For the Easter long weekend we did our first road trip with our baby away from the city to visit family and it was hard! We had the following 3 major challenges that were unique to having a baby with us.
- Breastfeeding in a car
On our way there we had to take a break, as it was daylight and based on the research that I had done on the internet babies shouldn’t sit on car seats for more than 2 hours during the day. We did a stopover at a carpark shared by fast food restaurants and while my husband had a meal at one of those fast food restaurants, I sat in the car nursing our little one. IT. WAS.AWKWARD.AF. I was in the front passenger seat with a muslin cloth blocking the front view, but I was wary of my left and right as cars would park alongside us in either direction. The left window was tinted, but I remember vividly watching one car on my right like a hawk and praying for the occupants to get out quickly for them to only sit there for a while. It also didn’t help that I had limited space to work with so it wasn’t comfortable trying to manoeuvre a baby, a burp cloth and my phone, which I use for tracking time spent on what baby does.
This wasn’t the only time during the road trip either. The other time I had to breastfeed in the car was a little better as we were in a fairly secluded location for a picnic with family members but it was still unpleasant as I still had to be alert in case a family member other than my husband passed by and accidentally peered into the car to get a glimpse of my bare breast.
Now, I didn’t breastfeed on the return leg of the road trip because we didn’t make a stop, and this was because when we were on the road, it overlapped with bedtime for the little munchkin and what I could find on the internet suggested that this was okay. Please let me know by leaving a comment if there are any official sources that say otherwise, specifically for nighttime driving with a baby for an extended period of time.
So the lesson I learnt here was either don’t go on a road trip until our little one can drink from a bottle or take solids, or ensure beforehand that they can at least do bottle feeding.
- Hotel baby cot
The hotel we stayed at had the option of renting a baby cot for an additional fee, so we picked that option to avoid bringing a bassinet since the boot of the car already had to store the pram. It wasn’t until we arrived at the room that we realised that the cot that was rented to us was a travel cot without a bassinet attachment. Without the bassinet attachment, I had to literally fold myself to put bubba into the cot since they can’t stand yet and it also meant patting while bubba was in the cot was impossible. It was also problematic that instead of a firm hard mattress, a soft padded quilt was provided to serve as a mattress, and this posed a risk of suffocation if my baby managed to grab the edge and cover their face with it. As a result, I couldn’t really sleep with a peace of mind.
Next time I’d reach out to the hotel before choosing any cot options that they provide to make sure that they have a bassinet and firm mattress and if they don’t, bring our own.
- Baby’s schedule
Any trip outside of home is a disruption to a baby’s schedule, but this road trip was a significant disruption, especially at 4 months of age when so many developmental changes could happen. Most naps ended up being cat naps, there were so few opportunities for play, and there were feeds that were late due to us being out and about. We also didn’t have a clear itinerary so it was hard to plan around family activities and baby’s feed and nap times. Unfortunately there’s not much that I think could be done to really mitigate this…
Overall I’d rather not go on a road trip with a newborn who’s not proficient at bottle feeding and can’t take solids again, but if I have to do so I’d train in advance the baby to be able to do paced bottle feeding and bring our own bedding or check that the accommodation has appropriate bedding. If you have any tips to share on going on road trips with babies, please let me know below!