I can’t believe it has been 4 weeks since we arrived in Minnesota road tripping from San Franciso. Time sure does fly but as promised, I want to share a few tips Esai and I picked up while traveling with a 9-month-old in a car for long hours. We started in the Bay Area and made it to Eden Prairie, MN in 5 days. One of those days we spent in beautiful Missoula, MT to give Elise a break and see some family friends. By the last day, we had it down to a science.
I, by all means, am not saying these will work for everyone but they sure did make our trip easier. So without further ado here are…
10 Tips for Long Road Trips with Your Little People
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Leave super early in the morning so your little will sleep in the car.
We left at 5 am every morning except our last travel day (we left at 7 am because we needed a few extra zzzzz’s). Although Elise was awake when we put her in the car she quickly went back to sleep for 4-5 hours. Basically sleeping for at least half the trip if not longer each day.
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If you have a co-pilot change drivers every 1-1.5 hours.
This may sound like it takes longer but trust me after doing a long drive before without a child this was a game changer. Esai and I would pull off and make a quick change of who was driving. This kept us more alert and made the drive go by so much faster during the day. Whoever was driving also got to pick which podcast or music they wanted to listen to. Don’t worry some of the stops turned into quick bathroom/food breaks when needed.
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Besides the quick driver changes, if your little one stays asleep just keep driving.
When we would stop for a few mins here and there Elise didn’t wake up most of the time in the morning so we just kept on.
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Keep one side in the back of the car open or make it easy to transfer things so you can sit next to your little when you need to during the trip.
This was super helpful when one of us needed to get in the back and hang out with Elise while we were traveling. We were able to feed and play with her so time passed without any hiccups.
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Fade all the music/podcast noise to the front of the car.
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Have easy access to the diaper bag and food.
Elise had just been weaned from breastfeeding right before we left for our trip, so I can’t speak much on having to stop for feedings. In the past, I have taken a 5-hour road trip by myself while breastfeeding and I only had to stop once. If your little is still being breastfed, factor in feedings when you stop/baby wakes up. I know things can take a turn fast having an upset little one, so my best advice would be to just roll with it. If you have to stop, just stop. Everyone will be so much happier in the end.
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Driving over 9 hours in a day gets to be too much, at least in our experience.
Plan your trip accordingly and be super flexible. If you need to make more stops or not go as far one day don’t worry about it. Just roll with it as much as you can. If you are staying calm your little most likely will too.
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Talk to your little while they are awake to keep them engaged.
If they get upset sometimes it’s as simple as playing their favorite song and distracting them with their favorite toy.
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Pajamas are the way to go for easy changing and a comfy, happy baby!
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Bring easily transportable toys that keep your little occupied.
You would be surprised what keeps them busy like an empty container of snacks or water bottle if they just aren’t into a toy.
Below I linked some of Elise’s favorite toys and pajamas she wore on our road trip!
Happy traveling!! Comment below on some of your favorite tips and how far you have traveled with your littles!
