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Road-trips/driving how do people do it!?



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amother
OP  


 

Post Today at 12:39 am
How does anyone do it!? Driving a 5 hour drive to my in-laws now and have a 15 month old and a 2 month old screaming in the back! Stopping and trying to calm them down doesn’t help and is just adding time to our trip. It’s stressing me out! Last time we drove we went during the day which was a disaster. This time we tried going right at bedtime so they would fall asleep. They fell asleep but then woke up and are super overtired! And now I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow from such a late night because getting in at 1:30 in the morning so not going to bed before 2. I need to get up with the kids and on my own while DH goes to Daven an extra long davening because of hoshana raba…. Just a bit overwhelmed with it all now!
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amother
Fuchsia


 

Post Today at 12:44 am
amother OP wrote:
How does anyone do it!? Driving a 5 hour drive to my in-laws now and have a 15 month old and a 2 month old screaming in the back! Stopping and trying to calm them down doesn’t help and is just adding time to our trip. It’s stressing me out! Last time we drove we went during the day which was a disaster. This time we tried going right at bedtime so they would fall asleep. They fell asleep but then woke up and are super overtired! And now I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow from such a late night because getting in at 1:30 in the morning so not going to bed before 2. I need to get up with the kids and on my own while DH goes to Daven an extra long davening because of hoshana raba…. Just a bit overwhelmed with it all now!


I have memories from almost 10 years ago of singing the same song for at least a half hour straight to keep my child calm, until eventually they fell asleep. (I think it was "open shut them") And of other times sitting with my hand reaching to the back seat to keep a pacifier in a baby's mouth.
It honestly might be worth it to stop, change their diapers, and squish in the back with them til they fall asleep. And then switch to the front and doze til you get there. Hopefully they'll sleep a little later tomorrow.
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amother
  OP  


 

Post Today at 12:47 am
amother Fuchsia wrote:
I have memories from almost 10 years ago of singing the same song for at least a half hour straight to keep my child calm, until eventually they fell asleep. (I think it was "open shut them") And of other times sitting with my hand reaching to the back seat to keep a pacifier in a baby's mouth.
It honestly might be worth it to stop, change their diapers, and squish in the back with them til they fall asleep. And then switch to the front and doze til you get there. Hopefully they'll sleep a little later tomorrow.


Yeah, we tried the singing and the music… that didn’t work so we are on to feeding cheerios to my toddler one at a time…😅
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Sewsew_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Today at 12:47 am
I don't believe anyone willingly takes two babies on a road trip.
It's definitely not fun nor easy.
Drive safe.. And sit in the back with them. This too shall pass.
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amother
Daffodil


 

Post Today at 1:06 am
I nurse the baby most of the way... Unsafe I know but driving with a screaming baby and your nerves are fraying is also very unsafe.

The toddler gets bottles on demand, that usually got them quiet enough for long enough to fall back asleep.
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amother
Opal


 

Post Today at 1:29 am
OP those are awful ages for road too. You have 2 babies. How do people do it? They stay closer to home when they have 2 babies. Or they all cry together. There’s no magic bullet.
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amother
  OP  


 

Post Today at 1:32 am
amother Opal wrote:
OP those are awful ages for road too. You have 2 babies. How do people do it? They stay closer to home when they have 2 babies. Or they all cry together. There’s no magic bullet.


I know, I wish we could stay home so badly but we need to split YT between my parents and in-laws… but it’s validating to hear that it’s a universal problem and not just that I’m doing something wrong
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amother
Bubblegum  


 

Post Today at 1:35 am
amother Daffodil wrote:
I nurse the baby most of the way... Unsafe I know but driving with a screaming baby and your nerves are fraying is also very unsafe.

The toddler gets bottles on demand, that usually got them quiet enough for long enough to fall back asleep.


Nooooooooooooooooo.

This is soooooooo dangerous.

If your baby won't sit in the car seat, you can't go on the road trip. Confirm this with your pediatrician and rav before you jeopardize his life.

Hashem yishmor tzeischa u'voecha.
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amother
  Bubblegum


 

Post Today at 1:38 am
amother OP wrote:
I know, I wish we could stay home so badly but we need to split YT between my parents and in-laws… but it’s validating to hear that it’s a universal problem and not just that I’m doing something wrong



Nope, wrong.

You do not NEED to split yom tov and do the road trip.

If being at your parents/ILs is worth the screaming, you do it. If not, you stay home or only at one set and you don't do it.

Whatever you do, please travel safely.
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amother
  OP  


 

Post Today at 1:40 am
amother Bubblegum wrote:
Nooooooooooooooooo.

This is soooooooo dangerous.

If your baby won't sit in the car seat, you can't go on the road trip. Confirm this with your pediatrician and rav before you jeopardize his life.

Hashem yishmor tzeischa u'voecha.


Yeah, I agree. I wouldn’t drive without my babies in the car seat.
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amother
  OP  


 

Post Today at 1:47 am
amother Bubblegum wrote:
Nope, wrong.

You do not NEED to split yom tov and do the road trip.

If being at your parents/ILs is worth the screaming, you do it. If not, you stay home or only at one set and you don't do it.

Whatever you do, please travel safely.


We live in the same city as my parents so see them often. We don’t go to my in-laws often but 2-3 times a year we do need to go visit otherwise we would never see them. They can’t travel to us for various (legitimate) reasons. As much as I hate it, it’s not fair to DH to never see his family and it’s not fair to in-laws to never see their son and grandchildren.
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DrMom  




 
 
    
 

Post Today at 1:53 am
Can you break up the drive with a stop on a park along the way? That way they'll get some time to use up some energy and sleep a bit in the car.

My kids always slept in the car, so our challenge was to time the driving so it didn't totally mess up their schedules to the point where they were up all night if we took a long drive.

(But I live in a smaller country where long drives are more rare).
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amother
  OP


 

Post Today at 2:02 am
DrMom wrote:
Can you break up the drive with a stop on a park along the way? That way they'll get some time to use up some energy and sleep a bit in the car.

My kids always slept in the car, so our challenge was to time the driving so it didn't totally mess up their schedules to the point where they were up all night if we took a long drive.

(But I live in a smaller country where long drives are more rare).


I think when they are a little older then the park idea would work, but they are too young for that right now. My older baby just learned to walk a couple of months ago and isn’t really ready to “play” at parks. And we tried taking a break or two during this drive but it just made my toddler more upset when we put him back in the car 😔
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  DrMom




 
 
    
 

Post Today at 2:17 am
amother OP wrote:
I think when they are a little older then the park idea would work, but they are too young for that right now. My older baby just learned to walk a couple of months ago and isn’t really ready to “play” at parks. And we tried taking a break or two during this drive but it just made my toddler more upset when we put him back in the car 😔

Even if he can't use playground equipment, he can toddle around on some grass, no? And maybe you can unroll a playmat for your infant and let him get some tummy time.

Other ideas:

-Do you have music on in the car? Something your kids enjoy?

- Do they have any car-friendly toys to amuse them? There are toys that strap to the back of the seat so your carseat-confined kids can play without the toys falling on the floor.
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amother
Cerulean


 

Post Today at 2:22 am
When my kids were that age, I sat in the back with them. Not perfect, but I was there to soothe, give bottles and sippy cups and pacifiers and snacks, read books, etc. And we did often need to stop at least once, but being able to feed them and see them helped so much.
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amother
Vermilion


 

Post Today at 3:32 am
I nurse the baby on long drives too, but I just lean over the car seat and nurse. I'd never take the baby out while driving. Better have a longer but safer trip.
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