6 Ways to Keep Your Baby Calm On a Road Trip

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Road trips are a great way to spend time with your family, but they can be stressful for parents and babies alike. If you want to make the next trip as smooth as possible for everyone involved, follow these tips:

     1. Keep Them Safe on the Road

One of the most important things you can do to keep your baby calm on a road trip is to make sure they are safe. You need to choose the appropriate car seat for your child’s age and weight and install it properly. You should also use a safety harness to keep them secure in the seat. You can get the best car seat for your child at a variety of stores like Diono.

     2. Make Frequent Rest Stops

Your baby will be more content on the road if you are, so make sure to plan some rest breaks during your trip for everyone to stretch their legs and get out of the car every few hours. If your baby starts to get fussy during the trip, pull over as soon as you can and let them stretch their legs a bit or take a walk with them in the back carrier if it’s safe to do so. 

     3. Bring Toys and Puzzles

Your baby will be happier if you bring along some of their favorite toys and puzzles. You can also let them watch a video or two on your tablet to keep them occupied during the trip, but make sure they don’t get too used to watching TV in the car, as it could create problems when they are back home with limited access to screens.

    4. Play Soothing Music or White Noise

Nothing soothes babies like being sung to, so bring along baby-friendly lullabies or sing to your child yourself. If you don’t have any music that is appropriate for infants, you can also try playing white noise on the car stereo which might help them feel calm and relaxed by masking other sounds in the environment.

    5. Feeding Stops at Regular Intervals

If you are breastfeeding your baby, then feed them whenever they need it. If you’re pumping breast milk to bring along in a cooler, don’t worry about keeping it completely chilled during the trip because heating up frozen breast milk will not hurt its nutritional value. You can keep several bottles of room temperature or cold milk in the cooler. If you are bottle-feeding your baby, make sure to stop every few hours to feed them so they don’t get too hungry or cranky.

     6. Carry Snacks and Drinks

If you have a toddler who is difficult to feed on the go, bring extra of their favorite foods that do not need to be heated up or cooled down before eating them.

However, be careful when choosing the snacks and drinks you bring along. The last thing you want is for a hungry or thirsty baby to get upset because they are not getting the sustenance that they need while on the road trip. 

Start with a short trip to begin your road trips and work up from there, so you can build up both their tolerance for being on the go as well as yours. You should also vary where you stop when it’s time to eat or rest so that babies learn new things about their environment. This way, you’ll have a stress-free road trip.