While there are many joys around having a new baby, for many parents and infants, being in the car isn’t one of them. Although so babies love car rides and can find them very soothing, other babies seem to start screaming as soon as they get buckled into their car seat. Not got that important product yet? Here is a great article about one of the car seat options available for you to potentially choose.
If your baby responds in the latter way, taking a road trip might be the last thing you want to be doing. So if you’ve got one on the books, it’s good to know some tips and tricks for how to keep things going as smoothly as possible.
To show you how this can be done, here are three tips for taking your first road trip with a new baby.
Be Strategic About Packing Your Car
While it’s always wise to be strategic about packing your car for a road trip, especially when you consider how items could shift around in the event of a car or truck accident, your strategies will likely be a little different now that you have a little one to take care of.
According to Alesandra Dubin, a contributor to Parents.com, you’re going to want to be sure that you’ve packed everything that your baby might need during the trip right within arm’s reach. This will include things like diapers, wipes, blanket, binkies, bottles, toys, and more. By thinking ahead and keeping these basics right next to you or the baby, you won’t have to stop every time the baby needs something.
Keep Someone Back With Baby
The safest place for your baby to be during your road trip is buckled in their car seat in the back seat. However, this can make it challenging for the driver or person in the passenger seat to really help your baby is something is needed.
Because of this, Robyn Correll, a contributor to TripSavvy.com, recommends that you keep someone in the back with the baby during your travels. By having someone sitting back with the baby, it will be much easier to help the infant if he or she gets hungry, fussy, or just needs a little extra attention.
Plan Enough Pit Stops
Although your infant likely doesn’t do a lot of moving around yet, it’s still important that you plan to take enough pit stops so that your baby can get out of the car seat at regular intervals.
According to Nicole Vulcan, a contributor to USA Today, it’s ideal for you to find a place where you can stop and allow your baby to lie or crawl around on a blanket in order to stretch out a bit. So by planning to stop every few hours, both for yourself and for your baby, you might be able to last longer in the car with everyone being happy.
If you’re going to be taking a road trip with your infant soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare for this adventure.
