Long car trip with a 6 mo

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We're thinking of taking a trip to South Spain with our new baby as we have the use of a villa down there.

Flying is how we would normally do it, but we're thinking of getting a ferry and driving, which would allow us to bring the various bits and pieces a baby would need - travel cot, push chair, clothes, car seat, etc.

The costs work out about the same when you consider car hire, etc - so that's not an issue - may even be a little cheaper.

The trip will be a couple of hours to Portsmouth, 24 hours on a ferry to North Spain and then around 8 hours driving through Spain to the villa (probably break that 8 hour trip into two sections.

Has anyone ever done anything like this or can offer suggestions / recommendations?

Thanks!

I did a 20 hour journey from Germany to UK (Don't ask) in April last year. My daughter was younger than 6 months, but she was as good as gold the whole way. Hardly heard a peep out of her. The only thing I will say is make sure you leave plenty of time for breaks in your trip. Not only will ity give your baby time out of their car seat it will give you a break from the road. Take plenty of drink for your baby, and some finger snacks (if you are feeding them that way).

Is there a shorter route to where you are going in Spain? We found that it was quicker to get to our destination by cutting through several countries.

If I think of anything else I will add more to this thread, but I'm sure others will have good ideas too.

Thanks Gonzo! That gives me some confidence!

Currently BF, but I hope we can do that in breaks or in the back seat!

The choice is driving all the way through France and Spain, or getting the ferry which will take as long, but less time on the road.

Thanks again for your post!

I would map out all the rest stops you can in case she wakes up during the trip and wants feeding, as you will need to pull over - I have managed to breastfeed leaning over the carseat once or twice but it's very uncomfortable and I can't imagine very safe if you did crash.

Also on one occasion when stuck in barely moving traffic on the motorway and DS was not settling at all I did take him out of his seat to feed him, but then of course sod's law meant the traffic cleared and we started moving again and that was scary. Then he fell asleep in my arms and I couldn't get him back into his seat again, luckily there was a service station there so we stopped off, but I wouldn't like to do it again.

You are supposed to take babies out of their carseats once every 2 hours I think, to reset their oxygen saturation levels. This only needs to be for 2 minutes or so. I'd think about breaking the 8 hour trip up into 3 sections so the longest stretch is 3 hours, if possible?

Thanks Bertie - very good point re: BF in the back seat when moving. Doesn't make sense does it...

Yup - thinking of breaking the 8 hours over 2 days - stop at a motel in the middle and break the two days up a little.

Great advice - thank you.

We travelled from Ireland to North Italy with a 2 year old and 9 month old. It took us 3 days to get there!

Take plenty of breaks and try to time this for the times your child is awake. Think about staying overnight somewhere on the way. It will give you a new place to discover and will stop you all arriving at destination completely fraught. A 4 hour drive each day would be easy as you can time it with a nap and therefore minimise the number of pitstops.

Get a coolbox that plugs into the cigarette lighter and carry yogurts,fruit and cool drinks and if you're onto solids by then, pack some meals. Remember that food you find along the way may not be suitable.

I didn't realise the ferry from Ireland to France had a microwave at the use of customers. I used it on the way back. Find out if the ferry you're using has this facility.

Make sure you've a change of clothes handy, don't pack everything away.

Even cheap airlines will take car seat and buggy without charging extra, and personally I'd fly rather than drive with children. Travel cot would be an issue though. Have found driving with a baby of that age ok, but difficult with toddlers and older children. If you are likely to go back in future consider buying a cheap travel cot and leaving it there so if you fly next time the cot is there for you.

BFing while baby in car seat is very uncomfortable and not very safe. But with an older baby should be able to give solids if they are hungry in the car. We also found driving at night good because they were less likely to wake up.

Easyjet let you take 2 baby items on board free of charge, and they doesn't count towards any weight allowence

You can choose from a travel cot, car seat or push chair/buggy.

Although you pay for luggage its 20kg each, so 40kg for a couple.

We are off to the in-laws in The Netherlands in a fortnight and I am thinking of getting this www.amazon.co.uk/Samsonite-Pop-Up-Bubble-Colour-Creme/dp/B0006SMQL2/ref=pd_cp_by_2

We do this trip every year to visit relatives. I tend to stay several weeks so the ferry/drive option makes a lot of sense.

Not much to add except bear in mind how the Spanish day is structured - mealtimes/siesta/late nights - you may have to vary your routines (if you have any!). Stick with BF it's so much easier when you're on the road, you can always pull over and find a suitable quiet spot. Certainly plan your route in advance and break the journey up. Try to book accommodation in advance so you're not trying to find something at the end of a long day (or arriving in a town the day of their annual fiesta when all accomm is fully booked!). If you're arriving on the boat that gets to Santander in the early evening then consider staying in Santander that night - it can take a good hour or more to get off the boat and you won't feel like battling the rush hour traffic leaving town.

Can't think of anything else off the top of my head. I have always enjoyed our little road trips but you have to make getting there part of the holiday.

A pop up samsonite travel cot is tiny and will fit in your suitcase, and you could get a hire car with baby seat out there? Then you won't have much stuff at all and could fly.

I drove to Austria the other week - we set off at 4am and got to the hotel at 1pm with a couple of breaks. Tbh it was a piece of piss. We pulled over at 6am when he'd usually have his milk, then pulled over at 9 for breakfast - stopped a bit longer at 11 or so and then finished the journey. He slept most of the time as he's prone to do in the car. Didn't have a peep out of him the entire time.

The travelcot at our destination was a problem... not the journey!

We did a trip from Lincolnshire to the Loire Valley by car when my DD was 6 weeks old and my DS was 19 months old. It was absolutely fine, we took our time and included an over night stop each way which would be a bit like your long ferry trip and also allowed for regular stops along the way. TBH they slept most of the time!

We regularly go to France via car and my 2 (now 4 and 2.5) are used to long journies so we never have any problems.

Have fun!

You may already know this, but pushchair and car seat you can take for free with you on airplane (it will actually state this in their terms and conditions, even with the low cost carriers). So if this is your main reason to go by car I wouldn't bother and fly because it seems a long drive with a LO.

We used a pop up travel cot at that age that was really light and folds away very small so you still have your allowance for buggy and car seat if needed.

Maybe hire a car seat with the car? Then you'll know it fits and it meets the regulations of the country (don't know about Spain, but some other countries have different style seats to the UK). Then take a small stroller that folds easily and a pop-up travel cot (I'd second (third?!) the Samsonite one) and fly.

Younger I'd say you'd be fine in the car, as they'd sleep all the time, but by 6 months might be a bit more awake/grumpy about being kept still depending on how wriggly a baby he/she is.

Food-wise you should be fine - at 6 months you can always take a load of pouches/pots for the journey and pick up the rest where you are - think all countries have yoghurt and fruit/veg!

Particularly if you're BF I don't think babies need as much 'stuff' as you might think - we've done a week trip with just a rucksack, pram and small travel cot for three of us. Take travel wash and you're sorted!

Apologies for not getting back sooner!

Thank you all for your comments, really helpful.

I think we'll try the drive, ferr, drive. It's just such a nice way to travel and will definitely come out a little cheaper. Also an opportunity to see a bit of scenery!

Thanks again.