Traveling with a Newborn
Planning a summer road trip with your newborn (6 months or younger)? Here are some things to keep in mind to ensure baby is safe, comfortable, and the trip goes smoothly!
1) Expect frequent stops. Baby will need to be fed, changed, held and more. Because of these stops, your travel time will significantly increase. Plan for it to take about twice as long for you to reach your destination. This may seem like an inconvenience, but keep in mind that traveling by car is oftentimes a better experience for baby (and you!) than going by air or rail.
2) Avoid the temptation to take baby out of her seat. Taking baby out of her car seat (while still traveling) may seem like the best way to calm her down and still meet your expected time of arrival. However, removing baby from her car seat, for even a second, is extremely dangerous. Accidents happen quickly, and, in the event of an accident, there wouldn’t be anything to protect her should she be in your arms rather than in her seat.
3) Bring a stroller with a full recline (or bassinet option). Keeping babies in their car seats for extended periods of time isn’t good for their development. Though there’s no way around the need to keep baby in her car seat while you’re on the road, having a stroller with a newborn-ready bassinet (or convertible seat) will offer something different than a car seat-Travel System option when you’re out sightseeing.
4) Anticipate a change in your baby’s sleep schedule. Time zones and car napping will affect whatever sleep schedule your baby has developed. At night, when you’re ready for her to fall asleep, keep in mind it may take a bit longer than normal and she may also wake more often. She has, after all, spent the entire day nodding off in the back seat. It’ll take some time for her schedule to smooth out again.
Have any questions about the gear you should use on your road trip? Ask away!
