29.09.2023
A checklist for road trips with a baby.
My little one and I have driven a whole lot of kilometers, seen glaciers, volcanoes, whales, and even got stuck in the sand on a wild beach once. And now I know how to make all these adventures as comfortable as possible for everyone taking part.
By the way, the first six months are the comfiest for traveling: the baby isn't crawling yet, which means he expresses little (well, less than he will later) opinion about where he wants to be and what he wants to do. And I also believe babies are super adaptable (otherwise none of us would have made it), which means they'll adjust to whatever lifestyle their parents have.
So, here's what to take with you if you're leaving in an hour and you love empty roads far from civilization:
1) A stash of diapers, 8 a day. Everything else on the list matters less, but hunting for an open store at midnight in some nowhere-land is definitely not something you want. Plus, out in nowhere-land they won't have your favorite diapers, and the ones you don't like will leak. 2) 4 sets of daytime clothes. No more than that, you can dry everything quickly in the car. 3) A carrier/sling for the baby: so you can climb up some tall mountain. 4) A stroller. The baby will almost certainly refuse to sit in it, but it's handy for hauling your own stuff around once you get to the hotel. 3) A big bottle of non-drinking water. Because the urge to wash up always strikes 100 km before the nearest gas station with a toilet, and waterfalls aren't everywhere. 4) Snacks and water for mom. As in, a double stash of snacks and water for the grownups. This was the least obvious one for me: turns out, for breastfeeding to work steadily, you have to keep eating a lot all the time — at home you don't really notice it. And milk running out half an hour before town = screaming through the whole car, don't do that. 5) Hanging toys. Just don't forget them 6) A first-aid kit: painkillers, something for the tummy, a teething chewy-thing, cream for rashes, a thermometer, nail scissors. I always forget or lose the scissors and then marvel at how fast those claws grow! 7) A swimsuit and a towel. A person who can quickly adapt to virtually any new situation is said to know where their towel is.
That's it, you're ready to hit the road, safe travels