Surviving a Road Trip with a Baby: Tips for a Smooth Ride

Road trips are a great way to travel, but they are usually a little more complicated when you have a baby with you. Therefore, you need to prepare for a situation like this.

Fortunately, this post is here to help. We take a look at some of the ways parents can survive a long car journey with their infants. Here’s what you need to know.

Unsplash – CC0 License

Keep Your Attitude Positive

It’s easy to start feeling stressed when you with you during a long car journey. Often, you feel like you’re losing your cool.

But if you maintain a positive attitude, you can avoid the journey turning into a nightmare.

The trick here is to manage your expectations. Instead of assuming the journey will be easy, remind yourself that traveling with young children is always challenging. Adjust your expectations so you don’t feel disappointed when things eventually take a turn for the worse.

Take Regular Breaks

The next tip is to take regular breaks. Don’t expect your child to sit in a vehicle for six hours without needing to visit the bathroom.

Bring a sling diaper bag with you so you always have plenty of changing materials. Stay well-stocked on the road and make it possible to change diapers, even if you can’t find a baby-changing facility.

Plan Trips Around Nap Times

If you know your baby is more likely to sleep in the afternoon, then leave this part of the day to do the lion’s share of the driving. When kids are asleep, they are much less likely to cause a disturbance.

Most babies will sleep for between two and three hours during the middle of the day. Therefore, you can use this time to break the back of your journey and arrive at your destination faster (from your baby’s perspective).

Pack Smart

Having everything you need to support your child is easy when you’re in the house. However, it’s slightly more challenging when you’re on the road. It’s not always easy to remember everything.

As a minimum, you’ll need:

• Toys and books for entertainment
• Portable changing pad
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Baby food or milk
• A carrier or stroller

All these items should help you manage the majority of your trip. Prepare yourself for as many eventualities as you can.

Plan Your Stops In Advance

Don’t set off across the country assuming you’ll find regular service stops along the way. Sometimes, you won’t.

Therefore, take a look at the map before you travel and look at how long it will take to go from one pit-stop to another.

Ideally, you don’t want to go more than two hours between breaks. Longer than that and kids can start to become restless.

While searching, look for family-friendly locations. Find stops that offer places where you can change or feed your baby in private.

Also, look for secluded locations. These are great if you want to breastfeed.

These tips should help you survive your next road trip, and even make it fun and memorable.