5 Top Tips For Long Car Journeys with a Baby

We like to leave early in the morning as Ailsa has more naps through that time of day so she sleeps most of the way- the first time we drove to Scotland we couldn't leave till 3pm as we had a Christening to go to and Ailsa has a fussy time in the evenings meaning we had to stop every hour or so till that passed- the second time we left at 8am and the journey was so easy for us and we didn't need to stop quite so often. 

Plan how often your going to stop

Babies really shouldn't be in their car seats for longer than a couple of hours at a time so we roughly planed to stop every 2-2 ½ hours but be prepared to stop before then if baby starts to get worked up so you can get them out their seat and cuddle them. In these times we don’t go into the service station but just park up in the car park for 10-15 mins for a cuddle and maybe a quick feed and get going again once Ailsa is chilled out. 

Have someone sit in the back

If there is more than one of you travelling have one of you sit with the baby- I found singing songs and getting some toys out stopped Ailsa from getting upset or bored.

Pack extras to keep in the back-seat

Extra muslins/bibs for a dribbly teething baby, extra nappies just in case baby has an explosive nappy, extra sterilised bottles if you formula feed, I take my breast pump to relieve any engorgement and give baby a quick top up if we still have a small way to go to the next service station.

Enjoy the journey

If baby is sleeping and someone else is driving then sit back, relax and take a bit of time for you. Read a book or magazine, take in the scenery, sleep. You have no housework to do, no cooking to do so just enjoy while you can.