BTDT Mommies... Any tips for long travel??

Next week we are driving from Riverhead to North Carolina. Any suggestions you can offer for traveling that far with a 4 months old??? TIA

Re: BTDT Mommies... Any tips for long travel??

BUMP for night crew. Please help. Im a little nervous driving so far with him.

Re: BTDT Mommies... Any tips for long travel??

bring an insulated bag and have your bottles ready to go. Maybe keep a thermos with warm water. OH heres a biggie for us...we bought the enfamil straws that are measured out so we just pour it in. You could also do the premade nursettes. Bring lots of cds and toys and pacifiers if he uses them.

Re: BTDT Mommies... Any tips for long travel??

Does he sleep through the night? When we drove to VA in May we went at night. The kids slept the whole way.

Re: BTDT Mommies... Any tips for long travel??

When we leave it will be at night but when we come home we have no choice but to drive during the day.

Re: BTDT Mommies... Any tips for long travel??

we did that very drive (LI to NC) when Ella was four months old. We left at night, and she slept most of the way down.

The way back up was a little harder (because she was awake more) but not bad at all. There were 3 of us in the car, so I was in the back with her.

I don't really have any tips. I brought powder and bottled water to feed her in the car (I was BFing also, but only bottle fed her during the driving). Make sure you stop for diaper changes

Re: BTDT Mommies... Any tips for long travel??

Can you sit in the back? DW sat in the back when we drove to NJ (5-6 hour trip, I think), when DS was only a few months old. Made DW more comfortable, and she could tend to DS easily.

Take plenty of breaks if needed. Just a few minutes at a rest stop to walk around, cuddle, feed, etc. can help a lot. It won't add a huge amount of time to the trip, but it will make it much nicer for everyone in the car.

At 4 months, hopefully DC will sleep most of the trip.

Re: BTDT Mommies... Any tips for long travel??

We've done LI to VA when DD was 2 months, 3.5 months, and 7 months. Each time went more easily and smoothly than I thought it would, even at 7 months (she was teething and not sleeping in the car as much as when she was younger. Here's what worked for us:
1. We always left early in the morning after the first feeding and a little bit before it was time for the first nap....I sat in front with DH for this leg of trip to reduce distractions and get her to take a longer nap. She usually nodded off on her own. For the rest of the time, I stayed in the back seat with her....we had lots of small toys, books, etc for entertainment
2. When she woke up we did a diaper change and fed her a bottle in the car (we traveled with cold bottles and used an auto warmer since our formula doesn't dissolve all that well without a little heating). After she ate, we all got out for a quick snack and walk about, checked the diaper again and got back on the road. We usually do 2-3 stops since its an 8 hour drive.

If you can, try to stick to your schedule for naps and feedings as much as possible and take a few breaks where you get out the car and walk around a bit.

Traveling at night can be great since you may encounter less delays and traffic but also keep in mind that there may be more construction at night and less options for rest stops once you get to the mid-section of your trip, depending on whether its all interstate or not, not all places are open 24 hours.

Edited to ask: Are you driving by yourself?

Message edited 7/20/2007 9:51:02 AM.