Whew, did I miss summer?!?? How is it August?!? This summer has been flying by and we have been busy!
First off, our new explorer joined us in April. Introducing Wylder! He has been a happy baby which is helping us adjust to being a family of three (four if my husband is in town). Wylder is already asking to go on adventures and has already had quite a few!
When Wylder was five weeks we packed up to head off to Omaha and stay with my husband for a week. Unfortunately, campgrounds were full so my husband did not have our fifth wheel there and he was somewhat slumming it in extended stay hotels. That may be fine for a man working long hours and not spending much time there but it wasn’t my style. Instead, we rented a cute cabin at a KOA and then a fishing cabin in Iowa. This trip was far from dull…. It included sailing through trees on zip lines, a visit to a zoo, and two trips to the emergency room!
I wanted to spend some time to chatting about road tripping with an infant. I like to consider myself an expert at road trips, but adding an infant was a whole new game. One that I felt like I was losing numerous times over the ten hour ride. Thankfully my sister in law rode with on the way out there and stayed a couple days to help!
I learned several things, or I should say Wylder taught me several things.
1. Do not over dress your baby. I repeat. Do. Not.… they will not like it and you will regret it. I had put Wylder in a sleeper outfit when we left the house that morning. It was May so weather was still cool. I made sure the fan was on and air was circulating. All seemed great! He slept the first couple hours and when he fussed we pulled over and stopped… Only to find out he was drenched in sweat! His temp was around 100 and I was cooking him in the back seat! Lesson learned; dress in a short sleeve onsie and bring a blanket to tuck him in as needed.
2. Pumping while driving is surprisingly easy. I used my pumping backpack and had it plugged in so when I needed to I just hooked up. The key is in the pumping bra… ladies if you have pumped you know what I mean! Also I drive a jeep so higher up and harder for people to notice that I somewhat looked like a cow. It was much less messy and much easier than juggling bottles, water, and formula. I definitely recommend this route and if you are pumping don’t shy away from a long drive just for that reason.
3. Pay attention to parks and waysides. Bonus points if your GPS or car tell you when they are approaching. This is a huge help! Crying kids, don’t worry a rest stop is 13.4 miles ahead! Don’t be afraid to take a break and stop. Let the kids run off some energy. Don’t stare at the clock because to be honest if you have kids, it’s unlikely you will ever be on time to anything again. Just kidding. Maybe.
4. When you do finally arrive at your destination do not expect “fun family bonding” to happen that second. You just rode hours in a car, no one wants to bond anymore with anyone else. Take the baby for a walk, let the littles run, and the adults be apart for a bit. Once everyone has regrouped THEN bonding time can happen.
5. Lastly, follow your kids lead. Especially the baby. If they are fussing stop. If they are hungry feed them. Throw any, and all, expectations of the trip out the window. You are on demand parenting an infant… in a car… don’t stare at the clock or miles and just relax and get there when you get there.
Thankfully, there were no major issues driving both out to Omaha and home. Overall, the ride was a success and I definitely learned what not to do on the way home!
Check out the next blogs to learn about the activities we did on Wylder’s first trip!
Wandering Momma 