Holiday tips

[username198819]

Going on holiday to visit family in a couple of months with 5 month old ds. (9 hour drive, staying in hotels for almost 2 weeks) any tips on what to take/car journey tips. We will stop every 2 hours or so, bottle fed so will be taking steriliser etc. I feel like my packing list has everything but the kitchen sink on it.

We went away for a week at that stage and our car was heaving!

Car journey: regular stops, timed with naps if possible and person in the back with baby for entertaining purposes.

Hotel: headphones and a splitter so you can at least watch Netflix/iPlayer while sat in the dark! Bottle opener. Extra plastic bags/bin liners for nappies/poo explosion clothes! If you're using a travel cot I'd recommend getting a mattress for it to make it more comfortable.

I'm really lucky, he only goes to sleep on with the lights on/music, so the tv doesn't bother him. But I did forget about the mattress!

When you stop, you could stretch his limbs, gently rotate his joints and you could even massage his back and buttocks. Also aim for a few minutes of tummy time during a stop.
Children younger than two are rarely travel sick, but it can occur. Try not to give a full feed just before travelling and look out for an increase in dribbling (this indicates nausea).
If he has a comforter and/or dummy, I'd suggest using a dummy clip to attach it to his car seat so he doesn't drop it.
Put his seat behind the driver so that the passenger can easily keep an eye on what he’s up to and can reach him if necessary.
consider fitting a mirror to the car seat so not only can you see more easily but it’s great entertainment too.
Leave an easily accessible space to do a quick nappy change if necessary and have a good supply of changing gear to hand.
Try and leave a space next to the car seat so that if he gets really cranky and a stop doesn’t sort it out, then someone can at least easily hop into the back as an emergency measure to give them a change of scene and entertainment.

Try not to worry, you can improvise and they sell baby stuff elsewhere! Take clothes and feeding gear and some nappies, see if you can borrow other things. We co slept and I breastfed so our road trip camping at that age was fine, I'm not typical though!