We spent a lot of summer 2020 driving in the car with Calvin. We drove from northern Utah to Lake Powell, Moab, Idaho Falls, and West Yellowstone. We had some amazing stretches of road and some stressful ones. This post is to help you avoid the latter as much as possible.
PLANNING
Before having kids, going on a road trip involved packing some clean underwear, stocking up on caffeine, and hitting the road. Things are much more complicated when you have a child with you, especially one you can’t talk with, reason with, or bribe.
When you are planning to go on a roadtrip with your baby, the first thing you need to do is to plug your destination into your GPS of choice. I personally like Google Maps. Look at how long it estimates your trip will take you. For every two hours it thinks you’ll be driving, add about 45 minutes to the total. AND if the drive is going to be 6 hours or more, add another 90 minutes. So, if Google maps estimates a 4 hour drive, you should plan on roughly 5.5 hours. If it estimates an 8 hour drive, plan on 10-12 hours.
All of this extra time comes from the fact that you will need to stop much more often for an infant or child than for an adult. Children need diaper changes, frequent snacks/meals/bottles, and longer breaks from the car in order to reset. I’ll explain more about this below.
PACKING AND GETTING YOUR VEHICLE READY
As you prepare to leave, take time packing your car. Some key points to remember:
- make sure there is nothing that could fall over on your child if you brake hard or take a sharp curve
- leave the seat immediately adjacent to the car seat vacant. On every road trip, one of us ended up in the back next to Calvin to entertain him at some point.
- Pack a bag or backpack with all of the essentials for the road so you don’t have to dig through every bag on the side of the road. Make sure to include: formula, water, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper cream, changing pad, bag for dirty diapers, toys, pacifiers, change of clothes, snacks, and headphones and a phone charger for you.
- Make sure the driver can still see out of the rear window.
All of these things will ensure that you can access everything you need to in a crisis and that everyone stays safe and happy on your journey.
WHEN TO LEAVE
For us, the best time for us to leave is in the morning. This give us plenty of time to drive, eat, take breaks, enjoy the road, and arrive with time to play and unwind before bed. We don’t worry at all about wake windows or nap lengths. We drive while Calvin is either content or sleeping, and we take breaks when he gets real fussy, hungry, or bored. This works great for our family.
Other people find that driving overnight is the easiest for them. Their kids sleep more of the drive. We haven’t ever tried this method, but the reason we like daytime travel is the ability to stop and get out of the car. If you are driving in the middle of the night and need to stop and stretch, letting the kids run around isn’t so much of an option.
Figure out what works for you and go with it!
HELPFUL GADGETS TO BRING
- Noggle – this gadget is pricey, but so worth the money. Even more so if you can find one used online. It hooks to your car vent up front and channels the cooled or heated air directly back to your child in the backseat. This was so critical, especially for our trips to Lake Powell and Moab.
- Window Shades – I personally like these peel and stick window shades. You can remove and restick them multiple times and they don’t break the bank. One thing to consider though is the size of your rear windows. On my sister’s Nissan Juke, these were too big for the windows but on my Subaru Impreza, there is lots of window to spare. Make sure you know the dimensions of your windows and place the shade in the most helpful place for your baby.
- Childview Seat Mirror – In everyday life, these are nice but not essential. On a road trip, a mirror to see your child is extremely helpful to know if they are asleep, have lost a toy or pacifier, or if they are just mad to be mad. The more info you have, the better.
- New toys – if there’s anything that can work as a bribe for even little, tiny babies, it’s a new age-appropriate toy. Even just one or two can get you the extra 20 minutes you need to make it to the next pit stop.
- Favorite Toys – in addition to a couple new toys, it’s always a good idea to bring some tried-and-true favorites. I use toy rotation for Cal, so I even picked out his road trip toys about a week in advance and put them away. Then, when I brought them out in the car, he was so excited to see them again! It was like I had brought all NEW toys.
- Multiple Pacifiers – You don’t want to lose one of these on the floor of your car and have it be your only one. Bring spares.
- Zip Up Blanket – one of these is a great staple to just keep in the car with you. Durable and easy to care for, this outdoor blanket zips up into a convenient bag for travel. Very nice to lay down wherever you’re at and let your little one stretch and move their body on their own.
- Car Vacuum – okay, I have to admit that I don’t actually own one of these, but my sister does and it’s genius. It plugs right into her car and she can vacuum up crumbs and dirt and such in just a couple of minutes. Trust me when I say that being able to keep your car a little tidier will improve the vibe of the whole trip.
- Travel Stroller – we have a Mountain Buggy Nano Stroller that I absolutely love. It is so sturdy, so comfortable for Calvin, and folds up small enough to fit on the floor between his car seat and the driver’s seat. Check out my full review here!
- Travel High Chair – this is the Mountain Buggy Pod and is actually the high chair we use at home too. It will clip onto most tables and Calvin has been using it since he was about six months old. It is so nice to have a chair that doesn’t have to stick out from the table forever and we know is clean. When we are being seated, we just include Calvin in our party number, and then clip his chair over the space allotted for him. Works great!
TAKING BREAKS
When taking road trips with adults or older children, a quick fifteen minutes pit stop at a gas station is enough for everyone to refill their water bottle and stretch their legs. With little ones, breaks aren’t quite so casual.
The #1 rule when it comes to taking breaks with your baby is: never, ever stop the car when the baby is sleeping, unless it is an completely unavoidable or an actual emergency. For this reason, it is very important to fill up your car at each gas station, to maximize the distance you can go before needing gas again. Get snacks, everyone use the bathroom, etc. because if the baby is asleep, you don’t stop.
When planning your trip, I recommend looking for parks, playgrounds, or even grocery stores along your route for your breaks. Allow your little ones to get out, play, eat, get a clean diaper on, play some more, and then get back into the car. I think one of the hardest parts of road trips for Calvin is that he doesn’t get a chance to be on the ground to roll and scoot around. He’s constantly in the car seat or someone’s arms.
Also know that these breaks are going to be most helpful if they can last 30+ minutes. Enough time for little ones to reset and relax. To refill up their tolerance cup a bit before getting back into the car for another couple of hours. Playtime will also help run off some energy and hopefully improve those car naps as well!
ARRIVING AT YOUR DESTINATION
The first thing you do once you have arrived at your destination for the evening is to get that baby out of the car. I like to get Calvin out, strip him down to his diaper, and let him play. I either lay him on a blanket or quickly set up the Pack N’ Play, depending on the venue. I also give him a bottle if it’s time for that.
I strip him down, because I personally get sick of being in my travel clothes by the end of the day and just want to be out of them, and I figure he feels the same.
Once the kid(s) are out of the car and content, you can focus on getting everything unloaded, organized, and getting everyone to bed.
Don’t be afraid to keep living your life after you have kids. And honestly, even if the drive sucks and your kids hate it, once you get to where you’re going, forget the drive and just enjoy the getaway!
BARREL OF MERRELL'S 
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