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blu6385
Member since 5/08 8351 total posts
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those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
I am planning on driving to florida when DD Will be about 6 moths old. I have a few questions.
There will be a total of 3 adults and right now the thought is we wont stop overnight and just take turns to drive straight there.
is this going to be possible? Do you think we should plan on stopping overnight? We obviulsy plan on stopping along the way for gas and to eat and i figure at those time i will take her out of her carseat then for a break from being in the seat all the time
As a first time mom i have no idea how DD will be at 6months. Will i still need to burp her? How often will she eat? Can i feed her in the car? How often will I need to change her diaper?
Any suggestions on what I should be bringing and how much of it.
If she is still in her infant car seat do you think for the trip I should use the Convertible car seat I have?
TIA for any advice and suggestions given
Message edited 2/18/2011 2:29:40 PM.
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Posted 2/18/11 2:29 PM  |
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Long Island Weddings
Long Island's Largest Bridal Resource |
organichic
LIF Adult
Member since 9/08 2223 total posts
Name:
Lauren
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
Weve never taken that long of a trip, but we travel back to LI a lot (we live upstate). DD is 2 and we always try to go when it's her bedtime (around 7). She usually sleeps the whole way.
I can't remember how often she ate at that time... I BF, so we usually ended up stopping at a rest stop and I would get in the back seat with her.
good luck!
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| Posted 2/18/11 5:15 PM |
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Bridex100
Two Under Two Mommy
Member since 3/08 10420 total posts
Name:
Momx100
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
Personally I'd fly but I guess that is not one of the choices.
When DS was 6m, it was really hit or miss. Some days he'd scream bloody murder from the second we put him in the car seat. Other days he'd be a little angel in the car.
Driving at night should be easy. It was best when DS was sleeping in the car. You can totally feed your DC bottles in the car. You should be able to change diapers whenever you stop at rest stops.
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| Posted 2/18/11 5:22 PM |
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BabyGreene
LIF Infant
Member since 10/09 320 total posts
Name:
Alex
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
we are going to drive to florida too...in april. DD will be 9 1/2 months. We will most likely leave at like 7pm so she can sleep thru the night. We drove to buffalo when she was 10 weeks. Feeding her in the car was not a prob. I did not have to burp DD at 6 months. I am also debating using the convertable for the trip or keeping her in the infant car seats.
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| Posted 2/18/11 7:53 PM |
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TripletMom
My crazy Trio
Member since 3/09 2246 total posts
Name:
Paula
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
I would say drive straight thru there is really no need to stop overnight. My kids were always good in the car.We drove straight thru in Sept when the kidd were 14 months old....we did stop for gas and bathroon breaks and I did take them out of the seats to change diapers and let them walk around. I think you will be find just have some toys....and whatever food or drink your DC likes in the car in arms reach. Good Luck.
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| Posted 2/18/11 8:12 PM |
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blu6385
Member since 5/08 8351 total posts
Name:
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
Posted by Bridex100
Personally I'd fly but I guess that is not one of the choices.
When DS was 6m, it was really hit or miss. Some days he'd scream bloody murder from the second we put him in the car seat. Other days he'd be a little angel in the car.
Driving at night should be easy. It was best when DS was sleeping in the car. You can totally feed your DC bottles in the car. You should be able to change diapers whenever you stop at rest stops.
flying is not totally out of the question but i hate flying myself and cant imagine bringing her with me; plus all the stuff i will have to bring and check in  i do think we will leave at night though!
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| Posted 2/22/11 2:24 PM |
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blu6385
Member since 5/08 8351 total posts
Name:
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
Posted by TripletMom
I would say drive straight thru there is really no need to stop overnight. My kids were always good in the car.We drove straight thru in Sept when the kidd were 14 months old....we did stop for gas and bathroon breaks and I did take them out of the seats to change diapers and let them walk around. I think you will be find just have some toys....and whatever food or drink your DC likes in the car in arms reach. Good Luck.
i assume by then they were in convertible car seats; do you think i should switch to the convertible one for the trip?
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| Posted 2/22/11 2:25 PM |
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Bridex100
Two Under Two Mommy
Member since 3/08 10420 total posts
Name:
Momx100
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
Posted by blu6385
Posted by Bridex100
Personally I'd fly but I guess that is not one of the choices.
When DS was 6m, it was really hit or miss. Some days he'd scream bloody murder from the second we put him in the car seat. Other days he'd be a little angel in the car.
Driving at night should be easy. It was best when DS was sleeping in the car. You can totally feed your DC bottles in the car. You should be able to change diapers whenever you stop at rest stops.
flying is not totally out of the question but i hate flying myself and cant imagine bringing her with me; plus all the stuff i will have to bring and check in i do think we will leave at night though!
I flew solo with DS and it was not nearly as bad as i thought it would be. My parents dropped me off at the airport and DH picked me up at the destination airport. We did curbside check in where my dad pushed everything for me to check in (luggage and car seat). Then I just had DS, the stroller and a diaper bag. DH met us at baggage and got the car seat and luggage. It was a short flight and not a big deal at all.
I was surprised at how nice everyone was. They'd help me fold my stroller, hold my diaper bag for me, etc. I wouldn't do it for a long flight but a short flight was easy.
Personally I would prefer the hassle of a flight vs the potential of a screaming baby for a long car ride. DS was pretty difficult in the car though, even for short rides.
Message edited 2/22/2011 2:33:03 PM.
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| Posted 2/22/11 2:30 PM |
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blu6385
Member since 5/08 8351 total posts
Name:
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
Posted by Bridex100
I flew solo with DS and it was not nearly as bad as i thought it would be. My parents dropped me off at the airport and DH picked me up at the destination airport. We did curbside check in where my dad pushed everything for me to check in (luggage and car seat). Then I just had DS, the stroller and a diaper bag. It was a short flight and not a big deal at all.
I was surprised at how nice everyone was. They'd help me fold my stroller, hold my diaper bag for me, etc. I wouldn't do it for a long flight but a short flight was easy.
i would be flying with DH and my mom and i still dont really want to do it  but maybe i will discuss it with them and see if they want to just fly. thanks
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| Posted 2/22/11 2:34 PM |
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mommyIam
Member since 7/09 9209 total posts
Name:
Shana
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
We drove to CT, not that far, but it worked out beautifully because we scheduled all the driving around his naps.
He was really antsy when naps where over and really wanted out.
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| Posted 2/22/11 2:38 PM |
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MetsGirl07
LIF O2 Vendor
Member since 12/07 16202 total posts
Name:
Deanna
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
i drove to FL with my 7 1/2 month old twins..
we were so glad we did!! everyone thought we were nuts.. but it really wasn't that bad!
for us, we did stop half way .. but honestly i think we could have kept going, but we already had the reservations. it was just more of a hassle.. in and out,, in and out
we had to stop for their feedings.. so every 3 hours.. and then i changed their diapers at the same time. i put a towel in the carseat so if they did wet through i can just wash the towel later on. we were okay though! 
and there was a few times where i just climbed in the backseat and fed them their bottles then. with them in the seats just holding it for them.
if you have any questions please ask!
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| Posted 2/22/11 2:41 PM |
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Bridex100
Two Under Two Mommy
Member since 3/08 10420 total posts
Name:
Momx100
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
Posted by mommyIam
We drove to CT, not that far, but it worked out beautifully because we scheduled all the driving around his naps.
He was really antsy when naps where over and really wanted out.
I can't tell you the number of times we drove back or really struggled getting to our destination because DS really wanted out of his car seat and be held. He'd scream until he was out. Traffic was the absolute worst.
These were relatively short rd trips (~1 hour to Manhattan or 2 hours to CT). AND we'd try to time it so it was during his nap time.
I just couldn't imagine driving 20+ hours with DS at that age.
eta: I think it really depends on how YOUR child does in the car.
Message edited 2/22/2011 2:44:32 PM.
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| Posted 2/22/11 2:43 PM |
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jambalady
Is it summer yet?
Member since 8/06 7392 total posts
Name:
Holly
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
Definitely try to do the majority of the driving during the night when she sleeps.
That way you can get a good 10-12 hour chunk out of the way without having to worry about feeding/changing/ entertaining her.
My DD is 6 months now. She has 4 bottles/day, roughly every every 4 hours and eats 1 small jar of baby food 2x/day. You can totally give her a bottle while driving. She should not need to be burped at this point.
I usually change her diaper every time I give her a bottle, but pitstops would be good for this.
She still needs to nap anywhere from 2-3 hours after she wakes.
So, I think if the pitstops you make are during her awake hours after she's had her bottle, it is definitely doable.
I personally like the infant car seat better than the convertible for a long drive bc @ 6 months, DS was still a bit small for his convertible carseat and his head would hang in an uncomfortable position because the recline was not as low as the infant car seat.
Also consider getting a DVD player for distraction, and lots of toys/books for the back of the car.
Message edited 2/22/2011 2:48:30 PM.
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| Posted 2/22/11 2:46 PM |
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CaMacho
Sisters :)
Member since 7/06 15112 total posts
Name:
Jess
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Re: those who have BTDT can you tell me about traveling with a 6 month old in a car - lots of questions
DD was 4.5 months and we drove from FL to NY (and flew back). She was great in the car! It was MIL, FIL, DH, me and DD in a minivan and we all switched off driving and keeping DD entertained.
We left at around 8pm and drove straight through, I think it took us 21 hours. DD slept the first 10 hours or so (gave her a bottle around 3am) and she took 2 naps during the rest of the drive. At that age, she was fascinated with any new toy so we brought a lot of new stuff for her, a portable DVD player with some cartoon dvds, books and she was all set.
We stopped for bathroom breaks, to eat, stretch our legs, get gas, change DD and for me to BF every 2-3 hours.
We used the infant seat and she was perfectly comfy in it, plus it's more reclined than any convertible seat so she was able to sleep soundly without her head falling forward.
Message edited 2/22/2011 3:10:56 PM.
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| Posted 2/22/11 3:07 PM |
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