Need travel advice

[Corinne's Mommy]

Hello!

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right place....
My husband and I are going on a 14 hour road trip to visit my parents.  We are planning on traveling 8 hours the first day and finishing the trip the 2nd day.  We are going to leave when my lo wakes for her morning feed (6:30 am) and plan on stropping every couple hours so I can bf and she can play for a while on a blanket.  Are we crazy for trying to do 8 hours in one day?  Does anyone have any travel suggestions?

Also- we've never had her stay overnight anywhere but home- and in her crib. On the trip she will be sleeping in her pack n' play in our room.  Should I practice having her sleep in this at home- or just wait until we get there?  Can I expect her schedule to stay the same while we are away? (she's on 4 hour EASY).

I would love any advice!  Thank you!!

[Grace's Mom]

Can you travel at night while she sleeps? That will make it easier on her but if you have to go during the day, as long as you give her time to play she should be fine.

I would practice at home in the pack-n-play before hand.  Maybe one nap a day to start.  That way if she has a hard time sleeping at least only one nap will be messed up.

Also make sure you bring many comfort items to make her feel comfortable sleeping out....her lovey, noise machine, etc. 

As for your routine, try and stick to it as best as you can but you are on vacation so have fun and go with the flow.  It won't be perfect, the routine that is, and when you get home you can fix anything that is not the way it use to be.  We have a Getting Back on Track Thread that will be helpful for when you return. 
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=32.0

[hatshetsut]

We have traveled quite a bit w/ DD and found that it works best when they are young like your LO. If it takes you 8 hrs to make the trip right now, count on 10 or so with your LO.  Some ideas to make travel easier are:

1. Practice at home w/ the Pack-n-Play etc like you will on your trip.
2. While in the car you could sit in the back seat w/ your LO and play so they are getting some stimulation and fun, then move the front seat during nap time.
3. Keep to the routine as much as possible. I tend to leave right before nap time, then she will sleep in the car for a bit and we stop for meals and a bit of play time.
4. When there keep to your routine as much as possible, it will make night time sleep easier.

[zed]

Holllj is absolutely right.  We spent most of last summer RVing so we were on the road a lot.  If your LO is nursing I would also recommend introducing a paci.  We found sometimes the LO needs can't be met right away b/c we couldn't find a safe place to stop.  Even having 1-2 emergency bottles ready was a good idea too.

The pack and play.... well, both of my kids hated them since they are way harder than a crib mattress.  What worked for us is taking a mattress from a bed that no one was using and putting it on the floor, in a corner of the room.  That way there are only 2 sides to wall up.  We found plastic totes full of books worked well, since they don't move when leaned on.

I'm sure it'll work out and you'll have a great time.  Drive safe.

[Corinne's Mommy]

Thanks for all the great advice!  We'll give the pack-n-play a try this week and see how she reacts (and will try the mattress if my lo protests!).  I'm hoping that sitting in the back seat will keep her awake during her activity time so that she can stay on some sort of schedule.  It's nice to know that others have been successful with long travel.  My dread is turning into excitement!  Thanks!