Driving around with your baby should be fun. But it can be challenging for new mothers to figure out the best way to travel with a baby on board.
There are enough challenges to parenting without stressing over getting your child from one place to another. Read on for tips to make driving with your baby on board a breeze.
Give Yourself Plenty of Time
If you’re going on a longer trip, you’ll need extra time for stops to feed and change your baby, so be sure to factor this into your family travel time. As long as you give yourself a good time cushion, you won’t have to worry about getting to your destination on time.
Bring Those Toys Along for the Drive
Have your child’s toys in the car, especially for long journeys. Entertainment will keep their mind occupied, at least for a while. And consider buying a car seat mirror: they give your baby something to look at and you a way to keep an eye on your baby and gauge when he or she needs a break.
Drive When Your Baby’s Asleep
If you get on the road when your little one’s napping, you’ll make things easier on yourself. You can’t plan all of your drive time around when your baby is sleepy, but use naptime to your advantage when you get the chance. If it’s naptime but your little one is awake, try playing lullaby music to soothe them and help them fall asleep.
Strap Everything In
So, you’ve got your baby all set up in their car seat. That’s great, but it doesn’t end there. Tie down any toys you’re bringing too, either with a tether or plastic links. It will ensure that nothing falls to the floor, causing him or her to cry.
Pull Over for Meals
You shouldn’t be doing other things behind the wheel anyway, but when you have a baby on board, taking a pit stop to feed the baby will eliminate unnecessary difficulties. Juggling bottles and other food items is far too dangerous when you’re driving.
Stop for Bathroom Breaks
Use breaks to change your infant’s diaper and make sure everything is good to go for the next length of drive time. If you can, plan your travel route around places where you can stop to handle feeding/changing, or make sure the road has plenty of places for you to pull off to the side safely to take care of these things. And always have a changing pad on hand for times that you need to use public restroom changing tables.
Like any aspect of motherhood, it’s going to take time and patience to adjust to driving with a baby in the car. It’ll take a while to figure out exactly what works when it comes to keeping your little one happy on the road, but keep working at it, and eventually you’ll find the perfect formula.