Long Trip in the Car

I spent 2 weeks in the car with a 3 year old, & we went 3000 miles!! We went through 9 states, & we did something fun every couple of days.

You did ok, you are the mother and you know what is best. I have a 4 yr old and a 9 month old and we just took a trip to Chicago and we are in Dallas and they kids did great, we made stops and the the kids rest and run around. It's good to let the kids explore. The 1st time I traveled with my oldes he was 6 months and we drove at night so they slept the whole time. But this last trip was during the day and it was great. Don't worry about what others say, you know if u are doin something wrong or not and traveling doesn't make u a bad mom. Keep doin what ur doin.

We have been making 13-15 hours trips with our little one since he has been about 18 months. (It has been about every 2 months lately.) We do the same frequent stops like you do and have no problems. I think he actually looks forward to going on trips. (I doesn't hurt that grandma & grandpa are on the other end that he loves dearly!) We have a portable DVD player he likes to watch, and we sing songs, read books, ect. I would think grandma would be happy to see her grandchild! Happy traveling!!

Don't let yur Mom make yu feel guilty. My son went to Alabama with my husband when he was 2 months, then to Florida when he was 3 months. Both car trips. Frequent stops and changes are what his family did. I did not go due to the oldest one still being in school and me healing still from a bad c-section. My son was fine and as a matter of fact just left yesterday for a trip to the coast.

Tell your mother she has no idea what she's talking about. You shouldn't feel bad, you should feel great about 1. expanding your child's horizons with a trip and 2. starting your baby's "travel training" as early as possible. You did exactly what you should do - you took your baby out of the carseat & moved her around, changed her, etc. every couple of hours. There's nothing wrong with traveling with your baby. You just have to be prepared for 1. the trip to take longer b/c of the necessary frequent stops and 2. to have enough extra supplies with you in case the car breaks down. In the long run, your child will be far better adjusted (and much less whiney) than all those kids whose parents never bothered to let them out of the house. :-)

I might also add...what about the old days! Babies have been traveling since the beginning of time! I might add not so nicely! Cars are like your livingroom today! My family has always been road travelers. My father had a fear of flying! My daughter is now six, and she was frustrated on our last 9 hr. trip when we stopped, because it cut into our travel time! Go figure! All grandparents worry, and say the oddest things! You just can not get ruffled! It is only going to get worse! Everyone has an opinion! I would have said how long did you wait before we traveled?

I think you did just fine. As long as the baby is happy and not fussy, I see no issues with what you did.

I had the opposite conversation with my mother. We went on an 8 hour car trip when my youngest daughter was four months old. My mother was with me and wanted to make good time on the road so are stops were not quite as frequent. My daughter was not very happy by the end of the trip. We had to stop every 30 minutes or so because she had enough of the carseat. On the way back from vacation, we were about an hour and a half from being home and my daughter had a total melt down. I insisted on stopping for the night but everyone else put up a big stink about it.
So, I made the best decision for me and my daughters and stopped in Austin for the night.

You can please everyone. You just have to do what is best for you and your family. You know your child better than anyone else... including your mother.

Take it easy on yourself.

Oti
www.shoppingforyourbaby.com

I don't think you should feel horrible at all. I haven't taken a trip that long, only about 6 hours, but I didn't stop as often as you did. I even have a 2 yr old that was potty training at the time and a 6 month old baby. You are the mother of your children and you know what they should be able to handle. Not only that, you stopped several times along the way to take care of your baby. I think you did just fine.

Sometimes it's neccesary to travel for that long. It sounds as though you did everything right to stop that often and take care of her.

Your mother, and others will always make you feel horrible about something. If you are trying the hardest and best you can to be a good and loving mother, and meet the needs, safety and all around happiness your child has, then don't pay any attention to what they have to say.

Longest road trip so far? 27 hours. Childrens ages 11 months and 3 years, and I was 6 mos preg. Shortest road trip? 14 hours. Childrens ages 4 months, 18 months and 4 years. The drive is only long and horrible if you make it that way. If you plan a head and go into it with a fun attitude you are just fine. The 4 year old now understands road trips and he will tell you to go to grandma and grandpa's house you have to get in the car and drive and drive and drive. He had his frist road trip at 9 months and it was 17 hours. What your mother is failing to understand is that your child is not in the car all of that time non stop and even if it had been not stop it is not like you would have straped her in and duck taped her mouth and ingnored her. If you plan it to be an "adventure" that is exactly what it is. My mom drove us from CO to IA and back every summer and those are some of my favorite memories. So much so that I REFUSE to have a portable Dvd player. What you did was JUST FINE! Should you want to do it again go for it!! You are a Great mom!

We have been taking road trips with my daughter since she was four weeks old. We have done a lot of driving at night. You are taking the appropriate steps and frequent breaks. She probably slept a lot of the trip. Just take along a ball or some activity to wear her out when you do stop. Also make sure someone will be alert when you arrive at your destination to watch her.

We will be leaving for Disney World this week. I have a 5 yr old, 3 year old and 2 month old and have driven long distences before. In my experience, as long as you make plently of stops, the kids will do fine. Bring plenty of toys to entertain your kid. Also, if your car doesn't have a built in dvd player, you can buy one at Walmart for under $200. It was the best spent money I ever spent. Even your 1 year can stay entertained with age appropriate dvd's.

C. B

Don't feel bad! It really sounds like you did the road trip right. No matter what you do, someone will disagree with your choices. I am sure that your baby was fine! Your baby was probably better after the long road trip than you were!

Hi J.!

Please let you mother think what she wants to and don't allow her to make you feel guilty. My son is a great traveler and was a awesome one at that age. We went on a 2 day trip to NY and he was fine. We went on another trip to Phoenix and left him there w/my sister and then we flew to Vegas for our 5th year anniversary. We also make frequent stops which made the trip even longer, but it went fine. Do what you feel is best for your child. Your mother is not raising your kids, you are. You guys stopped for shorter period intervals than we did, so you are doing good. I will tell you that on our last two-day trip to Phoenix, we did have a DVD that helped out tremendously while traveling. We kept to his schedule as much as we could and did give him breaks and walked him around and let him play.

You did great and don't feel bad!! It does take a little bit of time for them to adjust to their schedules once they get home, but they are fine honey!! Relax, this won't be the first thing that your mother or MIL won't agree with you and it certainly won't be the last. Your child is 1, get ready for more as they get older!!

Take care!!

Gladys

I recently took a long trip myself. It was just myself and 3 kids, 7yrs, 4yrs, and 10 months. You shouldn't feel guilty at all!! I didn't stop near that much! It's all about knowing your kids, being able to tell when they're done and responding as needed.