Road Trip with a Newborn

You just had a baby! Who said it isn’t a great time for a road trip? Whether it is to visit family to meet the baby or a vacation, going on a road trip with a newborn can be easy and enjoyable.

Our first road trip with JL was to the Hamptons when he was 7 weeks old. From our home in Boston, this trip was between 5 to 6 hours with traffic. Prior to this trip the furthest we had driven with him was about an hour in Boston traffic. It was definitely doable and we had no regrets!

This post is geared to babies in the first 3 months of life. They are still pretty sleepy and napping a lot at this time. After the first 3 months, they transition to the infant phase where they become a little more awake and alert. If you are planning a road trip with a baby over 3 months old, check out my post on taking a road trip with an infant!

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.

Road Trip with a Newborn: Gear

Infant Car Seat

The car seat is the most important item on a road trip with a newborn 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.

We initially did not buy an infant car seat for JL since we lived in the city. Walking was our primary mode of transportation and we were not sure we would get much use out of an infant car seat. So, we started out with a convertible car seat then decided we liked the flexibility of the infant car seat.

There is not a right or a wrong answer for using a convertible or infant car seat. It is just what works best for your family. We like that we can pop the infant car seat onto our stroller attachment. It is also can be used without the base which makes it a little easier to fit in a car seat bag when flying or switching cars. This would also make it easier to install in a taxi.

Convertible Car Seat

We started out with a convertible car seat that is affordable and has a good crash test rating.

Later, once we moved out of the city and purchased a second car we bought a Nuna Rava. I really like this convertible car seat but it is expensive so I would wait for the Nordstrom sale to buy it if you want a good price.

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.

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.

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.

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 a Newborn

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 Newborn

The pro to nursing while on a road trip with a newborn 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.

Portable Pumps

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.

Cooler Bag

You will definitely need some type of cooler if you’re bringing stored breastmilk or pumping ahead of time for a feed on a stop. Any cooler you already have at home will work but if you want something specific for breastmilk, there are lots of great options out there. Here is an example.

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.

Travel Bassinet

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.

What we did while he was sleeping in the travel bassinet was DIY blackout curtains. Bring black trash bags 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 but it fits over a standard size pack n play and does not work with the travel bassinet.

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.

Baby Monitors

The choice of which monitor to use is at each parent’s discretion. We do not typically use one if he is in the room with us while sleeping. If we are going to be in a separate room or leaving the room while he is napping we use a monitor. At home we use a Nanit but on the road we bring an Infant Optics monitor.

Traveling with a Newborn

I could go on and on about my recommendations for traveling. Overall, I want you to not be scared to get out there!

Leave any questions or comments you have below!

BV,

Megan