To not want to travel 4+ hours with a newborn?

[aspiringsnd1981]

DC2 is due at the start of June, DPs family live 4 hours away, and have asked us to visit in late July/early August during the summer holidays. I'm not really comfortable with this as baby will only be 2 months old and that's if he comes on time and the journey will be longer.

Would others also say no?

We did a similar journey when DD was 2 weeks old. It's a route that takes either 3 hours or 6, depending on traffic. Usually closer to the latter.

We packed up the adult stuff and toys the night before. In the morning, DH packed up DD's stuff while I fed her and then we're got the road early. We worked out all the National Trust places that were within half an hour of our normal route (we're members, so free parking and entry) and then just bounced from one to the next, stopping regularly.

It took all day but it was a really nice trip. We still try to fit in a National Trust stop on all long journeys now DD is a toddler.

But if you don't want to do it, that's fine too. I think it was achievable because a) we wanted to do it and b) we viewed it as a day out with a new place to stay at the end of it. Mindset isn't everything, but it is your starting point.

My advice would be for you to do a quick search for hotels/AirBnB in your area and say that you're not planning on doing any long distance journeys for the time being but you'd have no objection if they came to stay in X hotel (one of the ones you selected) and for them to visit on their stay?

Basically, they aren't staying with you (so you don't have the hassle of hosting them) but they can visit the newborn.

Well they arent meant to be in a car seat more than 30 minutes so it would be a complete non-starter for me.

Travelled 4 hours in a car with a 1 year old once. Never again. Traffic jams, screaming, it was hell.

We had to do this regularly and also had a lie flat car seat, which was absolutely brilliant. We found it fairly easy and it was lovely to see family and be fed and looked after a bit once there. I don't really consider 4 hours to be all that long a journey. I mean I wouldn't do it every week, but it's not crazy.

@RealBecca

Well they arent meant to be in a car seat more than 30 minutes so it would be a complete non-starter for me.

Travelled 4 hours in a car with a 1 year old once. Never again. Traffic jams, screaming, it was hell.

The NHS says 2 hours not 30 minutes. We went on a four hour trip when DS was two months, he had a big feed then slept in his car seat for two hours, then we stopped for a leisurely lunch (1.5 hrs in a Brewers Fayre) where he had another good feed then slept again. Without DS we would have driven four hours straight without stopping so it took much longer than normal but the journey was fine. Did the same on the return. We were going to a holiday park though. Visiting relatives I probably would have said no!

You don't have to go if you don't want BUT I think newborns are very portable. They sleep a lot and you can have stops to feed. It's much easier than travelling with an older child. My in-laws live abroad so we did flights and long car journeys when our children were newborns. All fine.

I did a 5 hour round trip with a 5 day old after a C-section. Genuinely after a few weeks there would be know issue and when they are that small they are so portable and easy to travel with.