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Original poster

How to transport newborn baby 4 hours in a car twice in a few days

33 replies

LittleBlackDress · 03/09/2012 07:10

Any advice gratefully appreciated as I am getting myself in a bit of a state about this.

Background: MIL is very ill with advanced cancer and cannot travel. We are unsure how long she has left to go. My DH is an only child, adopted, and very precious to his parents. We have one DC already but the arrival of DC2 has been what has kept MIL going these last few months. We have said we will go to visit them so she can meet the baby soon after birth.

The only problem is how do I safely transport my newborn in our car for a four hour journey on one day and then come back two days later? Some research says it is not safe for newborns to be in infant carriers for that long and some research says that lie flat infant carriers do not protect baby adequately in the event of a crash. Not going is not really an option.

I guess what I am asking is does anyone know of any safe ways of transporting baby (regular stops etc) or can anyone recommend a safe lie flat infant carrier? If in the end it is not safe to take baby then clearly we won't, but I would like to explore all possibilities first as my MIL would be so upset if we couldn't make it (not that she would show it, but I know her well and she would be devastated).

Thank you!

OP posts:

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Hattie11 · 03/09/2012 07:14

I would sit in the back and take a couple of breaks in the journey. Give baby opportunity to lay flat in the pram for a while etc. I'm sure many inadvertently spend that ling in carseats. My youngest prob did due to running 3 older siblings left right and centre!

Good luck and really hope your mil gets to meet your newborn.

Melindaaa · 03/09/2012 07:15

Drive for two hours, stop to feed, drive the rest of the way. Do you usually worry so much. Four hours is hardly a round-the-world trip.

VivaLeBeaver · 03/09/2012 07:15

Well I would put crash protection above any research about length of time in car seats. It's not as if you'd be doing it every day!

The research about length of time in car seats wasn't about when dd was a baby and we used to use the car seat as a seat in the house, she was always in it. We drove 12 hours to Switzerland when she was a few hours old. She's fine.

I'm sorry about your mil.

noblegiraffe · 03/09/2012 07:15

Any chance you could take a train instead?

Otherwise, plan in lots of breaks and take it easy.

FamiliesShareGerms · 03/09/2012 07:16

Use a proper car seat rather than an infant carrier?

MackerelOfFact · 03/09/2012 07:17

I'm afraid I don't know about ins and outs of the safety of taking the baby on a 4-hour journey, only that it could potentially be a nightmare! I would suggest either meeting them halfway (I know she is ill but 2 hours seems more doable for both sides?), or take an entire day to get there and back, stopping very frequently to feed and change the baby, take him out of the seat, and get some fresh air.

Good luck anyway, sorry to hear about your MIL but congrats on your impending arrival.

Noqontrol · 03/09/2012 07:20

4 hours isn't long. The general guidance is to get them out of the seat every 2 hours for a break. So you only need to stop once and have a coffee / break. You can get lie flat carriers but I really really wouldn't bother. Your baby will be fine.
Sorry to hear about you mil.

peanutMD · 03/09/2012 07:22

I think those guidelines are irrelevant in the car, probably aimed at those who insist on walking around with car seat on pram all day!

Just my opinion but I wouldn't worry too much, just take breaks if you can if not just make sure that baby is comfortable.

The only rated carrycot us the britax safe sleeper but for a few days I wouldn't bother.

Noqontrol · 03/09/2012 07:24

Very unlikely to be a nightmare at that age. If the baby is hungry, pull over at the next services and feed them. Its only when they get older that they truly become a nightmare ( potentially) on long journeys. Don't stress.

biddyofsuburbia · 03/09/2012 07:24

We did a 9 hr journey this year when DS was 10 weeks - completely understand your concern as I've also seen articles about not leaving in a car seat for too long - however I think you will be fine if you stop after 2 hrs for at least half an hour or so to feed and have baby up and about for a bit. More often if you like. Don't have the car too hot or the baby too wrapped up and if you are anxious sit in the back as suggested above! Nothing worse than sitting in the front fretting about a baby you can't see in the back. On the journey I mention DS slept for most of it so it was actually relatively easy! Good luck, sorry you have to make a journey in these circumstances.

jaggythistle · 03/09/2012 07:25

i would imagine baby would sleep a lot? most tiny ones do in the car, as long as you feed before you leave, so i wouldn't think it'd be a nightmare.

plan to stop once, feed baby when stopped. should be ok?

TheFowlAndThePussycat · 03/09/2012 07:25

I'm so sorry you are going through this OP, exactly the same thing happened to us with DH's beloved grandmother & aunt. By the time dd1 was 7 weeks old she'd travelled well over 1000 miles and been to two funerals. It's so sad. You must go though, it meant the world to both of them to meet her and I'm so glad that we were able to do that for them before they died.

As everyone has said, take frequent breaks, I sat in the back with dd1, (but I think that might have been a pfb thing ). No harm will come to your baby in the car seat, it just might be an uncomfortable & tiring trip for you all. Absolutely worth it though.

OneOfMyTurnsComingOn · 03/09/2012 07:25

Just break the journey up with 1or 2 breaks. I've driven to Ireland before with a baby. Baby will be fine.

Sorry about your MIL

Happypiglet · 03/09/2012 07:29

It will be fine! New borns are easier to transport than toddlers! He/sheshold sleep most of the way. Don't worry about the length of time in a rear facing car seat. When DS2 was very I'll as a very small baby with breathing issues a hospital consultant told us to let him sleep all night in a car seat..... He said the four hour thing is not a major issue for a few days/weeks just not all of their infant hood!
Just stop to feed as required.
You must have done this journey lots already to visit with other DC..... I ink you are really over thinking this. Just get up to see MIL... And sorry she is in this position.

peggyblackett · 03/09/2012 07:30

Very sorry to hear about your MIL OP.

I think your baby will be absolutely fine - just have some stops and also make sure that they're dressed appropriately so that they don't overheat.

greensnail · 03/09/2012 07:38

I'm sure it will be fine if you take a break after 2 hours. Surely your older dc will need a break in the journey anyway. I did this sort of journey when mine were newborns and all was fine. Good luck, I hope your MIL gets to meet her new gc.

Original poster

LittleBlackDress · 03/09/2012 07:41

Thank you all. I'm normally a pretty relaxed parent, but my friend's baby died from SIDS and so I am super paranoid about that. The Internet doesn't help as it has some scaremongering type articles about baby being in car seat for too long etc and that impacting on oxygen levels and potential SIDS. I didn't know about these guidelines with DC1 so was blissfully ignorant (and she is fine and healthy!). I appreciate the reassurance and, happypiglet, thanks for sharing the info from your consultant - much appreciated. I will revert to how I was a few weeks ago (pretty chilled about the whole thing) and step away from the Internet research! Thank you for the straight talking, no nonsense advice!

OP posts:

FeersumEndjinn · 03/09/2012 07:41

Some very wise advice above so not much to add.

The advice is there to make sure babies don't stay in their car seat all day every day, which would be bad for them. This is just a single occasion, your baby will be fine.

Plan for a long-ish rest break half way. Make sure this includes some being-cuddled and some lying-flat-on-the-back - research some locations, there are often some truly lovely country pubs/restaurants only a couple of minutes from each motorway junction so you don't have to spend this time in a grim motorway service station!

I think it will be easier with a very new newborn than a slightly older child. In the early days our DS would just sleep in the car, but at 3-4 months we had an awful journey where a normally 3.5hr journey took us nearly 8 hours because of all the stopping we had to do for feeding, changing and cleaning up puke (and no I won't go into the detail of why each event required a separate stop!).

MrsReiver · 03/09/2012 09:21

In my experience with newborns, it's unlikely you'll be able to drive for 4 hours without a break for feeds or nappy changes, so you will be breaking the time up anyway.

Indith · 03/09/2012 09:28

2 hours. Stop, wee break for older one, nappy change and feed for baby. another 5 minutes, pull over to change poo explosion from baby. Back in car. complete journey while dangling nipples over carseat to soothe screaming baby.

Seriously, as a one off I'd have everything ready, keep baby awake, feed baby as much as possible and the instant I had finished feeding load everyone into the car and drive for as long as possible until the baby wakes up and starts screaming. If your dh drives and you sit in the middle at the back next to the baby you can calm him if he wakes and starts to cry and with a bit of luck you will manage the full trip in one go.

Midgetm · 03/09/2012 09:42

Like the others said, take breaks it will be fine. I did long trips with DD when she was tiny and her feeds meant she was never in her seat without breaks. Agree travelling with newborns is pretty easy. It's once they can start whining it gets more taxing. So sorry about your mother in law, cancer is a bastard.

milk · 03/09/2012 10:08

Could you buy this?

Mrspiggy123 · 03/09/2012 10:31

We had to travel a lot with our ds when he was little - we bought a Jane Matrix car seat - it can lie flat on the back seat of the car (takes up 2 seat) but means you can drive for longer without worrying. You can also use t the sitting up position too. We got the mattress for it and used instead of a Moses basket.

surroundedbyblondes · 03/09/2012 10:39

Agree with the 2 hr thing that most others have said. We drove from Belgium to Sweden when DD2 was 6 weeks old. We were on the road for three days, stopping frequently. Tough going for us, but she was cosy and fine.

Agree about planning your journey so that you can stop somewhere a bit nicer.

Beaver - did you drive all that way when you had just given birth a few hours earlier??? Wow!

Nightfall1983 · 03/09/2012 11:54

We have the Britax Baby Safe Sleeper (currently 40 + 9 with DC1 so haven't used it yet) because of the long journeys issue. It has excellent safety reviews, esp from WHICH. However for such a young baby as you are talking about I don't see how you are going to be able to drive for more than 2 hours without stopping (to feed/change) anyway, so I really don't think you have to worry. When you stop make sure you let baby stretch out for a little while - a half-hour coffee break will be fine, feed and hopefully s/he will go back to sleep for the remaining 2 hours
Really sorry about your MIL, good luck with everything...

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