How to Road Trip with a Baby

We used to live in Utah, USA, and both of our families are in Arizona, USA. So, in order to visit them, it required an 11 hour road trip every time. Yes, the flight is short, but we were poor college students so road-tripping was the way to go!

The first time we made that drive with our baby, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It went shockingly well! And after 9 years, and 3 more kids later, we’ve learned a thing or two about long car rides with babies.

Tips that make a difference:

Stick to the schedule when possible. Pull over and feed at feeding time, do a nap routine and aim for a nap at nap time, keep baby awake during wake time. Following their usual routine helps them to stay on track for when you get to your destination.
Bring their sleep triggers. I always bring their binky/sleep sack and use a sound machine app on my phone. They’ve always fallen asleep in the car if I have these things on hand! Understand that naps may be shorter than normal, and that’s okay. (See my blog post: naps while traveling).
Stop frequently to let baby move around, change diaper, etc.
Plan for an early bedtime if you can! It’ll help makeup for those short car naps.

And if you try all of the above and nothing goes according to plan, it’s okay! This is temporary. You’ll be back on track in no time!