Suggestions for 9 Hour Drive with a 9 Month Old!

I did a day long road trip from chicago to ludington. when my son was 9 months we left after breakfast he took his morning nap, then by the time we reached michigan we got out at the rest stop and stretched. this one even had a park so we played in it for a bit. I brought some toys for him to play with and cd's he is familiar with I played with and talked to him often but he did sleep a lot. when we reached out destination we walked around I did bring a stroller. and then turned and drove back the same day, stopping for dinner on the road. whatever happens just be ready for the unexpected and the drive may take longer. we usually made the drive and would leave chi at 8 and be back in chicago between 8-9 but adding baby related stops we got home around 11:30

hey shelley, would you be able to let me know how it goes and any great advice you get. i'm driving to hilton head from ohio in a month with an 8 month old boy! i'm pretty nervous and my husband thinks it's better to leave after he has lunch, so he'll take his long afternoon nap, then we'll plan a stop for dinner and let him play a little before getting back in the car for the rest of the trip into the nite. i'm still not sure if i agree, but who knows! thanks, K. :)

remember to stop often to stretch!! Even on a long drive, but especially if driving at night. Baby will need to move around sometimes too. Bring a drop cloth, so baby can crawl around at rest areas.

GOOD LUCK!

We developed a few "rules" after going on extended car trips like that.

1) You only stop when you run out of gas, or the child is in need of stopping (sometimes they need a break from that carseat!).

2) When you do stop, make it count. Try to find a place that has a gas station with a fast food restaurant attached or nearby - if there's a McDonald's or a Chik-Fil-A with a Play place inside, all the better. Everybody goes to the bathroom, and put a fresh diaper on the child. Gas up the car. Get snacks, drinks, and relax for a little while. We tried to "limit" it to 30 minute stops, but sometimes it just needed to be longer.

3) Someone sits in the back seat with the child to help entertain. If you can swing getting a DVD player for the car, then do so.

4) Bring a "booty bag". The bag should have a few sippy cups, one or two 8 oz. bottles of water, snacks (peanut butter crackers, goldfish crackers, a jar or two of fruit and or cereal), a ziplock style bag with bendy-straws and another smaller one just for spoons, and extra zip-lock bag(s) for dirty spoons to be cleaned later, wipes, 2-3 diapers, any medications he might need (baby orajel swabs, motrin or tylenol, mylicon, decongestant or pediatric cough drops, etc.), a clean outfit or two, a couple of pacifiers, and maybe a few "happy meal"-style toys. That way, you can use it in the back seat with him, or if you decide to go into a restaurant (like Applebee's or Cracker Barrel) you can take it with you. This has worked WONDERS for us.

Then try to relax about the time frame. It take what it takes to get there. We found that the harder we tried to "push through" to get where we were going, the harder it ended up being. Things always went better when we relaxed.

For what it's worth...and good luck!

ONe other caution for driving at night with an active sleeper. One of my sons was a very active sleeper. Once on a trip we were driving late at night before stopping. He had already fallen asleep for the night in his carseat. I think he was between 1-2 years old. Anyway, about every 20-30 minutes he would cry out because he couldn't change his sleeping position. Talk about annoying. No one could sleep. The more I think about it, he was 2-3 years old, so that might have made the difference. Just wanted you to be aware. Also, I wouldn't have the passenger recline too much. In a car accident, the reclined passenger's seatbelt and airbag will do nothing to protect them. No one wants to think about having a car accident, but night time driving increases that risk.

Hi S.
My husband and I lived in VA for almost a year when our son was born. I traveled by myself about monthly home (OH) with him by myself during the day. So I can totally relate. Here is what I did that helped a bunch! I packed a beach bag full of small toys (some new and some old) that he could play with whenver he got bored. Small things that he could hold, books, even stuff that wasn't considered a "toy" that he loved to play with. I packed lots of snacks and stuff to drink. Children's music cd's went a long was too. Best of luck and hope you enjoy your trip. Traveling at night is the best idea - OH and put him behind the driver so the passenger can recline their seat and get some rest!!

One of you should sit next to him in the car when he is awake and have little toys that he likes and look at board books with him.
Singing is good too.
Play a tape or CD that he likes too.
Snacks are good too.
I have traveled with many infants.
Your idea of leaving when he goes to sleep is good, or let him go to sleep in the car.
Bon Voyage!

I am a mother of three and and two step-children and we have traveled from Northern Indiana to Sarasota Florida; around 22 hours, stopping for the night. We traveled once with all five of them and it wasn't as bad as I expected. I packed healthy snacks according to their age; oldest one 14 and the youngest one was 1. I tried to make sure I didn't take anything with much sugar so they wouldn't get hyper and be stuck in the van. Then I also made sure I had reading material, toys and whatever it was that each child love to play with the most. I also took ziplock bags with us to dispose of diapers and then threw them away when we stopped for gas or the stretch and let the kids run around for 20 minutes. When we stopped to eat I made sure the ordered what they wanted but to my approval. That way I headed off any arguements about them not liking what I ordered for them. As far as the beach; they have diapers that are like swimming trunks and absorb water unlike a diaper. If he is going to be in the water or near it I might suggest a swimming life vest made especially for babies. At that age my kids loved buckets and shovels. They also liked to walk around and explore. Kind of like looking for treasures. I would go with them and we would look for shells. I took along a differant bucket for their "treasures" and I held that one. Before we would leave the beach and out of their vision I would go through their treasure bucket and toss anything that still had a critter in it, seaweed, ect. Then when we got back home we would make a poster or decorate a box or can with their shells and make a keep sake. Also make sure you get sunscreen for babies. It is more expensive then sunscreen for children and adults but trust me when I say it is worth it. A sunburnt baby is heart breaking unbearable. My step-daughter was watching my then 1yr old for the day and she didn't think about sunburns. He was almost cherry red when we got home that evening. Vinegar baths help take the sting out, although it makes ya stink somewhat but it does help when you take it with a lukewarm bath. The cooler water also feels good on their skin and helps pull the burn out like a fever. Aloe Vera lotion helps keep the skin moisturized but Noxema is the best thing I have found. I hope this helps and good luck. Another thing to make sure you take is your camera and plenty of film.

I would be sure you are completely prepared as in anything you can think of for your 9 month old that will keep his growing little brain busy as well as what you may need if he were to become ill. Be sure you have shade cover for him and baby sunblock.Take enough food for him as well as formula if you are not breastfeding, you may not be able to find your normal stuff some where else.
Personally I can't imagine driving such a long distance with a infant, but I am almost 50 years old now. Your child will get uncomfortable in the car after he wakes up and you may need to stop and stretch your own legs as well as remove him from his car seat to change him and let him stretch his body out. A 15 to 20 minute stop should get him ready for a new stretch of travel.I wish you luck.

I have a 10 month old, and he's already been on several trips.

So we've been lucky that we have a pretty good traveler already. My little guy sleeps well in the car.

But I would bring toys that he can play with in his car seat. Bottles - always helps to sooth a little too if he wakes up. Pacifiers. Food, wipes, and diapers.

If you travel at night, he may sleep most of the time. During the day, mine would take naps and then play and we would stop to eat. This will take longer. But then everyone gets to get out - you feed and change the baby .. and then get back. I find that he may be fussy getting back into the car seat - so have a toy, pacifier, bottle ready.

We also just went to Barbardos a couple months ago with our son (8 mo at the time). Things I would rec. brining:
- A large family sized towel
- Baby life vest
- Sand toys (truck, stacking cups, may be small bucket)
- Suncreen
- Sun hat for baby
- Swimming diapers

He loved just being out by the beach and would play with a couple of toys and loved the sand. We would eat lunch out there and bring his food and then he napped well in the ocean breeze in the the shade.
He wasn't crazy about the ocean - but the place had a fresh water kiddy pool which was great. We took him there every afternoon and he loved floating in his life vest. (Bought at Target or WalMart)

Other amenities to consider:
- Portacrib in room (bring Sanitizing wipes to wipe down)
- Blankets / Sheet for baby to sleep with
- Fridge in room for bottles / baby food
- Microwave in room - can warm food up if needed

I would brought just a few 'sand toys' and then a few of his favorites for the room.

I always caution about driving at night if it's your first long trip with a baby. Does he normally sleep well in the car? Will he be half-asleep when you put him in the car? (like moved directly from crib). Or will he be fully awake?

My kids slept/sleep well in the car for short naps. However, none of them have ever slept for more than an hour or 2 in the car -- even at night during trips. For the most part, if they were awake when getting into the car it took forever to fall asleep - even if it was well past bedtime - because they was busy looking out the window and excited about the change in routine. My youngest was a bit better... if we put her in her crib to fall asleep, carry her directly to the car and start driving the instant she was in she'd sleep for another 2-3 hours. We often do that when we leave at 5am-6am for our 10-14 hour drives to upstate NY (we do that several times a year). My kids have all done that long drive since they were a few weeks old.

With an active 9 month old I suggest driving during the day. Leave around 5am-6am and you'll arrive mid-afternoon - plenty of time to play and burn off energy before bedtime. We keep the daytime routine the same when driving - meals and naps at normal times. Bring a blanket and ball so he can crawl around at a rest area to play a bit. Have him eat while driving (it'll pass the time and won't waste precious non-driving time with sitting down - you'll want him moving during breaks).

Have an adult sit next to him in the car to help feed him and play with him. Alot of the normal 'baby' games can be done in the car... finger plays, songs, books, stacking cups, big plastic 'pop' beads (the classic Fisher Price ones), nesting barrels (put smaller toys inside to discover and they rattle when shaken), and when all else fails, a portable DVD player (my kids loved Wiggles and Imagination Movers at that age). Also, remember to just let him stare out the window for a time. He may look bored to you, but there's nothing wrong with that (it's actually healthy) and he doesn't need to be entertained constantly.

Good luck. Treat the drive like part of the vacation and the adventure. Keep your sense of humor (trust me, something will go wrong!) and he'll pick up on your attitude.