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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Breastfeeding on long car journeys

32 replies

Essie3 · 27/05/2008 17:17

How is it done? MW at parentcraft said you could do it when someone else is driving (obviously!) but isn't this like totally dangerous and illegal?
Problem is that DH and I regularly do a 6 hour journey and with bfing I can see it becoming 9, 10 hours...

OP posts:

ScienceTeacher · 27/05/2008 17:20

I have done it.

Sit in the back of the car and put the seat belt over both of you.

I've never really planned to do it - just when caught with an inconsolable baby miles away from services (this was in the US where they are not every 15-20 miles apart).

I have also leaned over a rear facing car seat, but not something to do for more than a few minutes.

misdee · 27/05/2008 17:22

i have done it without taking dd out of the car seat. it involves some serious bending and backache.

wouldnt put seat belt over both of you, as if you are in a crach it could crush the baby.

obviously its best to stop and feed.

luvaduck · 27/05/2008 17:23

yeh i agree - best to stop and feed
dh may be more distracted if you're feeding and tbh not worth the risk...

artichokes · 27/05/2008 17:23

The law requires your child to be strapped into a proper baby seat when the car is moving and unless you are very flexible that will make BFing impossible! Unfortunatly I think you are meant to stop to BF even if sombody else is driving.

Having said that DH and I once got stuck in a TERRIBLE traffic jam on the M4 and literally could not move an inch for hours. DD was 3 months and starving and eventually I did unstrap her and feed her. It was illegal but we were not technically moving! Sometimes needs must.

belgo · 27/05/2008 17:23

I've done this with dd2 sat in a rear facing baby seat, and me sitting forward facing right next to her, and bending towards her. No need to take off seatbelts and no back ache either.

It's a good trick.

MadamePlatypus · 27/05/2008 17:25

Do not put the seatbelt over both of you. The force of you (a heavy object) being propelled forward will crush the baby against the seatbelt.

Nobody in their right minds would ever take a baby out of a carseat in a moving car. Park the car. Feed baby. Simple.

Original poster

Essie3 · 27/05/2008 17:25

Oh, yeah, belgo - forgot that the baby seat faces backwards and I'd be facing forwards (sitting in the back).
Need to make my boobs bigger, though !

OP posts:

belgo · 27/05/2008 17:27

My boobs are not big! And dd2 didn't need to move at all - I just bent forward a lot! (still with seat belt on, so entirely legal!)

OrmIrian · 27/05/2008 17:29

I've done that belgo. Not comfortable but possible.

I have also taken DS#2 out of his seat in a traffic jam. I was in the driving seat but we weren't moving and we couldn't get to the hard shoulder.

Flibbertyjibbet · 27/05/2008 17:30

Going anywhere takes ages when you have babies - just take as long as it takes and stop comparing the time to how long it took before baby came along.
Otherwise your life is set to be VERY stressful

Its not the bf-ing - its that with a CHILD the journey could take twice as long...

We allow anything up to 8 hours for a drive with our two children that we could do in 4.5 hours if it were just the two of us. But its not the two of us any more is it?

(Sorry to preach but I think you need to be a bit realistic about travelling with a baby)

evenhope · 27/05/2008 17:31

TBH it's unlikely you'll get to do a 6hr journey with a baby without having to stop. General road safety guidelines are to stop every 2 hours and unless you are very lucky you will probably need to. Our DD went through a phase of screaming hysterically throughout every journey. Even if you aren't driving yourself the noise really gets to you.

evenhope · 27/05/2008 17:33

Great minds think alike flibbertygibbet

ShowOfHands · 27/05/2008 17:37

I found feeding easy with a rear-facing carseat. Even stayed strapped in myself and just leant forwards a bit, flopped a boob in dd's face.

That said, for a 6hr journey I'd want to stop anyway, especially with a baby. Park somewhere with a bit of grass, take some snacks, sit and feed the baby and stretch your legs.

detoxdiva · 27/05/2008 17:37

Stop, park & feed. Send dh into services for coffee and chocolate muffin - everybody happy

belgo · 27/05/2008 17:40

I found bfing as I've described very useful for those occasions when dd2 just would not settle in the car, no matter how many times we stopped and fed her. Sometimes she just cried the whole journey, despite very regular stops, and despite checking for all other possibilities. A baby crying in a car is very very stressful and if bfing helped comfort her, then it was great.

VictorianSqualor · 27/05/2008 17:40

With a six hour car journey you should need only stop once tbh.
Feed before you leave, stop somewhere half-way for a drink and toilet break, feed baby, change it's bum, then finish the journey.

Or sit in the back and dangle like others have said, but that's not really suitable for a long feed, just a quick fix.

Original poster

Essie3 · 27/05/2008 17:41

Ooh, sorry belgo - not making comments about your boobs! I'm sure they're dead pert.

Ok, I promise I'll leave your boobs alone

OP posts:

beansprout · 27/05/2008 17:42

The driver should be stopping every 2-3 hours anyway.

SparklyGothKat · 27/05/2008 18:12

I had a taxi home last week from great ormond street. Callum decided 8 miles from home he needed 'mummy's best' so had to lean into his carseat and feed him..

Eirlys · 28/05/2008 09:55

Can you take the train instead?
Makes life easier in this respect, and for playing with/entertaining baby.

PortAndLemon · 28/05/2008 09:57

I have done it, belgo-style, for a quick fix/settle. But I'd always stop for a proper feed.

jingleyjen · 28/05/2008 10:00

Please don't take the baby out of the seat whilst moving.
planning breaks into your journey is really the best way.. for more interesting stops we have the national trust book in the car and the "good pub guide" so we can get out of the little chef options if we want.
hth

chloemegjess · 28/05/2008 13:44

WE went on a long journey with bf baby. We stopped at the sevices, fed, changed, had some fresh air and a play. A baby would prob get very fed up being in a car seat for that long so stopping is good anyway.

ChairmumMiaow · 28/05/2008 13:52

We've found it quite stressful to do a long journey with DS, so we try to use the train wherever we can. Of course its not always that easy but we'd never make the drive to Glasgow to see friends.

belgo · 28/05/2008 15:08

and of course the major downside of bfing in the car as I've described is that you can only bf from one boob. Unless of course you are a real contortionist!

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