Road trips are great family vacations, and traveling with a baby makes for a great first trip.
Be sure that your baby’s car seat is correctly installed and pack diapers, extra outfits, bibs and diaper rash cream and keep them in easy reach. When you are on a long trip with a baby, plan to stop and get out of the car every 2 hours. An adult should ride next to the car seat to be sure that the baby is safe and comfortable.
The biggest concern when driving for a long time is positional asphyxia. This is when the baby slouches down in their car seat and makes it hard for them to breathe.
Babies can have difficulty repositioning themselves in the car seat, so an adult should ride next to the baby to be sure that they are breathing well.
Traveling with a 5 month old can be tricky.
Give yourself the best chance for a stress free trip by packing everything you need and remaining flexible on the road.
Pack your normal brand of diapers and diaper rash cream and stop to change diapers every 2 hours or if the diaper has been soiled. Use generous amounts of diaper rash cream to avoid a painful rash from prolonged sitting.
If your five month old gets wet at all in the car seat, change their outfit and wipe out the car seat. I like to keep 2-3 extra outfits in the baby bag where I can get to them easily at a stop.
How Long Can a 5 Month Old Travel in the Car?
Babies should be taken out of their car seats every two hours on a long road trip. This recommendation comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The “2-hour rule” is designed to protect babies from positional asphyxia.
These regulations refer to babies born at term with no known medical conditions, if your baby was born prematurely or has a medical history talk to your pediatrician about your vacation plans.
If you are traveling overnight or during nap times, some pediatricians say that you can stretch car seat time to 3-4 hours while the baby is sleeping. Use your judgment and be sure to monitor your five month old’s breathing.
In my experience it is best to limit driving to 6 hours in a 24 hour period.
This is just what we have found to work for our family. Sometimes you can stretch it to 8 hours if you put a longer break in the middle of the driving time.
How To Plan a Road Trip With a 5 Month Old?
As a general rule, plan to cover about 300 miles a day with stops every 2 hours. Get everyone out of the car at each stop and be sure that the driver has plenty of time to be well rested.
Plan each 2 hour chunk as a “leg” of the trip. Here is my one page printable road trip planner that will allow you to organize your trip by legs.
I have found that the best way to organize a long road trip is to break it into travel days and choose one big stop per day.
I like to plan a travel day like this:
- Leave early in the morning and cover 200 miles
- Stop for 3-5 hours in the afternoon
- Drive the last 100 miles and arrive at lodging before 5 pm
This simple system makes it really easy to plan a trip with a baby.
Early Morning Leg
Plan your early morning leg to start when it works best for your family and drive for the first two hours and find a quick easy stop.
Ideas for diaper change stops:
- Visitor’s Centers
- Fast Food Chains
- Truck Stops
- Roadside Attractions
You can find these on highway exit signs and you kinda know what you are gonna get when you stop here.
You can even stay in your car and feed and change your baby, just be sure to take the baby out of the car seat. Adults should walk around a bit to stretch their legs too!
Afternoon Stop
Where are you going to stop for 3-5 hours?! Here are ideas that have worked well for our family:
1. Restaurant
Fast food or fine dining both work depending on your family. Choose a restaurant that you love and order appetizers.
We have found great success with Cracker Barrel. They have a shop and rocking chairs that encourage people to hang around.
2. Visitor’s Center
Visitor’s Centers are really hidden gems. We have stumbled upon museum quality displays in Visitor’s Centers and amazing photo ops and playgrounds.
You may be able to learn more about the area or get great local food recommendations from attendants.
They often have a large bathroom and are located right off the highway.
3. City Center
If you are passing by a large city you may be able to park and walk around. This is like a mini vacation within your vacation!
Embrace the new city and get in some steps.
4. Park or Playground
Parks and playgrounds are often a bit far off the highway, but they can be great stops for families with multiple kids.
Read a few reviews to be sure you are going to a great playground with bathrooms and covered areas to stay out of the sun.
We have enjoyed eating picnic lunches in beautiful playgrounds on road trips. A very fun, cheap stop idea.
5. Museum
Capital cities often have free museums that celebrate the state. These can be a great place to spend the afternoon and they are often close to local restaurants.
You may not find comfortable places to feed and change your baby in a museum, so call ahead and ask about accommodations.
6. Shopping Mall or Outlets
When you are traveling in the hot months shopping malls and outlet malls can be great stops for walking indoors.
Often these areas have walking paths outlined to encourage people to walk and spend time there. We have also seen beautiful family bathrooms and seating areas in malls.
This can be a very comfortable stop, even if it’s not the richest cultural experience.
Afternoon Leg
When you have enjoyed your time and are ready to get back in the car drive for another two hours until you arrive at your sleeping location.
Hotel loyalty plans can really help decrease decision fatigue (which gets really bad for me on vacation).
Choose a hotel line that you are familiar with and have a plan for safe sleeping for the baby.
Hotel alternatives are also great options for traveling with a baby.
Do what is comfortable for you and your family. If you always camp, then camp, but if you are more comfortable in Hilton Hotels then book that room.
Driving Through the Night
Some families like to drive through the night so that the kids will sleep during the drive. The problem with this is when you arrive the kids are fully rested and the parents are exhausted. I am grumpy just thinking about it.
I grew up doing 2 very long road trips a year with my large family. We often drove through the night and we stopped every 6 hours….. Don’t do this to your kids.
Slowing down and taking multiple stops will make the trip much richer, more comfortable and more memorable.
