Our 1st Road trip..suggestions

Wednesday evening we will be visiting my mom for Thanksgiving and are driving after work. We are looking at about 6 hours driving. ANy tips or suggestions to make this trip go smoothly? It will be me, DH, the twins ( almost 3 mths) and the dog I am not taking bouncy chairs, etc nor a stroller since she has a stroller there but nothing else any suggestions for keeping them busy there? or just lay them on a blanket in the floor and let them roll around?

 

There will probably be plenty of new things at your mom's house and new people to keep your babies entertained! My only suggestion would be to take breaks as needed! We took the girls on a road trip when they were 9 months old and a 4 hour trip took us about 6 hours b/c we stopped twice to let them out.

 

I agree with Aimee...there will be plenty of people there that will keep them occupied and to also take some breaks while driving. Maybe pack some small toys (rattles, little stuffed animals) but nothing major. Enjoy your trip and visit!

 

When our lo's were 3 months old we made the 12 hour drive from Virginia to Alabama for our move. We split it into two days so it was 6 hours on the road give or take a little each day. At that age I am happy to report they slept a good bit of the drive each day. We took breaks as needed and when we'd stop we'd stop at Cracker Barrel where we could eat, take our time, there'd be clean restrooms to change them and even rock in their rockers out front for fresh air. It was good for everyone. Even at 3 months, my lo's just wanted to get out of the car sometimes. Did I mention we were also traveling with two dogs? I'm sure there will be plenty of people who can hold and help you with the babies on Thanksgiving, but you could just let them play in the floor when they're not being held. I did that when we'd visit our parents when Kathryn and Owen were that age, but I also took a bouncy seat or two because it'd usually put them to sleep while we ate. Happy driving!

 

THANK YOU for this post- my boys are about your kids' age & we're traveling in December from Colorado to Michigan... 18 hours in 3 days.

Why? :headbang: I'm clearly crazy (but that's another story)...

 

I did my first roadtrip with them when they were a little younger than 3 months. It was a 13 hour trip and it took us 15 hours but we did it all in one day. I was too scared to stay in a hotel without DH. I gave tylenol every 4 hours starting 2 hours before we left. I get really bad ear aches and such while traveling so I wanted to make sure they didn't have to suffer through that. I stopped every two hours to feed them no matter what and changed them every stop too. They were angels and normally my girls are a little fussy! I also got baby einstein traveling melodies as well as some rain sounds which helped a lot

 

I'd like to add that you don't want to overdress them for the ride. Those carseats can get pretty warm. Even though we live in Michigan and travel across state year-round, we don't put coats on the babies/kids for the car ride. Yes, we pack them for emergencies, but to get from house to car, we just make sure the car is warmed up and cover them w/ a blanket if necessary. They stay happy a LOT longer if they're comfy.

Good luck and safe travel to all of you on the road this week!
Eve