Long car journey with newborn

[buckyou]

My DS is 5 weeks and we are travelling a 4/5 hour drive to visit family this weekend. Also have a 20mo DD.

I think we are going to travel at my daughters bed time but how often are you meant to stop with the baby? Any other tips to make it go as smoothly as possible??

Thanks

I think they aren't meant to be in a car seat for longer than 2 hours, although it may even be less than that now.

If you're going on such a long journey definitely have regular stops and I recommend an adult sit in thr back with him to keep an eye on him.

Yeah I thought that. There's only a tiny space between the car seats though!

Can your 20 month olds car seat go on the passenger seat?

I hate babies facing backwards as it is as you can't see them to even check they're breathing, let alone on a long car journey at night time where they would probably enter deep sleep as their environment is dark and quiet.

Or could your baby's car seat go on the passenger seat with the air bag disabled so both the driver and yourself can see him?

When my DS was 4 months old I went on a 4 hour journey without stopping and he was in his rear facing car seat on the back seat on his own whilst I sat in the passenger seat and even now, three years later, it still gives me chills to think I did it. I don't know why it didn't even occur to me about risks, I must have still been in the Baby Brain phase of new motherhood.

I think I will just squeeze in, I'm not sure how easy it will be to disable airbag. At night it should be 4 hours. Do you think 2 stops would be sufficient?

Air bags are extremely easy to disable. Usually there's just a little button/switch by the glove compartment somewhere on the inside of the passenger door which you just flick from the on to off position.

Two stops should be fine as then he wouldn't be in his seat for any longer than two hours which is what's recommended I believe.

Thanks. Will see if we can get DD on the front then.

I think it's much safer for both kids to be in the back. Get a mirror that attaches to back of headrest so you can see baby and check she's ok and not slumped. We did 8 hour car journey at 8 weeks ( nearly 11 hours with stops). We stopped every two hours for a feed, change and stretch.

Get a mirror that attaches to back of headrest so you can see baby and check she's ok and not slumped

I used to have one of these and they were very reassuring but obviously during night time driving I imagine it will be too dark in the car to actually see anything?

I know it's not ideal to have a car seat on the front seat and I only ever did it if I felt it was the best option which was only really if I had to do a long car journey where I had nobody to sit in the back with the baby.

We managed fine. Did 2 stops and climbed in and out of the back to check.

Way back was a bit more tricky as we set off a bit earlier so baby was more unsettled but we made it eventually.

I wouldn't do this at that age. Can't they come to you?