Hey there, friends! We recently did a road trip to California with Landon who at the time was only 7 weeks old. It was our first time traveling with him for such a long time and it was an adventure. With a pandemic going on we felt it was safer to drive rather than fly. During the trip I picked up some tips that worked for us and I wanted to share them with you to help on your journey if you decided to road trip with your newborn.
First, let me share a bit about our trip. For our road trip we decided to rent a car instead of putting the extra miles on our car. Usually during our trips I plan a lot to do, however because we had Landon this time I really wanted to follow his schedule. During the drive we stopped at the halfway points (we never wanted to push him to sit in the car seat if he didn’t want to). We also didn’t have a strict schedule of when we would wake up and leave the hotel In fact, we didn’t leave the hotel till 10:30 am each day. I also had no itinerary other than see friends and family (we never put strict times or locations). All this helped us relax and go with the flow, which intern helped Landon.
Although I understand that many who travel don’t have the luxury of not having a strict schedule, so I would say at least find time to have some playful time with your little one at the hotel before heading out the door. We had mornings full of playing and laughing first thing.
TIP ONE
If it is possible to have someone travel in the backseat with the baby. We found it very helpful to have me sitting in the back, it allowed me to keep Landon entertained and get him anything he needed. This also helped us reduce the number of stop we did.
TIP TWO
Take breaks! We took the stops along the way so that we could stretch our legs and to take Landon out of the carseat. There is research that states a baby shouldn’t sit in a car seat for more than a couple of hours. The stops helped us all relax for a few minutes before hopping back in. Plus we took this time to change his diaper and feed if it was necessary.
TIP THREE
Have everything you need within reach, specially if you are the one sitting in the back. When we initially started the road trip I kept putting the changing pad and the water wipes back in the diaper bag, but after taking it out numerous times I decided it was just easier to have it in the back pocket of the driver’s seat. At the time of the trip I was pumping and supplementing with formula, therefore I had my Elvie pumps within reach so I could pump during the drive. I also had water and Landon’s Holle formula within reach as well. This helps minimize how many stops you have to make!
TIP FOUR
My next tip is to bring toys and items to entertain your little one. Since Landon is still a newborn we didn’t have much in terms for toys. I had a little rattle, stuffed animal with a blanket attached, and the babyshusher. These little items helped me a lot during the drive to help soothe him. The biggest help was the babyshusher, such a game changer to help him sleep and soothe him when he is crying.
TIP FIVE
My biggest tip and most important tip I want all you mamas to know is to BE PATIENT. Both with yourself and your little one. Babies are all learning and it’s a scary world for them so anything you can do to soothe your baby and help you is the best. If your little one cries a lot while traveling, just give yourself grace. I know it’s hard in the moment, but babies pick up on your energy and the calmer you are the better.
Above you will find the YouTube travel vlog, hope you enjoy watching it. It’s a bit of chit chat of a video in the car but we make a little stop at the last Blockbuster (as you can tell from the image above). I hope you found this post helpful, if you have any other tips be sure to comment down below so other mama’s have them. Xo!
