Road Trip with a Baby: How to Comfortably Travel with Your Child

Being the at home half of a Navy couple has taught me many lessons. One of the best ones pertains to the one thing we do more than any other career... moving. Every year we make a six hour trip out of state during the Christmas holidays to visit my family. We also travel twelve hours at least twice a year to visit my husband's family. After multiple trips out of state to family members houses for holidays and moving across country and then back again, I have come up with a must do and have list for traveling with a child.

The first thing any long car trip needs are distractions. If there are multiple people making the travel in one car it's always a good idea to station one in the back to take care of the kid. From plopping a pacifier back into their mouth to singing the ABC's, it will make it much easier to help out when you're within an arms reach. For the little ones make sure to always carry multiple pacifiers, teething rings and any other favorite items to suck and chew on. I have found a great Baby Einstein product that hangs on the back of the chair they face that entertains my little one. It's got a mirror at the top and a caterpillar below it with different colored spots on it. The spots light up, tell you the colors in three different languages and it plays songs. The best thing is that it's easily controlled from the front seat by a remote control. If you happen to have a portable DVD player it works great for the older kids. I always make sure to burn some CD's with their favorite songs on them. If listening to Barney is not your ideal car trip use a Walkman or program an IPod with their favorite songs.

Always, always make sure to have extra clothing in easy reach. For some reason, long car trips equal bigger messes. Carry a few extra onesies and spit up blankets stored near the car seat for easy clean up. Bring a few light blankets and socks because sometimes the air conditioning is a little cold for the smaller ones. It's also a good idea to have an extra car seat cover. Sitting in those chairs causes their messes to come shooting out the backs, sides and fronts of their diapers. A quick cover change and you'll avoid driving down the interstate with your windows rolled down to avoid the stink.

If your child is formula fed make sure to bring plenty of bottles and formula. Also, bring bottled water as tap water in different states can aggravate a small child's sensitive stomach. There are bottle warmers you can buy that plug right into your car's outlet source. You can find them at many large stores, I bought mine from Target. If you have an older child, make sure to pack plenty of snacks and drinks. The drinks can be kept cold in a portable cooler.

Always pack a first aid kit of emergency items. Kids don't keep from getting sick just because it's bad timing for the parents. Make sure to pack a thermometer, bulb syringe, tweezers and nail clippers. Don't forget Baby Tylenol, hand sanitizer and sunscreen. Having theses items and not using them is far better than needing them and not having them.