How to Handle a 10-Month Old on a Long Car Trip??

C., just try to not worry to much about it. I took my then 3yr old and my then 10 month old to MB last year and they did awsome! Take a portable dvd player and believe it or not the only thing that sucked was when we got there. She had napped on and off all day, she didnt want to go to sleep. Good luck and Have fun!

I know they can cost about a hundred bucks, but we've found that a portable dvd player can be invaluable with kids in a car for long car rides. Even for a 10 month old, if you find a dvd that has baby songs or things with lots of color and movement would work. Good luck!

We don't leave early in the morning - usually we just split a long trip up into 2 days. We stop often and use a portable DVD player.

What good timing for this question! We just returned yesterday from upstate NY. It's a 10-12 hour trip (depends on traffic, weather and exactly where we are going) that we drive 3-4 times a year. Our youngest is almost 2 but she's been taking the trip since she was a few months old. All 3 kids are good on the trip and pretty much anything under a 6 hour drive is a non-event for us by now. :-)

We can't do the super early or drive through the night thing. Never could, even when they were infants. We tried it once and it was the absolute worst trip we ever took. The kids usually slept good in the car as babies but the time we tried the leave super early thing it backfired... our son (who was about 11 months old at the time) never went back to sleep... at least not for 4-5 hours. He was CRANKY the rest of the day.

We leave around 6am. The car is totally packed and ready to go. We wake the kids up, change diapers and/or make 'em go to the bathroom, then put them in the car. Sometimes they fall asleep, sometimes they don't but if they don't they got a good night's sleep so it's not bad. We stop around 8am for bathroom breaks, change into clothes (they wear PJs to car) and eat breakfast. We stop every 2-3 hours. We try to keep the same routine... breakfast, play, snack, play, lunch, nap, play, dinner, play, etc. Lunch is by far the longest break and usually lasts an hour. We use the bathrooms then play (we bring a soccer ball and frisbee) at a rest area. We eat the food that isn't 'car friendly' and then finish the 'car friendly' part of lunch while driving. A 10 month old probably isn't running around but spread a blanket or something to encourage her to crawl/cruise/toddle to move around as much as possible. The kids are usually so worn out from the lunch break that they go to sleep pretty easily for naptime (except for the 6 year old... he rarely sleeps in the car).

Have the non-driver sit in the back next to your daughter to keep her busy and engaged. But also don't overlook the fact that some kids are content to just stare out the window for long stretches of time. Don't jump in just because she looks bored... a little bit of 'downtime' won't hurt.

As for toys... small board books, small toys, matchbox cars (even my girls love these), a small toddler 'purse' with stuff inside (lillianvernon.com has a good one), stickers/colorforms (colorforms stick to the window for extra fun), lacing toys (probably can't do it but like playing with the string and watching the adult do it), fabric 'busy books' and small plastic animals (some might be choking hazards but again, an adult is right there watching).

A portable DVD player for the car is great, too. They come with the straps to hang nicely on the headrest. We don't have ours on all day, though, and it's only for long trips (longer than 8 hours) so the novelty doesn't wear off. We watch a DVD after nap and once it starts to get dark out (too dark to really play with anything).

One important thing, IMO, is attitude. The trip is part of the adventure so be calm and relaxed. Something will go wrong... sick kid, spilled food, downpouring rain, need to stop more times than planned for, bad traffic, etc. Just take it in stride, be relaxed and your kids will pick up on your attitude and the trip will be enjoyable for everyone.

Congrats on the trip! We made the trip last year when our boys were 3 and 8 months. We left about 3 am, and drove until they woke at 6. Our littlest was still in the infant seat, so we put him to bed that night in at and simply moved the car seat from the house to the car. We made planned stops about every 2 hours to let the kids out of their seats and we packed a blanket to give the little one room to crawl and move. I also packed some new "vacation" toys in the car. Hope your trip goes as smoothly as ours did!

We always traveled the bulk of the drive through the night. Our kids would sleep,one of us would try to sleep, and the other drive. In the morning we would try to find a park, stretch our legs and give the kids cereal and juice. Taking thta short break would ese the car tension for all of us. I also packed a suprize bag with favorite snack foods in little containers, a new/ different toys that the children had not seen for awhile or they were new little things that got their attention. Our children loved measuring spoons that were brightly colored and safely fastened together. A small picture album with their pictures, grandma, our dog etc was also a favorite.

Been there, done that, probably more than once, between kids and grandkids.
The "early departure" thing can work, but the most valuable hint I can give you is for you or your husband to sit by her during her "awake" time and look at books with her or otherwise engage her attention with small toys, snacks, and her cup.
Go to a few yard sales and pick up some "trip" toys and/or books that you can bring out in the car etc. and if they get lost on the trip it really doen't matter.

We took our first overnight road trip when my son was 11 months and thankfully he slept the whole way. We put him to bed at his regular time and scooped him up at about 11pm when we hit the road. We arrived to our destination around 630am and he was just waking up. As they start to get older, day trips are harder in the car. Best of luck!

Hi,

We have done long car trips with our boys since they were born. The early morning method really does work well when they have a schedule. Sometimes they wake in the process but we would just ignore them like they were in their crib. Your first morning stop try to make it someplace where she can be active. We always tried to find parks or playplaces (McDonalds or malls) where they could move around when we stopped. In the car, Baby Einstein movies were our trick. Because of the backwards seats we had to hold the player for them. However, books and one of us playing usually did the trick. Avoid toys unless they are favorites. Our boys just threw them then cried for them. (I am sure you know the cycle.)They slept a good amount of the time. I didn't go back by them until they truly needed to be settled. We always tried for 3 hours then a break. If they were happy at the 3 hour mark then we would push on and stop at the first sign of upset. Try to stick to her eating schedule as much as possible. This helped us. Take your time. It will go great! Enjoy your vacation!

Our son was about the same age when we went from north east ohio to virginia. We were told by family to avoid the route through DC and go through the mountains instead. This was supposed to take it from a 14 hour trip to an 11 hour trip. We left at bedtime 7-8pm and ended up pulling over for all of us to sleep for an hour so we didn't end up at our inlaws at 4am. Because their was no traffic we had made it in 9hrs. The next time we left from farther away and we left at 1am, went through DC and made it in 7 hours. The reduced stress from having no traffic, no kids asking for anything because they are bored, hungry ect is so worth it. It is also cooler and you get better gas milage too. Being sleep deprived yourself when you get there is a small price to pay for happy kids. Good Luck!

We made a similiar length drive when my daughter was 10 months old. We are getting ready to do the same trip next week, when she'll be 22 months old. Hoping it goes as well this time as it did last time.

We actually just left after breakfast that morning. I sat in the backseat next to her, while my husband drove. I had a bag full of books, toys, etc. to play with in the backseat with us. She was pretty content to just read and play with me. We took several longer stops to let her play for a few minutes and stretch our legs. She's always travelled well, but that's what worked well for us. I think the key was having me in the backseat with her as opposed to riding in the passenger seat.

This time around we're planning on doing the same thing, except we're bringing along a portable DVD player. My bag has books, toys, sticker books, etc. to hopefully keep her entertained.

My kids are OLDER now - but we we never traveled with a DVD. It was nice not to get used to it! We travelled LOTS and our motto was "never stop if there is a sleeping baby ... always stop for a crying baby" :-D We never liked driving through the night as one or both of us were tired during the day and it didn't seem worth it (only did it 2 times). We would leave no later than 5 AM, baby/kids would sleep well while driving - stopping briefly for eating/feeding baby/potty breaks...remembering to take care of things so we could follow our motto :-D We used CD's BIG TIME to entertain baby AND keep us energized :-D We were able to tolerate driving mostly through the night when on the way BACK home ... arriving sometimes 3 AM ... good luck! ENJOY!

We've had a 10 month old on a car trip for 18 hours.

Our main rule: We stop when we run out of gas, or when our daughter "says so". When we do stop, we make it "worth it." Meaning, we find a gas station that also has an Arby's or Subway or some other "restaurant"; while there, we fill up the car, we all go to the bathroom, we get drinks or snacks if we need/want them, we let the kid(s) run around for a little while. On occasion, we'd stop at someplace like Applebee's that we could try to sit and relax at while we ate.

During the driving parts, one of us sits in the back seat. We have a "booty bag" that has snacks, wipes, sippy cups, booty coverings, change of clothes, spoons in a ziplock bag, a few small toys (like happy meal toys). That way we can have it to use in the car or take it with us into the restaurant or bathroom.

Get a DVD player that you can strap onto the headrests so the kid(s) can watch their favorite videos. Make sure they have favorite buddies (stuffed animals) and blankets within reach, and if they have pacifiers, bring PLENTY in case any get lost in the car.

You guys might be okay with driving through the night while the baby sleeps. Just keep in mind how tired you're going to be when you get there - the baby will be ready and raring to go. We actually stopped about 1/2 way, found a Residence Inn or Fairfield Inn, got a room, we made popcorn and relaxed. So our 18 hour trip became 2 each 8-9 hour stretches. BUT you're only going 11 hours. It's up to you guys how you decide to do it.

Anyway - just a few thoughts, for what it's worth. And good luck!

Put a diaper, towel, or cloth diaper under her rump because diapers don't work so well when compressed. We've learned this the hardway after having to figure out how to wrestle the car seat cover off to wash it.

We do our traveling during the day so one of us typically rides in back to take care of entertainment, drinks and food. With traveling at night you may not need to do this.

We just drove from Ohio and Illinois with our 10 month old. We drove late at night there and let her sleep through the trip. For the trip back we gave her puffs in a cup that she could slowly pull out on her own. She loved the puffs and it kept her entertained for a long time. I also recommend new toys for her to keep her entertained.

Good luck to you!!
A.

I took my son on a trip when he was between 6-8 months, Fort Wayne Indiana to Washington D.C. My husband (at the time) slept all day. Then that night we left really late, around 10pm. By that time at night, my son was in a deep sleep. I rocked my son to sleep and laid him him down in his car seat. Then when we got ready to leave for the trip, all I had to do was put the seat into the car. My son wasn't disturbed at all.

My husband (at the time) drove all night, and my son was asleep most of the way there. It really helped because we didn't have to stop so often to do diaper changes and meals. I packed snack bags and juice boxes to save money on the trip instead of eating out. I put the plastic bags for formula into the bottles. Then I emptied the juice boxes into the bottles for my son to drink during the trip. When he was done, I could easily remove the plastic bag and throw it away. The bottle stayed clean. I only needed to rinse out the nipple. When we got to the destination, I hand washed the nipples.

I packed several toys for the trip as well. I put play rings on his pacifier, so he couldn't lose it or throw it on the floor during the trip. This helps to keep is sanitary when in public as well...! I attached the play rings to his pacifier and other hand-held toys such as stuffed animals, teething toys, rattles, light and music toys, etc. On the way back we left during the day. I sat in the back with my son and played with him during the trip.

Also, sitting in the back gave me more room to navigate the map, get out snacks from the cooler and play with my son. I folded down the front passenger seat, and it still felt like my husband and I were in talking range ;-)

We traveled 3740 miles by car over a 12-day period when our daughter was just 5 months old. The biggest and best suggestion I can give you is to follow her schedule as needed. It may add some time to your trip, but if she's awake she'll definitely need to get out of the carseat from time to time. Other than the occasional stiff body resistance from our daughter when we tried to put her back in her seat, she did great on our big trip. Good luck!

How about easy music to listen to on a DVD player in the car. Baby Einstein video's are also good. Curious Buddies is another good baby video. Any kid friendly music or video's. Kids books on cd or tape. Then no one has to worry about reading in the car. I can not read in the car.

Good Luck.

J. R.

Hi C....
We have used this "trick" with our older kids as well! When we took our 4 older kids, ages then 14, 10, 10 & 9, to Disney we left at about 5 in the evening, ate dinner on the road, took snacks and such by 11 or so they were all sound asleep. We didn't hear from them again until my husband stopped to rest and turned off the air, that was about 6am. I don't know if there is a reason that you are leaving so late but, my advice would be to leave while she is still awake so you don't chance waking her while moving her from her crib to car. GOOD LUCK!!

Hey C.,

We went to Chicago when my son was 10 months old, we left around 9PM and he slept all the way till we reached Chicago, I think its a great way to leave around bed time so you can drive through most of the trip without having to take frequent breaks. Hope this helps.

If she still fits in an infant car seat, you could try and put her to sleep in that. We've done that with my son, so when we wake up early to leave we don't have to wake him, just carefully carry him in his carrier down to the car and go. You could also have either you or your husband ride in the back to entertain her, but that's never really worked for us. We just drive until he wakes up and cries, then get him out for a bit to eat and play, then put him back, he cries until he sleeps, and we repeat that cycle until we get to our destination. I hope it goes well -- Good luck!!

Hi C.,

When we took our son on a vaction at 10 months he did great!! We left at his normal bedtime, which was 8pm and he slept the entire way. It was a 9 hour drive. On the way home, we left at 7am and he did great at that time as well. If your daughter enjoys TV, I would recommend a dvd player. My son watched dvd's the entire way home and that kept him occupied. Also, lots of snacks is always good!:)
Have fun!!

We took our 11 month old to Florida. We left @ 10pm and luckily he slept until 7am. It wasn't bad at all. I've got a dvd player now for both of my kids, and we use it on even short 20 minute trips. Your 10 month old may be put at ease when she wakes that morning in the car, if you've got something to entertain with. Try an Elmo or Backyardigans dvd. Good luck. Enjoy your trip!

Hi C.,

I remember responding to a similar question not long ago, so you might find something more in the archives.

We did both the night-time drive and the "leave super early" thing a good bit with our boys and it worked well for us. They are teens now and we still do it, and they still sleep in the car.

I also spent a good bit of time in the back seat with a little one. you can actually nurse a child in a car seat if you have to (you will go into contortions but it may be worth it!).

Whenever you stop, make sure everyone is fed (even the car), pottied, etc before you go on. That way if things are going well once you get on the road, you don't have to stop again for a long time!

Good luck and have fun

K. Z.

We found leaving at naptime in the afternoon worked better than early morning. The baby would sleep a few hours, up for awhile and sleep at night. Sometimes it meant another night in a hotel on the way, but it was easier. But it does help to drive during their sleeptime.

One of my friends and I went to Florida with her 2-year-old and her 2-month-old kids. We left around 8:00pm and they slept most of the way. It was also about a 10-hour drive. Their normal bedtime was 9:00, so we made sure we were on the road by then so they would go to sleep around their normal time. We tried not to make many stops while they were sleeping and it worked out really well.