So this is how we did it. You might be able to glean a few ideas from what we packed:
- My bag: My clothes and the portacot. We bought a small, fold-up tent style portacot that fits in my wheelie suitcase. The brand is KinderKot and it's pretty cool, except that my bub prefers a traditional style cot and doesn't go down in it too well. However, it lasts until they are 4 years old, so I imagine once he's a bit older he will love it, and he sleeps in it fine with a bit of cuddling!
- Boyfriend's bag: He has a backpack so he can wheel the pram at the same time as carrying it.
- Baby's bag: I bought a carry-on sized bag that has wheels but is also a backpack. I can wear this on my back when wheeling my bigger suitcase bag. It's big enough to carry lots of changes of clothes, spew rags, wraps, some toys, a blanket and spare nappies.
- Nappy bag: We ditched the modern cloth nappies for the holiday and bought a pack of Nature Babycare nappies by Naty, which are a corn-based eco nappy. They are available in most supermarkets, and although they are a little pricey, it reduces the guilt factor in using disposables!
- Green bag filled with food, formula and bottles. See below for more detail on feeding on the road.
- Bumbo seat: This was great for sitting Lewis up on a table for feeding. He wasn't yet sitting by himself but was on 2 meals a day.
We didn't take an esky as there wasn't room in the car, but would in future to keep the bottles and food cool.
TIP: A pop-up tent style portacot is quick to erect and doesn't take up much room.
TIP: A pop-up tent style portacot is quick to erect and doesn't take up much room.
Feeding on the road
As Lewis was 5 months old (and a mostly formula-fed baby) we were still sterilising his bottles and filling them with boiled water. We took the microwave steriliser, but this was an issue as many motel rooms don't have microwaves, and some people we stayed with didn't have a microwave! When we did have access to a microwave I would sterilise and fill all our bottles (6) with boiled water. That was just over a day's worth of bottles. The few days in a row where we didn't have access to a microwave or stove top to sterilise, I just washed the bottles as best I could in boiling water, and rinsed thoroughly in boiling water, and let dry overnight. I filled them with cooled boiled water in the morning before we left. He didn't get sick, so I guess I washed them well enough!
TIP: Book apartments rather than motel/hotels, as these will generally have a microwave for sterilising and heating bottles/food.
Lewis was on 2 meals a day at this stage, so we took the baby rice which was easy to prepare for his breakfast in the hotel room. We took the Bumbo seat with us, which was really helpful for feeding on the road. For his afternoon meal we usually fed him avocado. Nice and easy to spoon and mash straight from the fruit. Easy!
TIP: If your baby isn't yet sitting by themselves, take a Bumbo-style sit-seat, or use the pram to prop them up in for feeding.
Other general tips for road trips
TIP: Get on the road early so that your baby can sleep for most of the morning (or try to suit your baby's sleep pattern). Have toys, dummies and food and/or bottles (if bottle feeding) on hand, so that the passenger can entertain the baby if they get unsettled at a time when it's difficult to stop. (We had a screaming Lewis on a freeway into Sydney - we just couldn't stop! Nightmare.) Another good option is for the passenger to sit in the back next to bub, so that they can entertain him or her while still driving.
TIP: Plan to break a long trip and only travel for 5 or so hours a day. Young babies get very bored by the car and need entertainment by the afternoon. We usually took Lewis into the motel pool as soon as we got there. Refreshing for us and fun for him!
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Overall I would say go for it! Babies are very portable and if you have maternity leave it's the perfect opportunity to take a break.
