Useful Tips for Your Baby’s First Road Trip

The holiday season is fast approaching, bringing with it the joys of managing meet-ups with family across the country in a traditionally busy time of year for travel. If this is your first Christmas with a new bouncing baby addition to the family, then you might be looking at a great deal of driving to ensure everyone meets them!

Road-tripping with a baby or toddler isn’t quite as easy as driving adolescents or adults, though. Careful planning may be necessary, particularly with such seasonal hazards as snow, sleet and black ice. What are some handy ways to approach your first road trip with a child?

Safety – and Security – First

Safety, naturally, should be your primary concern when putting plans together for your road travel. Start with the car; is it safe enough to drive with your child in tow? Even if you haven’t noticed any complications or strange behaviours in your vehicle, getting a full car service before you travel can alleviate any concerns – or catch issues before they present a real problem on the roads!

You should also ensure you have the right safety equipment to guarantee your child’s safety in travel. A car seat is an absolute must for their comfort and safety and must be secured properly – that is, facing forwards in a back seat. It is a legal requirement that children under the age of three are provided a child car seat in which to sit!

Re-Pack Your Emergency Kit

Speaking of safety measures, another that is easy to overlook amidst your road trip preparations is that of your car’s emergency kit. Every car should have a duffel bag in the boot, containing various items to ensure your safety and comfort in the unfortunate event of a breakdown. Conventionally, such items would be: a hazard triangle to place before your car in order to alert other drivers; blankets and spare coats for warmth; non-perishable foodstuffs in case of a long wait for recovery; and tools for basic tasks like the changing of a tyre.

With a new young ‘un in tow, it would be a wise idea to re-jig the contents of your emergency kit a little, in order to better ensure the safety of your child. For example, adding milk formula and canned baby food to the bag can ensure their nutritional needs are still met!

Plan for More Rest Stops

Road tripping with a child is a fundamentally different experience to road tripping alone or with family and friends. The needs of the baby require a different approach to route planning and lengths of travel legs. Don’t worry – you can still make some serious miles if you need to! But you’ll need to pay closer attention to where service stations and potential rest areas are along the way, particularly where nappy changes and feeding schedules are concerned… 

When drawing up your route, you might have to be a little more rigid with the roads you take to make sure you don’t miss any rest chances as they crop up. You might also want to add in a little more leeway for time between stops in case you need to take a little longer to tend to your cherub’s needs.

This is a collaborative post.