Baby Travel: Car Trip Tips
If your child is anything like mine they a.) hate being in the car and b.) get carsick. which makes for a great combo…. (kidding!)
Through quite a bit of trial and error we’ve found a few things to help make car journeys slightly less harrowing for all. Most are fairly simple but if you’ve ever been stuck at the entrance of the Holland Tunnel with a puking, screaming baby you know you’ll try just about anything to avoid that situation !
My number one tip is if at all possible, drive during their nap time. We tend to plan any and all car travel around E’s naps. Yes, it take some mental gymnastics and sometimes we’ll drive around for a bit at our destination so she can finish her nap (we’ve never successfully transferred her from car seat to stroller or crib), but it makes a world of difference for everyone’s sanity. We’ve found that about 30-45 mins is her max tolerance while awake.
This goes for all travel but especially for car travel, make a busy box that has toys they don’t normally play with. I got a tin box (basically a metal lunch tin but any container will do) that I filled with magnets, little cars, some ribbons as well as a chew book, post-it notes and an empty pack of wipes. What goes in the box will definitely change as E gets older but for now this keeps her busy for a solid 30 mins. Bonus, it all fits back inside and you can just leave it in the car. This might not work as well for more frequent drivers but we only drive on the weekends and so far it seems to do the trick.
3. For carsick-prone babes these baby sea bands are proving great so far. I definitely recommend giving them a try for kiddos who are too young for Dramamine or if you prefer not to give it.
Other carsickess tips:
I’ve learned the hard way NOT to put them in the car right after a milk feed.
Have some bland snacks and water on hand helps as well as plenty of paper towels, wipes and plastic bags.
Don’t forget a spare set of clothes (or two).
I haven’t tried this one yet but I have heard that swiping an alcohol wipe under their nose can help as well.