Traveling with an 8 Month Old for a 5 Hour trip...HELP!

Toys, toys and more toys. Maybe even some childrens tapes or cd's. I also recommend you sitting in the backwith him. To play with and keep him occupied for the long trip. When my daughter as a baby we went on many long trips and I sat in the back while my husband drove. We would switch off sometimes. Good luck.

He will probably sleep in the car. Familiar toys, particularly those used at bed time are a must. When we traveled with my daughter at that age, we took the music box that snapped on to the side of the pack n play with us. Other than that, I would say plan on stopping frequently (to change diapers if nothing else since that will make him fussy) and having bottles/pacifiers/snacks ready for when you're unable to stop.

If you are really lucky, he will sleep most of the time.
Bring some of his favorite toys, books, and stuffed animals and pile them in his lap and elevated beside him where he can reach them. Give him a mirror - babies can entertain themselves a long time with that new friend looking back at them. Make a fun, brightly colored face with yarn hair and wiggly eyes on a paper plate and use a stickpin to pin it to the seat in front of him (where he can see it but not reach it.) Finally, if you and your partner can tolerate it, bring some children's tapes or CDs and have a sing-along for part of the trip. Baby might try to join in.

With both of my kids (2 and 6) I have found it easiest to make sure they are totally fed, clean and tired! before we go on a long trip. We usually leave right around naptime or bedtime so we know there will be alot of sleeping. If your baby is usually good in the car he should just chill, mine do for the most part. Five hours seems like forever but I bet it won't be that bad. Have some little toys and definitely bottles ready. I did a trip to Florida, 13 hours straight, with my daughter (by myself!) when she was just over 2 and she did fine. Remember, babies can sense when you're stressed too so if you are relaxed and act like it's no big deal that will help. Good luck!

I travel A LOT with my kids. I have a 2 1/2 month old and a 7 month old. We just got back from Kansas as a matter of fact (we now live in San Antonio Texas so that was an 11 hour trip!) from my experience, kids sleep a lot. We try to either travel at night or early in the morning. As far as a bag, I keep 2 baby bottles full of water and a can of formula, and extra container of water, and diapers and wipes in my front seat bag. I usually drive alone following my husbands truck so I make the bottles while driving (probably not the smartest idea)I sometimes premeasure the formula so I can just dump it in. Blankets are a good idea but with the heat in the car, my daughter gets hot so I just keep the one to prop the bottle with. If you are nursing (I was on my trip from St. Louis to the upper peninsula of Michigan to see my husband when he was working there) I took a cooler and frozen milk I had pumped beforehand. I hope this helps, also you could try one of those mirrors with the music and lights for the back facing car seats. I hope this helped and good luck. Have a safe trip:)

Well hope you have a nice trip first, I wouldn't worry too much about the trip. I went traveling w/ my boys a couple times when they were about 6-12mo old and they did just fine. They tend to sleep most of the trip, especially if you arrange your travel time close to a nap time or in the eve when they would be getting ready for bed. If he's eating much bring snax or try to stop somewhere you could let him crawl around a little if he's doing that yet.

We have taken our 6 month old on several five hour car trips, starting when she was about 2.5 months old, with the most recent being about a month ago. When she was younger, we would leave immediately after her early morning feeding (about 5 am) and she would pretty much sleep throughout the trip, with one stop to eat. As she has gotten older, we've kept her awake after her morning feeding (which has gotten later) while we packed up and got ready, so she was ready to nap when we left. The car always makes her sleepy, so she'll sleep most of the time. We still usually stop once for a diaper change and a feeding, and she'll stay awake for about an hour. I usually ride in the back seat with her on trips, so I make sure to have several toys and a couple of pacifiers. Those usually occupy her while she's awake! Good luck!

i went on a trip with my almost 5 month old for an 8 hour drive. Just make sure that you have enough stuff to keep him busy. little toys that he can play with in the car and little snacky things he can eat without making a mess. The gerber graduates puffs are great and kids love them. If he is still nursing make sure that you keep track of when he has eaten so that you can have a bottle for him. Otherwise just some juice should be able to hold him over.
Hope this is helpful. Good Luck.

I would suggest packing some small toys for entertainment. I have a two year old boy and a 5 month old little girl, and we travel to Omaha(6 hours) on a regular basis to visit my sister and her family. Before we invested in a portable DVD player, which is now a life saver with my 2 year old, we would just bring small toys and books for entertainment. We also would make a couple of extra stops just to get him out of the car seat for a little while. Oh and snacks too...the Gerber foods puffs were a lifesaver!! I hope I have helped some, good luck on your trip:)

Hey M.! My daughter was 7 1/2 months when we moved here from Mississippi six months ago - it was a 12 hr. drive for us. We split it up over 2 days but we drove about 7 1/2 - 8 hrs. that first day. She was a breastfed baby so we made MANY stops along the way for feedings & diaper changes and we had a 4 yr. old with us too.

Like you, I packed a diaper bag full of stuff I would need to have close by (diapers, changing pads, lots of wipes, clothes, blankets, pacifiers, bottles - unless you nurse) - I had to change my daughter in our van many times, mostly on my lap so a changing pad really helped.

A TOY BAG was something else I brought along that helped - I packed books, shaker toys, rattles, etc. - each time she would get a little fussy I would offer her a different toy to play with for variation. And don't forget a few snacks too (like cheerios if he eats them) Oh, we also had a dvd player for our kids (a dual system) so that helped out too b/c I would play Sesame Street videos, anything with kiddie music, etc. to help distract from the long trip.

She slept a lot too. We left early that morning so she was able to take a couple of naps along the way & this helped a lot. Pillows & blankets for you would be an added bonus for when you want to curl up and take a nap with him. Don't forget snacks for you too!

If you're able to sit beside him on the trip this would help too. This would probably make him feel more at ease with being in the car for such a long time. Just make little stops along the way, about every 2 hrs. and the trip should go just fine for you guys. You mentioned that he is a very good baby so this is a big plus, especially if he rides well! Just give yourselves around 8 hrs. for this 5 hr. tip (for stops to eat & rest) Hope this helps - I hope your vacation is GREAT!! :)

We took our daughter on a 9 hour trip when she was about that age. Really, she slept most of it. We were stocked with those Gerber puffs, which she thought were lots of fun to eat and play with. We also took a bunch of stuffed animals that we lined up along the back seat (at the top, in the rear window) so she could see them and took teethers for her to play with. But like I said, she slept most of the time.

It might be too late but what we did when traveling with our children when they were tiny (we have 6 year old triplets), is we left late in the afternoon, stopped soon for supper, drove for an hour or two, stopped again to put pjs on, and then drove the rest of the way while they slept. Another time we got up super early and left at 5. We loaded the kids up still sleeping and drove for a few hours, stopped for breakfast and got everybody dressed and then drove on. That worked great for us. Pack some snacks. Buy a couple of new toys to occupy him. Plan around his normal nap time. It'll be fine!!! Have fun!

we took our son on a 6.5 hour plane trip when he was 9months. One thing that really helped us to keep him entertained was bringing a portable dvd player and popping in a baby einstein dvd. my son also loves to have stories read to him so we also brought plenty of books. a cd with baby lullabys or one with fun/silly songs may also be entertaining. it may also be helpful to try and plan your departure at nap times if it works with your travel timeline. that way he can sleep for a portion of your trip. good luck, and drive safely :0)

Whatever you do, travel during nap time. Preferably start out about 30 minutes before nap time. If you're lucky, that will get you more than 1/2 way there without any problems!

I have traveled from Kansas into Colorado by myself with my son at several different ages. The best advice I received is to keep a bag of toys, snacks, etc (more than you think you will need) on the passenger seat (the easiest access possible) to pass back to your child when he is awake because he will toss them down or drop them. Also, I found it very helpful to have a mirror that allowed me to see him in my rearview mirror since he was in a back facing car seat. Finally, my go-to item when I am traveling and have a crying child is Baby Enstein (or the like) CDs. For whatever reason, they seem to calm both of my children long enough to get to a stopping point.

Good luck..you will do great and be ready to go again!

We traveled from Missouri to Utah when our son was that age. Part in the plane and part in the car. We found that to be a great age to ride in the car. I sat back there with him and we played with small toys and I read to him a lot. But it wasn't the whole time. I got to sit in the front with hubby for a lot of the trip. He slept quite a bit too. Frequent diaper change stops and fresh air. Have a great trip and don't stress about it.

Keep binkies in the cup holder if he is a binkie-lover. If you are driving alone then don't put him behind you but verticle so you can pass one back without taking your eyes off of the road. If he takes formula, get two bottles ready and dish the formula into the bottles. Then get the mini water bottles. They are the perfect size for a bottle. He will probably sleep the whole time. We drove to and from New Mexico with my six month old and it was not bad like we thought it would be.

Is it possible to leave at a time when the baby could nap??

Hi from someone in the wonderful state of Kansas! Traveling with an eight-month old is a breeze compared to an 18-month old! Especially if it's only five hours. Pack plenty of toys that can be hooked onto his carseat. That way, when he's bored with them in two minutes and tosses them out, they don't land on the floor. Once he figures out he can bring them back up that can be entertaining in itself.

Our daughter was about your son's age when we took a trip from south of Wichita to St. Louis, Missouri, and what saved us was tying bells on elastic to the handle of her car seat. She pulled on and sucked on those things for hours every day. When we could see that she (and her three-year old brother) were at their wit's end, we'd stop, he'd get out and run and she'd nurse. Good old oxytocin calms them down every time!

Pack some of his fav rattles , blankets and toys. So he will have a little of home. Make sure he can feel your happness about this will help a great deal. About settle down everything will be fine. Have a nice time and take lots of pictures. Also one thing I do for Jeff when we take our plane trip to AZ from Ok was to write a notebook journel of our trip. It allows him to have a picture of the trip, it is fun to read now.

First of all, it won't take you 5 hours... it will take you longer. Plan a few breaks in between so he can get out of the car for a bit and "stretch his legs." Is it possible for you to schedule at least the first leg of the trip around his nap time? That way he's sleeping for at least a little while.

Only pack enough diapers for the road trip. Buy diapers once you arrive at your destination, that will save you a ton of space!

Also... if you're staying in a hotel, you can usually rent a crib or pack 'n' play. That way you won't have to try and pack yours.

Also make sure you have some toys for him to play with in his carseat. Make sure you have a stash up front with you so you can offer him something else when he loses or throws his toys.

My kids have grown up in the car since we have never really lived that close to family. All 3 of them were under 1 month when they took their first 5+ hour long car trip. asid from the necessities (a diaper for every hour of travel, enough food, a couple changes of clothes....), make sure you have things to keep him entertained. We have one of those mirrors so that you can see the baby from the front seat. My daughter loves to look at herself in it as well as me being able to see her from time to time. Attach some somall toys to the car seat with those linking rings, so they can't drop to the floor. Make sure you have a sun shade so the light doesn't shine on him the whole time. Pack his blanket or another soothing object to have close. make sure you talk to him or even sit in the back with him from time to time so he doesn't feel all alone back there. I hope this helps, like I said, my kids spend so much time in the car that I never really had to give it a whole lot of thought. Good Luck!

Your baby is most likely going to sleep the whole way, the car usually puts them to sleep. Just relax, pack food, diapers and clothes. Pack a few toys for the car and the vacation. The pack and play is a good idea too so he always has a safe bed to sleep in and a safe place to play. I would start right after feeding and changing him, let him take his usually nap then you just have to gage how much further you have to go verses how soon he'll be wanting to eat again. Either stop and feed him or try to make it to the destination. Just realize that baby's internal clock usually stays regular and you may be just 20 minutes or less from your destination but baby will be past his feeding time and will need to eat. Don't try to just get there while he's screaming. No need to stress yourself out like that. You are on baby time, not mommy or daddy time. Also, try to get him back on his regular schedule if you deviated any on the drive over. You will all be happier for it.

Relax, it's not as bad as you think and enjoy your vacation.

L.

Well I can tell you whatever you bring at some point his favorite game will be "throw down everything mommy gives me." It makes the trip longer but make sure every 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours you stop the car and let him get out and move around (unless he's sleeping). That will cut down on grumpiness due to confinement and it's recommended that adults get out and move around every 2 hours anyway. I've travelled A LOT and every time was with children under 5.

Hi there Leave at night so he will sleep. I have 2 small childern & we go to St. Louis alot we always go at night. Tack some nice soft kid frinedly music & play it. Tack some of his fav. books. If you have a portable dvd player tack some movies. Lots of snacks & drink. Good Luck S.