Thursday, May 20, 2010

Traveling

In June, I will be traveling with the Wee One and her Nan.  We will be in the car for about a 12 hour drive, and we will be gone for about 5 days.

I am afraid.

When she was little (teeny) and I was required to have blood pressure checks by my doctor every week, we made the trek back up to where we used to live.  I lived about 100 miles away from my parents, and had planned on continuing to do that after she came.  So our apartment, my doctor, her doctor, my work, and all my worldly belongings were 100 miles away from the woman who was helping me live through exhaustion and embrace being a new mother.  We made the 2-hour drive once a week for about the first six weeks, then a few more times after that.  Once was to move said worldly belongings into said woman's garage while my infant and I still covered her guest room in errant sprayed breast milk and baby puke.

My point is, the longest this child has been in the car is 2 hours.  And the last time we did that was December.  The last time before that was July.  She screams all the way home from daycare.  I can't imagine how 12 hours is going to go.

So, anyone who has traveled with a one-year-old, I'm totally open to suggestions and advice.  I do know this much:  I'm going to have to pack alot of crap.

We'll take the pack - n - play as a portable crib.  We'll take some sposie diapers, just because, but I think I have enough between the pockets and the prefolds to make it without diaper laundry.  I'm sure there would be a laundromat if really necessary, but I think we'll be ok.  We'll take 15 outfits, because there will be a party, and we will have to dress appropriately.  I should remember to take something nice too.

And ... that's about as far as I've gotten in the mental planning.

Help me!

4 comments:

Betsy said...

Oh boy. We haven't traveled more than 2 hours ourselves, but I do remember traveling with my younger brother and sister when they were that age (they are 13 and 11 years younger than I am)

My suggestions would be as follows; pack a bag with some new (to her) toys, car friendly snacks and water. Hand her a new toy every hour or so to keep her distracted. Plan your rest breaks ahead of time so you all have a chance to stretch.

Also, pack lots of sealable plastic bags of all sizes. In case of vomit and what not in the car, you can just seal it up.

Finally, this is what we do when we go to visit my parents: take the sheet from her bed and put in on the pack and play so it's familiar. Keep the bedtime routine the same as much as you can, so for us that means his sleep sack, his sound machine, his night light, etc. and just be prepared for the first night to suck. After the first sleep it gets easier because it's familiar.

Good luck!

Barb said...

I have done lots of 5-10+ hour drives with my son, and there are some tricks. First, do realize and plan for the fact that you will have to stop every 2 hours. It's just a fact. Unless they're really tired they're not going to tolerate sitting for that long without a break to get out and run. Second, SNACKS! Have a bag of snacks in the front seat that are easy to pass into the backseat as you drive. I think I remember that you have trouble getting her to eat, but I used to buy those baby fruit yogurt drops... I think for gerber. When Sam got antsy before I was ready to stop, I pass him a few of those at a time. Third, pee whenever you stop, even if you don't have to. If the baby, by some miracle, falls asleep, you don't want your own bladder to be the reason you have to stop and wake her. :) If there is a time of day when she normally takes a longer nap, take advantage of that and drive during that time, and hope that she'll sleep. If that's not possible, skip any earlier naps and hope she'll fall asleep later. Good luck. The thought of it is always much scarier than the actual undertaking and she'll do fine. If nothing else, you'll be stopping every two hours and nursing her. Breastmilke sometimes helps to induce sleep. :)

MommieV said...

I like your suggestion about making sure I go - so if she falls asleep we don't have to stop 'cuz of ME!

And yes, nursing is always a good sleep inducer for her!

Billy said...

Wow, a 12 hour drive! Don't have any advice, just wishing you a pleasant and peaceful journey!