Cross County Drive with 5 Month Old

A portable DVD player and some baby einstein videos may help keep him calm for a while. My 5 month old loves to watch the DVD player in the car!

A 5 month old will sleep a good deal. You're lucky with that aspect. Stop often, if he's awake already. And make your stops count. Get out of the vehicle for more than just a run into the bathroom and fill-up. Let him get some outside air. Bring a little blanket and find a grassy area to let him lay flat to stretch out a bit. Wiggle and kick. Don't put him back in the car until the checklist is done... 1. clean diaper 2. full belly 3. toys, blanket, and/or binky in reach
Definitely spend parts of the trip sitting in the backseat with him to talk to him and distract him from sitting in that chair.
There will be crying, but you'll get through it. If nothing is wrong, drive on.
Please don't be one of those parents that gets the child out of the carseat while in the car at any point and time. It's incredibly dangerous and a crying baby is a lot better than an injured baby.
Good luck!

I agree with previous poster, if babe is asleep, keep moving ;) other than that I could ony recommend plenty of rest breaks and new toys! Sitting in back with him will help too. But this is all old info now :)
Your request actually caught my eye because we are moving to CA as well soon (from Ft Lauderdale) and I was wondering if you knew anything about the San Jose/Mountain view area. I know this is off topic, so if you don't mind dropping me an email privately I would love to hear any advise you could give on moving to CA! We are going to fly due to time restraints, but I would personally rather drive, I hate to fly!! I have a 5 year old and 5 month old (boys)
Best wishes and have a safe trip!
S.

Lots of young moms here! I'm a few weeks shy of 23. We just moved from MN to FL, and will hopefully soon move back because I hate it here, but our oldest daughter was 1 at the time and I was about 7 months pregnant. We bought DVD players that attach to the backs of the front seats. We let her watch educational DVDs like Blue's Clues and Dora. We'd also stop for long breaks (we also had a dog and cat with us) at big rest areas so we could go for walks. If there are any parks along the way, I'd suggest stopping for a break. We also stayed at a hotel the first night and with family the second night. It was so good to be out of the car!!! Just try to keep things interesting with some new picture books or toys and take lots of breaks. I'm sure your son will do just fine!

I have a portable dvd player with age appropriate movies. That always helps for me.

Wow! That's a really long trip! But, I guess you didn't need anyone to tell you that! LOL! My firstborn has spent a lot of time on the road, but 19 hours was the longest (PA to FL). Luckily at 5 months your little guy is probably still taking a few naps throughout the day, so that will help! Does he like music?? There are so many good cd's out there for babies & toddlers. Just bring lots of toys to keep him occupied...is he doing Cheerios or any finger foods yet?

Sorry I'm not much help...but I wish you the best of luck in your move!

We arrived in Florida last week, we made a cross country drive from Las Vegas. I have a 2 year old and a 3 month old. I can tell you it was hard on them. We took a lot of breaks and stopped to stay in hotels around 5 each evening. When they were sleeping we did as much driving as possible. When they were awake we did have to stop and take breaks. When we would stop to eat we made sure to take the baby out of his car seat and hold him so he got a chance to stretch and get out of the seat. Our 2 year old was fine because she had toys and we have a DVD player in the van so she watched her Sesame Street movies. Just be patient...

NYQUIL! Only kidding. I drove from West Virginia to Florida when my daughter was four months, not near the same length but anyway, I say pack lots of "new toys" something he hasn't seen before. And little picture books, hope for lots of naps and stretching time. Bring a nice blanket so he can stretch out at the rest areas for a bit. Babies get just as cramped as we do.
And if necessary stop somewhere else along the way for the night. Good Luck!

Hi, H.! Will you be riding with Danny alone, or will Dan be in the same car? You may want to plan a lot of flexibility in your travel time to allow for stopping to feed and change the baby. If you're breastfeeding, you may want a pump you can use in the car so you don't have to stop for every feeding. He may do better if someone sits next to him so he isn't staring out the window feeling alone in his car seat.

Good luck!

Hi H., well my son loves cartoons and has been watching disney movies since he was 2 months old, incredible I know, but once you find that thing that calms them for hours, it's a huge blessing. That's what worked for me, and we travel a lot so we bought one of this mini tvs that you hook up to your car which comes already with a dvd player and i play his disney movies there for him, and that keeps him calm for most of the trip. Hope it helps you as much as it has helped me :) Good luck, keep me posted.

H. when my dughter was 5 months old we drove from NM to FL and she did great! But she loved the car and slept a;ot we made quite a few stops for diaper changes and stopped at night in hotels but it wasnt nearlly as bad as I htought it would be I think it depends on how much your child likes car rides...good luck!

Hey H.!
I'm a young mom, too! My son, Jacob, is 11 months old. Whenever we take a long car trip either my husband or I will sit in the back with him to monitor him. Since your son is 5 months old he will probably sleep through most of the trip. That will stink a little because he probably won't sleep at night, so you might want to take turns driving, too, and sleeping in the car. When he is awake some great things to do with him include reading a book to him and showing him the pictures, singing to him, playing peek-a-boo, and so on. You also want to take along perhaps an all-weather blanket (the kind with the waterproof side and the soft side). You are going to want to take some breaks to give him tummy-time and stretch time. Try to do as many things as you regularly do at home, but in the car. His routine is the most sacred thing to keep in tact. Good luck with the trip to Cali! My husband would love to move there if we had the opportunity!
Sincerely,
M.

After many road trips these are the biggest rules! LOL

1. If the baby is sleeping DO NOT STOP DRIVING!! If you have to pee, hold it!! LOL

2. Be willing to stop often to nurse/stretch legs, etc. Be willing to sit in the back to play with him. Take lots of toys but only give him one at a time. Novelty is your friend on a car trip!

Good luck!!