Travelling

[schoonersam]

Hi All -

So my new family is getting ready for a big trip; me, my DH, DD (4 mos.), and 11-mo. old puppy.  I mostly wear her (the baby, not the puppy), and EBF, and CD.  We have used a bottle from time to time (not with a ton of success), and have tricks for getting her to fall asleep (the pinky finger), but no routine really yet.  We've flown (short, Toronto-Boston), but are now only a couple days away from a 13+ hour drive to in-laws.  Does anybody have any tricks or tips for how to manage such a long trip?  Things to look out for (i.e. too much time in the wretched car seat, etc.), things that worked for you?  Would love any help from folks who've been through this,

thanks!!

[JoyFilled]

Travelling for Thanksgiving?  Us too.  We have a 2.5 year old and a 6 week old.  The trip will be about 10 hours.  Our plan is to get an early start on the day while they are sleepy.

When DD was 4 months we did a trip across Ontario and Quebec.  We stopped when we needed to and whenever she cried.  I only nursed her. I use disposibles whenever I travel because they are just easier.  We had a tag blanket and some other little toys for her.  I can't even remember if she used them.

[JoyFilled]

Hey I was wondering how you made out?

[schoonersam]

Wow. Time flies when you're on the road.  Sorry I disappeared for a bit - surprisingly less time for the computer than I thought (which was good and bad).

So, we pretty much did the same, left early-ish, stopped when she really started wailing, brought a ton a toys. 

We did figure out some little things that worked/helped though:

• about 1.5 ozs of breastmilk in the bottle would be about all she would take, but enough to keep the hysterics at bay until we could find a suitable spot to pullover.
• I got my hands on a couple of gDiaper covers and a pack their flushable inserts, so I didn't have to cart around dirty cloth diapers or big packs of disposables either.
• I found that planning on way shorter days (we're used to busting out a 10 hour day) made the whole thing so much more pleasant - both physically (in terms of feedings, changes, packing, etc.) and mentally (so much less stress knowing that you have the whole day to travel as far your used to making in a half a day or less).
• And then there was the toy that was a lifesaver - the glo-worm!

And, btw, it sounds like you make the same trip as we do - Toronto to New Brunswick.  Man it's a haul, made the New Brunswick-Boston leg seem easy.