Long car journey on hot day

[ADesignForLife]

Would really appreciate any advice or tips please!

We’ve got to do a really long car journey soon with our 8 month old DS. It would be about 6 hours if we were on our own but we’re planning about 3 decent stops so prob more like 9 hours in total. We can’t go overnight but will set off about 5am. He’s generally pretty good on short journeys but we’ve never done longer than an hour.

It’s also due to be really hot that day so not sure what to dress him in.

Any advice on how to keep him comfortable reasonably and happy? Thank you

Should say “comfortable and reasonably happy” 🙄

If you have lots of layers that you can put on/take off. Dress in loose fitting clothes for comfort and ease. When mine was little and even now she's 3 I put a light blanket partially under the car seat so it I can throw the over end over her when she gets chilly.
I've done two 12 hr day drives when my little one was 6 months. If possible can you sit in the back with them. Then you can monitor temperature and keep entertained.

I would go for less clothing then you can add or take off blankets as you go. So maybe only one layer then add and take away. Have you got a blind/sun shade for his window?

Layers you can add or remove. Sun shade for window but still put suncream on - I once burnt my arm driving so always make sure my boy is well covered! Someone in the back if possible to entertain.

I would go for a short sleeved romper and no vest, not the kind which poppers down the front but the kind which pulls over the head. Minimal seams/fixings for comfort, good air flow, easy for nappy changes. Cover with a blanket when you set off so he's not cold. Boots, M&S and supermarkets all have multipacks if you don't have any.

Yes to sun shade for his window. If they are not tinted,, get one of the "sock" types which goes over the door. If you can get one which actually (ie, not chinese products which simply claim to) blocks infrared light that's the bit that makes the car into a greenhouse.

Look into a summer cover or sweat-wicking pad for car seat. Maybe portable clip on fan?

I would do 2 stops rather than 3. Push to the 2 hour car seat limit (with a baby that age we would push it to 3ish if he's happy). IME they get to a point after a few hours where it's too much being taken in and out of seats and nothing can console them any more, they just want to be held or move around, so you want to prioritise minimising the overall length of the journey over minimising stretches of time in the car seat.

If driving in the UK, or near cities in Europe, plan stops around congested times, and use google maps or waze to keep track of where the jams are. If you're going to be at a standstill for an hour, better to be in a service station than a traffic jam.

Think about an adult travelling in the back for some of the time to help entertain.

Also I would not take snacks to eat in the car because it would be a choking hazard in the car seat, but I would take baby bottles with water, and try to keep them cool. He'll likely drink more from those and spill less. Unless he doesn't take a bottle at all - then take it in whatever he will drink :)

Be aware that if you have the air con on in the car, it may actually get a little chilly if underdressed. So a thin blanket to add on and off is ideal.

At 9 months they are likely to want to move about a bit. So take a large towel or picnic blanket for them to play on when you stop. Can lay on grass or in cafe area for a 15 min stretch out

I wouldnt stop too long at a time. if its usually 6hrs i assume thats with a quick stop anyway. So taking 9 hours is 3-3 1/2 hours of stopping which is long. I would aim to stop every 2 hrs roughly, for just 30 mins max. for a 6 hrs drive that would just be 2 stops

Here's the anti sweat mat thing I've seen - couldn't find it before.

www.aeromoov.com/en/product/aeromoov-air-layer

This is all so helpful, thank you!