To be doing an 8 hour car journey with a 9 month old?

[Aliveinwanderland]

Advise and survival tips needed please!

8 hour car journey, 9 month old who hates the car! We will do plenty of stops and break it up but then it becomes an even longer day!

Can you time it with sleeps in anyway? I did it with my first often and had 2 hours each time before hysteria happened. Could you break it up over night? Or do 9ne session in the evening afyer bedtime?

Do it overnight. Seriously- its the only way.

Lots of breaks?

My DD hated being in her car seat until we switched to cloth nappies. She will now sit for longer journeys (up to 2 hours, not needed longer) with only her normal pre sleep protest. Before she would scream the whole journey.

We also have a toy across the roll bar she plays with to keep her distracted.

Go on the train?!

Seriously, three out of my four kids have been car seat haters. I'd never have considered a journey that long. The furthest we went was a would-be four hour journey which we managed in eight hours with eleventy million stops.

Leave in the middle of the night.

Go over night. And make sure they arent sitting on the plastic case of their dummy I have learnt from bitter experience that having this wedged up their arse makes them cry a lot.

Overnight isn't really an option. DS is a terrible sleeper and so me and DH are in a constant state of sleep deprivation, we would be too tired driving at night I think.

Also a lot of roadworks are done at night these days so journey could be much longer

Don't do it then - unless you can do it overnight it would be hell

We did it to visit my terminally ill father.

The journey was fine he slept most of the way. Did mean he was up pretty much all night though 😴

I drove from Brighton to Newcastle (and back) with my 4 month old car seat hater. By myself as dh had to work.
I made sure she was well fed before we got into the car, and stopped every couple of hours- for an hour or so until she was tired again.
it wasn't easy- but she had plenty of toys and I sang at the absolute top of my voice whenever she screamed!!

This is great! I thought I was the only one who had car seat haters!! Do the journey. Stop 2 hourly. Someone sit in he back with him.

I'd only do it overnight. Whoever drives will need to sleep the afternoon before.

I have a 4 month car hater and a five hour journey soon! His hate for the car seat was so bad that during one particular red faced and sweaty tantrum, I ended up showing him a baby sensory video from YouTube om my phone. Utter silence, then he fell asleep. However, that was a 30 minute journey....

DH at work the day before so no chance of either of us sleeping then.

One of us can sit in the back which will help.

Journey has to be done, and then repeated a week later!

Portable DVD player?

I've done this regularly for the last 10 years (with a boat journey at the end/beginning) so I've got you covered!!
Make sure dc is well fed and freshly changed before you leave, have a parent in the back seat, have god awful cds/iPod with the latest, I dunno, is Mr Tumble still on the go? Anyway, lots of horrendous songs --that you'll sing for the rest of the holiday on a loop Work out how many nappies/bottles (if bottle fed) you'll need. Double it. You will get stuck in 4 hour long roadworks if you don't - trust me - 10 years remember
Alternate your stops between long and short if you can. Short stops can be feeding/changing etc, and the longer ones take dc out of his car seat and let him get his legs stretched out. My dcs were always happier when they got a little cruise/walk around. You know how that feels - our legs need stretched on long journeys too.
Snacks. Whatever ds likes. Make life easy for yourself.
He may well sleep. My ds hates the car but sleeps after 30mins or so - I may or may not keep him up quite late the day before but that's not really feasible with a 9mo old.
Try not to worry too much, and don't put yourself under stress to get there by a certain time - for example having to catch a boat at the other end! or you will end up hurtling up the A9 praying for a miracle
Take a change of clothes for both of you in a bag in the car - he might puke found that one out the hard way after dd puked on dh on a boat and being able to have a wipe down and a change of clothes can make all the difference!
If you can beg, borrow or steal a iPad/hudl or similar use it! This isn't the time to worry about screen time
You'll find your groove, and if you don't, just remember it has to end sometime.
Good luck!

We do try to do it first thing or last thing if possible - but it sounds like that's not an option for you.
I also used to go and pick up a new toy (doesn't have to be fancy - something from the pound shop is fine) and when all else failed produce a new exciting toy - headed off a few tantrums.

Thanks Viking! So fab tips there!

*some

Following as I'm doing a 7 hour journey with a 4+1 year old soon.

I regularly have to do the very north of England to the south coast. We leave at 5am. Have everything ready to go the night before. Get up and get ready ourselves and then put the kids straight in the car. Give morning bottle in the car with me in the back. We had the grobags with the back opening slot so you can use it in the car seat. Drive for hour and a half or so, the stop for breakfast for a good hour. Kids normally fall asleep after that and we drive solidly til lunchtime if possible. Good break at lunch, usually leaving motorway for somewhere we can walk around for a couple of hours and have a nicer lunch than in motorway services. Stop again after a couple of hours for a quick break / snack. Then we're usually there in time for tea.

Lots of snacks in the car and a big bag of toys. DS gets travel sick so as well as normal changing bag with clothes for him and nappies etc for DD I have a sick kit in the boot: more clothes, bottle of water, towel, wipes, bin liners, those mats you put in the bed for potty training, alcohol gel.

Good luck!