Tips for long car journey with baby

[Mumma212]

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has any tips or advice for long car trips with a LO?

In a couple of weeks I will be taking my DD almost 8 months old for 5 nights away in the UK.

We will be travelling by car.
The total journey should be (without hold ups) around 5 hours.

I've decided on the way there I'm going to stop over night in a hotel to break up that journey and to reduce stress of rushing to get there by dinner/evening.
So it will be around 2.5 hrs then stop over night, have hotel breakfast then another 2.5 hrs to the destination.
I'm still thinking I'll need to stop one or twice each of those journeys for nappy change, feeds and to give DD some time out of the car seat....does that sound reasonable for an 8 month old?

On the way back I don't plan on an over night stop so I know I'm going to need many stops along the way but it really doesn't matter what time we arrive home so I can stop for however long she needs.

My sister has said I'm being 'silly' wanting to stop over night to break it up and thinking I should stop so often on the way home so maybe I'm worrying too much.

I've never been one to leave my babies in their car seats for longer than needed- for example I wouldn't go round the shops with the car seat on the pram and once we arrive at destination I always get DD straight out.

Any tips welcome!!
I've done long trips when she was younger but then she tended to sleep for more of the journey than I'm expecting her to now.

The best way we've found is this:

Travelling there

Get up and ready super early (how early depends what time your baby normally wakes up). Lift baby into car seat straight from bed in pj's so they can go back to sleep for an hour or two once moving. Stop after a couple of hours for breakfast and get baby dressed/ teeth brushed there. Back on the road for a couple more hours then stop again for lunch (we take pack up and stop at a national trust near the motorway). Back on road for final stretch.

Travelling home

Stay at holiday destination until 4 ish. Drive a couple of hours and stop for tea. Pjs and teeth brushing etc here. Then pop in car seat and baby can sleep the rest of the way and you can drive straight through.

Have done many long journeys and tried lots of configurations but this is the way that works for us x

Your stops sound perfectly reasonable.
Don’t drive immediately after a feed.
Make the most of her nap times, and if she’s asleep, don’t stop unless you’re desperate! Power through.
If she has a dummy, buy some dummy clips and clip at least two onto her! If she doesn’t have a dummy, find a way to attach her comforter and a teething toy to her or her car seat.
Put a blind on her window. Even if it’s not very sunny, it reduces stimulation and she’s more likely to nap.

I wouldn’t stop on 2.5 hr journey with baby unless needed. Change and feed baby just before leaving, and hope they sleep most the journey. Only stopping if really needed

and yes those dummy clip straps handy for toys. Matchstick monkey was a favourite at that age. Stops toys being throw and lost

those yogurt fruit pouches handy clean food for car journeys you can give when you stop