always felt (actually, still do) like I bring SO MUCH STUFF when we traveled with E. We definitely brought the rock n play and the piano mat everywhere with us those first 6 months. But like loira, I felt so much better knowing I had our things.

Try to relax and go with the flow. Enjoy having extra hands to hold the baby so you can rest.

[janegold]

Shouldn't be too bad in a car - much easier than flying at that age (which was still relatively easy IME).

The only thing that has consistently been an issue for us when we travel with B is that it takes him a good day or two to adjust to sleeping in a new place, and he doesn't love sleeping in the pack and play. At that age, I would just let him sleep or nap anywhere he would - I didn't try to force the pack and play.

[shauni27]

we just got back from vacation with S and he was 10 weeks. Our travel included a 3 hour drive and then a 4 hour flight. Since you are just driving and the distance is only 2.5 hours, I honestly would add in an extra half hour and that is it. And likely you wont need it--most babies will be fine just sleeping in the car the entire way and wont wake up. But in case you need to stop and do a feeding or a changing (or both), just schedule in an extra half an hour.

We had a travel bassinet that folded up into our suitcase and S slept just fine in it. We also brought plenty of bottles, clothes, diapers, formula. Since we were flying, as soon as we landed we bought a small bouncy seat for him because our baby bjorn didn't fit in any suitcases. If we were driving anywhere, we would just pack that to bring with us.

Other than that, just try to enjoy yourself! It will be nice having tons of people around to help with the baby, but you can also use the baby as an excuse to slip away for some quiet time and to go to bed early

[oneslybookworm]

We drive G back and forth to my parents place, which is 2 hours away, frequently. It's not a big deal. Leave time for 1 stop to feed/diaper change, but that's about it. Are you doing this all in 1 day? We do the visit in 1 day, so it's two drives, and he's fine. If he's sleeping, don't stop, if he's fussing, stop and see what's up. That's about it, it's fairly easy at this age.

[cactuscookie]

Haha, oh you people with easy babies who will sleep for 2.5 hours in the car. When H was tiny, I would use a stopwatch app to track how long she spent crying in the car, so that even if it felt like she'd screamed the whole time, I knew it was only actually half of the drive...

That being said, our first trip with H wasn't too bad. We waited until H was almost 4 months before we drove with her to my parents' house, which is 4.5 hours away (normally). If I recall, it took us 5.5 hours, because we had to stop and nurse once or twice. (And I think she cried for a total of one hour of the drive.) Can J have a bottle in the carseat? That will definitely save time. I remember my sister saying she had a system of keeping water warm in a thermos, so the formula would be warm when she mixed it on the road.

How is he in the carseat on short trips around town? H pretty much screamed as soon as we put her in it at that age. She's never been good at sleeping in the car. We did eventually find that she had an easier time falling asleep if we swaddled her arms under the straps.

We did bring the RNP and white noise machine. We didn't have to bring the cursed yoga ball for bouncing because my mom has one. We also brought one of her little bouncy chairs so that we had somewhere to plop her when no one wanted to hold her. That worked well for mealtimes for the rest of us.

Really though, 2.5 hours isn't bad, and it'll be nice to have other people around to help and to love on your baby.

[boiler717]

It depends on how he does in the car! We drove to Chicago which is just under 3 hours and it took over 5 hours because we had to stop 3 times each way. T HATED the car at that age.

[shauni27]

cactuscookie, lol, I should be clear--as SOON as the car stops or slows, S wakes up and will start crying. Highway driving is good, though (most of the time--not always!)

[dellabear]

We have these Rockabye Baby CDs in the car that are lullaby/instrumental versions of music we like and both the kids loved them as babies. We have Nirvana and Guns N' Roses. You could probably just play actual lullabies but these are fun and don't get on my nerves even after a couple hundred plays. www.rockabyebabymusic.com

Most of the traveling we did with our infants was by plane so I have a million tips for that and not much for car trips. It's nice to have the luxury of space, I'd just bring everything I might need. If you have to buy a sleeping place just for travel, I'd use it at home first so it's familiar and if applicable being crib sheets from home so they're familiar as well.

[knx9211]

Don't panic! We've been doing that long of a trip with P since he was a month old. Just anticipate it possibly taking longer. We're usually good with 2.5 hours even now. I make sure to feed him right before we leave and he falls asleep once the car starts moving. With the exception of the time that I got caught in 20 minutes of stop and go traffic at our exit, he's always slept the entire time! I make sure not to drink anything for a while before we get on the road. As long as he's sleeping, we do. not. stop.

For my in-laws, it's ~4.5 - 5 hours. We just did that for the first time 2 weeks ago and are doing it again this weekend. It went surprisingly well the first time. We only had to stop once on the way home (and that was in Washington, PA. Seriously. he was soooo close to making it). On the way we only had to stop twice because he pooped 20 minutes after we stopped for a feed. I always sit in the back with him so he doesn't wake up and freak out that he doesn't know where he is.

Packing is the toughest part! Cramming the pack and play, stroller, and all of our clothes into the trunk was quite a challenge! We also brought his Boppy so he has something to sit on while we're there, but it's not really necessary.

[shauni27]

@daylily, I don't know if I can do that yet! lol. if he cries for more than about 5 minutes I will give in and get in the back seat with him to calm him down (assuming H is driving).Knock on wood, so far he has only had 2 meltdowns while I drive (without H in the car) and after about 10 minutes of him screaming and me crying because I feel awful, he finally passes out. I just got a tight chest REMEMBERING it, lol.

[cactuscookie]

Oct 17, 2017 15:13:26 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

@daylily , I don't know if I can do that yet! lol. if he cries for more than about 5 minutes I will give in and get in the back seat with him to calm him down (assuming H is driving).Knock on wood, so far he has only had 2 meltdowns while I drive (without H in the car) and after about 10 minutes of him screaming and me crying because I feel awful, he finally passes out. I just got a tight chest REMEMBERING it, lol.

Maybe I'm a sucker, because H is 20 months old, and I still sit in the backseat with her on long car drives. She only sleeps for about 40 minutes of the 4.5-hour drive to my parents' house, and she requires new toys and/or snacks every five minutes or she gets very bored, and then we all pay the price.

The worst was when took a 9-hour drive with her when she was 5 months old. We split it up into 4.5-hour segments on different days, but on the last portion, she literally cried for 2.5 hours of it. It was brutal. Everyone's nerves were raw. It was after that trip that we learned that she fell asleep easier in the car if we swaddled her arms. Even now, though, she has trouble sleeping in the car. I don't really blame her, considering how tightly she's strapped down in her car seat.
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[pooh8402]

Oct 17, 2017 16:48:30 GMT -5 cactuscookie said:

Oct 17, 2017 15:13:26 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

@daylily , I don't know if I can do that yet! lol. if he cries for more than about 5 minutes I will give in and get in the back seat with him to calm him down (assuming H is driving).Knock on wood, so far he has only had 2 meltdowns while I drive (without H in the car) and after about 10 minutes of him screaming and me crying because I feel awful, he finally passes out. I just got a tight chest REMEMBERING it, lol.

Maybe I'm a sucker, because H is 20 months old, and I still sit in the backseat with her on long car drives. She only sleeps for about 40 minutes of the 4.5-hour drive to my parents' house, and she requires new toys and/or snacks every five minutes or she gets very bored, and then we all pay the price.

The worst was when took a 9-hour drive with her when she was 5 months old. We split it up into 4.5-hour segments on different days, but on the last portion, she literally cried for 2.5 hours of it. It was brutal. Everyone's nerves were raw. It was after that trip that we learned that she fell asleep easier in the car if we swaddled her arms. Even now, though, she has trouble sleeping in the car. I don't really blame her, considering how tightly she's strapped down in her car seat.
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We do movies on the iPad for drives longer than 2 hours, starting when E was 19 months and interested in movies/tv. Works for us!

[cactuscookie]

Oct 17, 2017 17:04:21 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

Oct 17, 2017 16:48:30 GMT -5 cactuscookie said:

Maybe I'm a sucker, because H is 20 months old, and I still sit in the backseat with her on long car drives. She only sleeps for about 40 minutes of the 4.5-hour drive to my parents' house, and she requires new toys and/or snacks every five minutes or she gets very bored, and then we all pay the price.

The worst was when took a 9-hour drive with her when she was 5 months old. We split it up into 4.5-hour segments on different days, but on the last portion, she literally cried for 2.5 hours of it. It was brutal. Everyone's nerves were raw. It was after that trip that we learned that she fell asleep easier in the car if we swaddled her arms. Even now, though, she has trouble sleeping in the car. I don't really blame her, considering how tightly she's strapped down in her car seat.
Save

We do movies on the iPad for drives longer than 2 hours, starting when E was 19 months and interested in movies/tv. Works for us!

My sister gave us her portable DVD player, so we use that now, which helps, but H doesn't have a very long attention span for it. I can't wait until she's old enough for look forward to long drives as a chance for a big block of screen time!
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[pooh8402]

Oct 17, 2017 17:16:45 GMT -5 cactuscookie said:

Oct 17, 2017 17:04:21 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

We do movies on the iPad for drives longer than 2 hours, starting when E was 19 months and interested in movies/tv. Works for us!

My sister gave us her portable DVD player, so we use that now, which helps, but H doesn't have a very long attention span for it. I can't wait until she's old enough for look forward to long drives as a chance for a big block of screen time!
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It won't take long. E was meh at that age, but within a couple months of him starting to show interest, he was hooked. For better or for worse, haha.

[King26]

Oct 16, 2017 9:40:24 GMT -5 oneslybookworm said:

We drive G back and forth to my parents place, which is 2 hours away, frequently. It's not a big deal. Leave time for 1 stop to feed/diaper change, but that's about it. Are you doing this all in 1 day? We do the visit in 1 day, so it's two drives, and he's fine. If he's sleeping, don't stop, if he's fussing, stop and see what's up. That's about it, it's fairly easy at this age.

Not sure if we are driving in 1 day or staying over night but it's good to know you do it in 1 day and it works..

[oneslybookworm]

Oct 17, 2017 18:33:02 GMT -5 King26 said:

Oct 16, 2017 9:40:24 GMT -5 oneslybookworm said:

We drive G back and forth to my parents place, which is 2 hours away, frequently. It's not a big deal. Leave time for 1 stop to feed/diaper change, but that's about it. Are you doing this all in 1 day? We do the visit in 1 day, so it's two drives, and he's fine. If he's sleeping, don't stop, if he's fussing, stop and see what's up. That's about it, it's fairly easy at this age.

Not sure if we are driving in 1 day or staying over night but it's good to know you do it in 1 day and it works..

Yep, there is absolutely NO WAY we are spending more time than necessary with my crazy family!

[King26]

Oct 16, 2017 11:42:18 GMT -5 cactuscookie said:

Haha, oh you people with easy babies who will sleep for 2.5 hours in the car. When H was tiny, I would use a stopwatch app to track how long she spent crying in the car, so that even if it felt like she'd screamed the whole time, I knew it was only actually half of the drive...

That being said, our first trip with H wasn't too bad. We waited until H was almost 4 months before we drove with her to my parents' house, which is 4.5 hours away (normally). If I recall, it took us 5.5 hours, because we had to stop and nurse once or twice. (And I think she cried for a total of one hour of the drive.) Can J have a bottle in the carseat? That will definitely save time. I remember my sister saying she had a system of keeping water warm in a thermos, so the formula would be warm when she mixed it on the road.

How is he in the carseat on short trips around town? H pretty much screamed as soon as we put her in it at that age. She's never been good at sleeping in the car. We did eventually find that she had an easier time falling asleep if we swaddled her arms under the straps.

We did bring the RNP and white noise machine. We didn't have to bring the cursed yoga ball for bouncing because my mom has one. We also brought one of her little bouncy chairs so that we had somewhere to plop her when no one wanted to hold her. That worked well for mealtimes for the rest of us.

Really though, 2.5 hours isn't bad, and it'll be nice to have other people around to help and to love on your baby.

He does pretty well in the car.  We drove 1 hour each way last week and are doing it again this week and he slept the whole time both ways (minus like 5 minutes initial crying each time).   My parents have a PNP so that will already be there.  I was thinking about just bringing my wrap, diapers, bottles, clothes, etc. oh and a swaddle of course.

[King26]

Oct 17, 2017 13:36:00 GMT -5 knx9211 said:

Don't panic! We've been doing that long of a trip with P since he was a month old. Just anticipate it possibly taking longer. We're usually good with 2.5 hours even now. I make sure to feed him right before we leave and he falls asleep once the car starts moving. With the exception of the time that I got caught in 20 minutes of stop and go traffic at our exit, he's always slept the entire time! I make sure not to drink anything for a while before we get on the road. As long as he's sleeping, we do. not. stop.

For my in-laws, it's ~4.5 - 5 hours. We just did that for the first time 2 weeks ago and are doing it again this weekend. It went surprisingly well the first time. We only had to stop once on the way home (and that was in Washington, PA. Seriously. he was soooo close to making it). On the way we only had to stop twice because he pooped 20 minutes after we stopped for a feed. I always sit in the back with him so he doesn't wake up and freak out that he doesn't know where he is.

Packing is the toughest part! Cramming the pack and play, stroller, and all of our clothes into the trunk was quite a challenge! We also brought his Boppy so he has something to sit on while we're there, but it's not really necessary.

My parents have a PNP so I won't have to bring that.  Plus you only live 5 minutes away so I'll just come borrow yours if I forget anything!   LOL  Just kidding.   I only worry about coming into my parents because I know there is a ton of construction on 279 and he hates when we slow down or stop.  We may come up 79 instead so we won't have stop and go traffic.

[knx9211]

King26, luckily the construction is only north and hasn't been so bad. But yeah, go up 79 and get off at NB instead. But really, we will local (just four... 5? Whatever) exits north at my parents so if you forget anything, I have you covered!

[pooh8402]

Oct 17, 2017 18:33:02 GMT -5 King26 said:

Oct 16, 2017 9:40:24 GMT -5 oneslybookworm said:

We drive G back and forth to my parents place, which is 2 hours away, frequently. It's not a big deal. Leave time for 1 stop to feed/diaper change, but that's about it. Are you doing this all in 1 day? We do the visit in 1 day, so it's two drives, and he's fine. If he's sleeping, don't stop, if he's fussing, stop and see what's up. That's about it, it's fairly easy at this age.

Not sure if we are driving in 1 day or staying over night but it's good to know you do it in 1 day and it works..

For a 2.5 hour drive? Definitely one day. Don't break this one up.

We've done 9 hour drives with E in one day. A 2.5 hour drive is cake, especially with an infant.

[King26]

Oct 17, 2017 20:14:32 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

Oct 17, 2017 18:33:02 GMT -5 King26 said:

Not sure if we are driving in 1 day or staying over night but it's good to know you do it in 1 day and it works..

For a 2.5 hour drive? Definitely one day. Don't break this one up.

We've done 9 hour drives with E in one day. A 2.5 hour drive is cake, especially with an infant.

Back and forth in one day, not stay overnight halfway to go one way lol. We r debating whether or not to spend the night at my parents or just drive back home.

[pooh8402]

Oct 18, 2017 4:52:34 GMT -5 King26 said:

Oct 17, 2017 20:14:32 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

For a 2.5 hour drive? Definitely one day. Don't break this one up.

We've done 9 hour drives with E in one day. A 2.5 hour drive is cake, especially with an infant.

Back and forth in one day, not stay overnight halfway to go one way lol. We r debating whether or not to spend the night at my parents or just drive back home.

That's your call, depending on how much you like them. I love staying with my mom so I always stayed overnight, but would go to my dad's and back in the same day.

[thoseareradishes]

So we took E to her first family get together last night, and I'll be honest, it was a bit rough. It was too loud for her, and she's not used to so many people up in her grill. She got overtired, I waited too long to give her a bottle, and she lost her shit and screamed for half the ride home. So, my advice would be to make sure baby doesn't get overtired, try to ease them into the situation to avoid some over-stimulation, and don't wait too long to prep and give a bottle.

[loira]

Oct 17, 2017 15:13:26 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

@daylily , I don't know if I can do that yet! lol. if he cries for more than about 5 minutes I will give in and get in the back seat with him to calm him down (assuming H is driving).Knock on wood, so far he has only had 2 meltdowns while I drive (without H in the car) and after about 10 minutes of him screaming and me crying because I feel awful, he finally passes out. I just got a tight chest REMEMBERING it, lol.

This is me when I think back to taking A over to the mainland when she was 2 months old. The ferry was delayed going back, and she'd had it with travelling just as we were waiting to disembark. And of course, you have to be strapped in to your car to do so safely. She was screaming, and we were just sitting there, the car wasn't moving, but we couldn't take her out because we were going to go any second. I started screaming at H (thank you anxiety anger)... it was bad.

[knx9211]

After doing the 5 hour drive to Kentucky again this weekend with a teething baby who refuses to sleep, I have a new suggestion.

www.target.com/p/baby-einstein-take-along-tunes/-/A-10968045?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9005947&gclid=Cj0KCQjwybvPBRDBARIsAA7T2kgpat3G545q46cLsVGI-Y39NPBEsFk5FN8kj_QkNqlweYYIylzlXv4aAltbEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have no idea what it is about this toy, but he went from screaming to quietly staring IMMEDIATELY.

[mpc]

Oct 24, 2017 9:08:17 GMT -5 knx9211 said:

After doing the 5 hour drive to Kentucky again this weekend with a teething baby who refuses to sleep, I have a new suggestion.

www.target.com/p/baby-einstein-take-along-tunes/-/A-10968045?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9005947&gclid=Cj0KCQjwybvPBRDBARIsAA7T2kgpat3G545q46cLsVGI-Y39NPBEsFk5FN8kj_QkNqlweYYIylzlXv4aAltbEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have no idea what it is about this toy, but he went from screaming to quietly staring IMMEDIATELY.

sweet! MIL just gave us one of these. My only problem now is the 4 year old who keeps yanking it out of her hands to "show her how it works"

[pooh8402]

Oct 24, 2017 9:08:17 GMT -5 knx9211 said:

After doing the 5 hour drive to Kentucky again this weekend with a teething baby who refuses to sleep, I have a new suggestion.

www.target.com/p/baby-einstein-take-along-tunes/-/A-10968045?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9005947&gclid=Cj0KCQjwybvPBRDBARIsAA7T2kgpat3G545q46cLsVGI-Y39NPBEsFk5FN8kj_QkNqlweYYIylzlXv4aAltbEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have no idea what it is about this toy, but he went from screaming to quietly staring IMMEDIATELY.

Omg that thing is baby crack, I swear. E LOVED that thing. Actually, still does. He found it somewhere this past weekend and has been playing with it nonstop (although it barely works). As for noisy baby toys, I found it to be one of the less annoying ones, maybe because it's classical music?