Road Trip with an Infant: Tips

When my son was 3 months old, we took our first road trip with an infant. Traveling with an infant is slightly different than a newborn because they are not quite as sleepy as they were before. Hopefully, they are also sleeping longer stretches so it will be easier on everyone! We did a practice run road trip through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. This was a day trip from our home in Boston. Later that month, we a longer PCH road trip, also known as California State Route 1. Check out our PCH Road Trip Itinerary here!

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Road Trip with an Infant: Gear

Car Seat

The car seat is the most important item on a road trip with an infant in my opinion. I prefer to travel with my car seat when flying for a road trip. Some rental car companies offer car seat rental. The most important aspect of a car seat to me is the crash test rating. Since I do not know which car seat I will receive with a rental company, I want my own. If you want to travel light, renting a car seat once you reach your destination might be the best decision for you.

When I was purchasing a car seat in 2021, the infant car seat with the best crash test rating according to Baby Gear was the Chicco KeyFit 30. This can change year to year, so be sure to check out the newest ratings prior to purchasing.

Sun Shade

If road tripping during the day, I definitely recommend a sun shade to shield the baby from the sun. Even though our car seat has a shade, sometimes the sun comes in at an angle and is right on his face. This is not great for keeping your baby cool or helping them nap while on the road. I recommend one with suction you can easily roll up and out of the way to enjoy the views if the sun is on the other side of the car.

Road trip with an infant: naps — JL taking a nap on our California PCH Road Trip

Car Mirror

Depending on if you are driving or will ride as a passenger in the back seat, you may want a car seat mirror. When flying for a road trip, we do not always bring one as it is one more thing to pack and I usually sit with JL in the back. However, in our car we always have one so we can watch him. Safety experts recommend a soft sided mirror in case it becomes a projectile to prevent it from harming the baby.

Toys

Some babies need entertainment while on a road trip. With JL, we were lucky and he was happy with his pacifier in place for the most part while we were on the road when he was around the age of 3 months old.

Road trip with an infant: pacifier — JL’s narwhal pacifier is always close by

We also would pack some soft toys that he is able to grow with and play with in hotel rooms.

Indestructibles are some of our favorites. He can chew on them, play with them in the bath, etc and they are true to their name and indestructible. Since it is lightweight, it also doubles as our bedtime read while on the road.

We also like the soft crinkle books. They provide a sensory experience for the baby and give them something to play with in the hotel room as well as on the road. It also helps that they are lightweight.

Sun Hat

I always like to throw a sun hat in our diaper bag for road trips. This provides sun protection for JL when we get out to take pictures.

They make several different styles depending on your preference, but this is what we use.

Infant sunglasses

I ordered this 5 pack of sunglasses right after JL was born. They are advertised as unbreakable and so far we have not broken them yet.

Feeding while on a Road Trip with an Infant

The tricky thing about a road trip with an infant is the frequency of their feedings. We had JL on the Moms on Call schedule. We felt that having him on a schedule gave us flexibility to travel as we could anticipate his needs better. Obviously this does not work for everyone, but I wanted to share what worked well for us.

Nursing while on a Road Trip with an Infant

The pro to nursing while on a road trip with an infant is you do not have to bring much gear. If anything you just need to bring a nursing cover if you want to get out of the car and have privacy while nursing. However if you want to just stay in the car and have tinted windows, you might not even need that. This is the nursing cover I used because it is lightweight and can be worn as a scarf.

The con to nursing while on a road trip with an infant is you have to stop which may slow you down if you are trying to cover a long distance. If planning on nursing, make sure you check out the route ahead of time and try to map out stops along the way.

Pumping while on a Road Trip with an Infant

Personally, I preferred pumping while on a road trip with an infant. It prevents us from having to stop as much. The drawback is that it can take your attention away from the sights while on the road. Also, it is not an option if you are the one driving. If you want the most privacy, you might prefer to sit in the back seat which is not optimal if you get car sick. I preferred sitting in the back seat so I could entertain JL anyway. This is just a personal preference though. Some moms want to sit in the front seat or may want to drive themselves.

Wearable Pumps

Some form of wearable pump is the easiest pump to use while driving in my opinion. With a wearable pump, you do not have to worry about the cords while turning the steering wheel, changing gears, etc. They are also more discreet if you value privacy. I personally only tried the Willow but there are several options available. The sole reason I chose the Willow because it is what most of my friends used at the time. I found they definitely came with a learning curve so I would practice using them in advance of the road trip.

Wearable pumps are great for if you are planning on getting out and doing tours or hikes while on your road trip.

Wearable pumps can be expensive if not covered by insurance. You can definitely use whatever pump you have, especially if you are the passenger. I felt like I got more milk when using my spectra so if we were not planning on stopping, I would use it instead of my willows.

Make sure that your pump can run off battery if you do not have an outlet in your car. Also, make sure you charge your pump the night before your road trip

Road trip with an infant: Golden Gate Bridge — JL napping across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Note on Car Seat Safety

I am not a car seat safety specialist by any means. However, I do know you are not supposed to have any loose objects that can become projectiles in an accident and harm the baby. As you can see in the picture above, I placed a bottle next to JL’s face. I did this for a moment to capture the photo after pumping. The bottle was moved immediately after this photo was taken.

Sleeping Arrangements while on a Road Trip with an Infant

Crib

When we travel, we prefer to book hotels that have cribs available. If you are doing this, be sure to call the hotel in advance of your departure to ensure they will have a crib available when you arrive. In my experience, most hotels have pack n plays. Every now and then, a hotel will have an actual mini crib for the baby to sleep in.

However, if your baby struggles with sleeping on the road, it is probably best to bring your own travel crib that they are used to. Bringing your own travel crib enables you to have practice runs in the crib for nap time and overnight sleep prior to your trip. Practice runs will help ensure your baby is comfortable sleeping in their travel crib.

We were given a Pack N Play that included a travel bassinet. JL slept in the travel bassinet on our local road trips prior to 4 months of age. As I mentioned above, we do not bring our pack n play when flying as long as we ensure one is available at our destination.

Blackout Shade

JL sleeps in a dark room at home, so we like to create the same environment on the road.

One option is to bring black trash bag and painters tape. You can use the painters tape to tape the black trash bag over the windows and block out sunlight. Hopefully the painters tape will not ruin the walls.

What I find to be the better option is to bring a blackout cover for a travel crib. Slumberpod makes a tent style that goes over several different sizes of cribs and pack n plays. Unless you travel often with your baby, it may hard to justify the price. This is a cheaper option that we use.

The blackout cover also allows your to move around the room while baby is sleeping with more ease.

Travel Sheets

Some hotels do not have sheets that fit a pack n play mattress. They will just give you a flat sheet to fold around the mattress. I prefer to travel with my own pack n play sheet so it provides a tighter fit.

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As he has gotten older, we have noticed that JL sleeps better if we add a mattress pad under the sheet. This is what we use.

Portable Sound Machine

There are white noise apps you can use on your phone if your baby sleeps with white noise. We prefer to use a portable sound machine.