Car seat for 8hr drive, 7-12 month old

CTiggerJ · 2025-02-10T23:03:37+00:00

Hi, I'm going to be moving to Scotland and travelling with my current 7 month old baby. We will be moving possibly before he turns 1. I will be making the 8hr journey during the night as I was blessed with a bubba that sleeps as soon as the car starts. So I feel travelling during the night sleep stretch would be the best option otherwise he'd be asleep most of the day. Also the roads would be a lot quieter. I seen some car seats that are like Carry cots with an isofix and wondering if anyone would recommend buying one of these? Also any suggestions on the safest, most reliable option? I will be making regular stops but I also want my wee man to be comfortable during the long trip. Any advice on travelling this far by car with a baby would also be greatly appreciated!💖 Thank you xxx

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PurBal · 11/02/2025 06:02

I did a 5 hour trip with a 4 week old and just stopped frequently. Baby will be fine.

chocopuffs · 11/02/2025 06:50

I think some of those carrycot options only go up to around six months, so worth checking that out.

BertieBotts · 11/02/2025 16:57

Your baby will be too big for a carrycot type seat, and he won't need it at his age. I would keep them in their normal seat, it's more comfortable for a 7mo than the fixed type seats and will be easier to do stops.

Double check it's all adjusted properly for his size, dress him comfortably (pyjamas or a sleepsuit is perfect) and consider having someone sit in the back if you don't need them in the front to keep the driver awake! If you are driving on your own, work out how to disable the airbag so you can move the baby seat to the front seat if necessary.

I have done long drives with babies around 4 months, then 1 year (two different DC) and going through the night is helpful but you will need to plan some stops in just the same. It is slightly easier before baby learns to crawl as they don't expect to be mobile. They recommend a max of 2 hours in the seat at a time at this age - we did push past that to about 3 hours for the first stretch to try and cover as much ground as possible. Then all subsequent stops were around the 2 hour mark. Nappy change every stop, even if they don't usually need it that often.

I recommend bringing a few easily-accessible changes of clothes for baby because they do tend to produce a leaky poo at the most inconvenient moment.

Original poster

CTiggerJ · 12/02/2025 20:03

BertieBotts · 11/02/2025 16:57

Your baby will be too big for a carrycot type seat, and he won't need it at his age. I would keep them in their normal seat, it's more comfortable for a 7mo than the fixed type seats and will be easier to do stops.

Double check it's all adjusted properly for his size, dress him comfortably (pyjamas or a sleepsuit is perfect) and consider having someone sit in the back if you don't need them in the front to keep the driver awake! If you are driving on your own, work out how to disable the airbag so you can move the baby seat to the front seat if necessary.

I have done long drives with babies around 4 months, then 1 year (two different DC) and going through the night is helpful but you will need to plan some stops in just the same. It is slightly easier before baby learns to crawl as they don't expect to be mobile. They recommend a max of 2 hours in the seat at a time at this age - we did push past that to about 3 hours for the first stretch to try and cover as much ground as possible. Then all subsequent stops were around the 2 hour mark. Nappy change every stop, even if they don't usually need it that often.

I recommend bringing a few easily-accessible changes of clothes for baby because they do tend to produce a leaky poo at the most inconvenient moment.

Thank you so much for your message!
I saw some carry cot seats that went up to 12months but the weight and height measurements don't seem to make sense with the age. I do have a little chunky monkey lol.

I have to travel up just myself and my wee boy so I'll keep him in the seat I've already got for him but place him in the passenger seat (airbag off ofc) so we can see eachother.

Fingers crossed no leaky poops!🤞🏻

Thank you again💛

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