Car travel with babies or children

Every trip is an opportunity for a child, no matter how old, to experience new things and spend more time with family members. But often, car travel with babies or children is also a big challenge, not only for parents but also for children themselves.

Car travel with babies or children is often the preferred way to travel with children, both in Lithuania and abroad. How to prepare properly for a car journey so that it does not become an exhausting start to a weekend or a holiday, let alone ruin the planned leisure time with health problems? Our tips in this article will help you answer this question.

Car travel with babies or children – how to prepare

Car travel with babies or children is a great way to travel, but you need to prepare properly.

These tips will help you plan a successful trip:

You need to plan your route and the timing of your stops, which should be adapted to your child’s age. If your baby is breastfed, plan your stops around the feeding schedule. Children attending kindergarten are active in the mornings and afternoons and are put to bed around 12.00, so a similar pattern should be followed when travelling – the longest part of the route should be taken during lunchtime. School-age children are used to a routine of 45 minutes of lessons, with breaks in between. If a longer distance is to be travelled, the journey to the bus stop should take “two lessons”. In our experience, it is best to make short stops every two hours if the child is awake.
Before travelling, take some time to analyse the route and what interesting things you can see along the way. It is recommended to find out where the playgrounds are and stop for at least ten minutes. The children will enjoy themselves, play and make the journey easier. Check out the Playground Buddy app to help you find playgrounds wherever you go.
Make sure you have a sun screen for the window.
Car seat. It’s very important to choose the right one for your child according to weight, height and age. It ensures not only safety but also comfort during the journey.
A back-up route. This is what we call the extra route we take if the main road gets congested. This is very important if you are travelling on long weekends or Fridays.

Car travel with babies or children

Car travel with babies or children – some tips

These tips, which we’ve tested over many years of travelling, will help you make sure that travelling with your baby or child is fun for the whole family and a trip that will last a long time in your memories:

Temperature

The right temperature. Most people turn on the air conditioning in the car to the point where they get cold – a huge mistake, especially when travelling with children. In summer, the temperature in the car may only be 5 degrees different from the outside temperature – no more. The most common ailment for both children and adults at the start of a journey is a sore throat. So keep child-friendly throat pastilles handy and regulate the temperature in the car responsibly.

Snacks

Food, snacks and drinks are part of a successful journey. They not only keep you full, but also keep you occupied. Sliced vegetables such as cucumbers, peppers, carrots, fried or boiled chicken pieces, fruit and berries that you make sure you wash before you travel, oat bars, cereals, granola bars, crisps, corn sticks are all great for the journey. In a crisis situation, it is always recommended to have something that children love and are not allowed to enjoy every day – ice creams, sweets, juices.

Clothing

Travel clothing. The most important thing is to be comfortable and not restrict movement. If you are going to a party, change your child as soon as you arrive. Don’t dress him or her right away, as they will be uncomfortable, may get hot, and are likely to wrinkle when they have a snack. Also, always have a spare change of clothes. If you are going on a longer trip, have a couple of clean outfits handy.

Other essentials

Stow your essentials in your hand luggage. To avoid having to unload the whole car, it is a good idea to always have: a soft toy, a pillow or roll under your neck, a light blanket, nappies, wet wipes and a change of clothes. In the car, a roll of paper towels can also help in different situations.

If your child is already big, put your child’s toys in a place where he can pick them up himself (mini-baskets on the front seat are very handy).

Car travel with babies or children. What to bring

Feeding your baby during the journey

If you are breastfeeding your baby, but sometimes give him a bottle or breastfeed him on pumped milk and you are worried about how you will have to do it during your trip – don’t be. MOMCOZY is a cordless electric breast pump that’s just made for active and travelling mums.

Just like manual breast pumps, the MOMCOZY has no wires that restrict movement. It is fully electric, so it requires no extra effort! Plus, you have both hands free to drive the car, hold the baby, push the pushchair, read a book or lie on the beach. It is almost invisible, so no one will even know what you are doing.

Read about our experience with the breast pump, when it really comes in handy and why it’s the one thing we absolutely recommend, even for breastfeeding mothers, in the article The best breast pump for travelling.

Best breast pump for travelling

How can I avoid breakouts and other skin problems on a long journey?

Rashes and how to help your child

When a baby spends a lot of time in one position (in this case, sitting), there is a risk of bum rashes. Especially if the baby is allergic or has very sensitive skin. This is especially true if you are travelling in the summer, when the baby is sweating extra and the bottom is constantly hot in the seat.

For us, Weleda’s natural anti-rash cream has been the most effective in this case. We actually use a lot of Weleda products because we were hooked on the ingredients of these products when our firstborn Motiejus was born – they are completely natural! No artificial additives, only natural ingredients and oils, with calendula extract (which has a healing, calming effect). Compared to other creams, Weleda’s is more oil-based, so it’s easier to apply. And even if your bottom is already a bit hot, the oils and calendula soothe and nourish the skin, plus protect it from environmental factors.

Anti-rash cream for children

We have also applied it to other problem areas, such as the neck or the bends behind the knees, where the small, thick layers of skin also sometimes make the skin hot. The cream was also a lifesaver for our first-born, Motiejus. In the summer, when his bottom got a sweaty rash and the little man was digging and scratching his bottom with his nails. I think it will be great for summer trips with Paule, too. Although in the summer, when the kids sweat a lot, we recommend putting this cream under their nappy to stop them wiping and itching.

Skin care during travel

If you’re staying away from home during your trip, you’re never sure of the quality of the water. Especially in resort towns. That’s why on every trip, even the shortest one, we take body milk in the bath for the baby (we used it for the older one too). Not only for gentle wash of her skin, but also to soothe and nourish her. It has an incredibly mild calendula scent, and it leaves the skin, even if allergic, feeling soft, smooth and well moisturised. You can even avoid using other products afterwards, as this product has a naturally oily texture and works together as a moisturising lotion.

However, if you use other washing products or if your baby’s skin is drier and you want to nourish it further, try a body milk. It has a very light texture and goes on very quickly and easily. If you are travelling for a longer period of time by car, apply this body milk to your child’s cheeks and hands. Especially in summer when the air conditioning or the breeze in the car makes the air particularly dry.

Baby skin care

Skincare during travel in the cold season

And if you’re travelling in the cold season or if you like snowy and windy destinations, you can also pack a Weleda anti-cold and anti-wind cream in your suitcase. It’s a greasy ointment that will protect you from even the fiercest wind. We’ve been using this cream for years for our eldest when we go sledding down the hill in winter. The cheeks are always 200% protected! It will definitely come in handy in the summer too, especially by the seaside when the weather is cooler or the wind is blowing.

In fact, we have used all these products for a long time for my eldest. Even now I still dab the problem areas when needed. Since we loved this manufacturer’s products from the first time we tried them, we can also recommend the shampoo. The 2in1 shampoo and shower milk (this is our absolute long-time favourite, and we even use it as adult parents when we travel).

Believe me, you won’t be able to use anything else later! We used all these products with our first-born, we used them with my little sister and we bought them as gifts for friends. Because when you find a good and healthy product, especially for kids, you want to share it with everyone!

What to do on your trip and how to keep smaller children occupied

Whether the car journey lasts only a few minutes or several hours, you need to make sure you know what you’re going to do with your child beforehand. You need to plan your activities according to your child’s age, temperament and hobbies. We recommend that for a longer trip, if possible, you take a new toy or game that is sure to keep your child interested for longer.

CONTRAST CARDS

These cards are perfect for keeping the youngest travellers occupied. We have, and since three weeks old, Paule has been using “Aikiu” travel cards during her travels. They are very handy, small, stapled in a booklet and easy to wipe off with a wet napkin.

SECOND WALLET

In an unused wallet, preferably one with as many compartments as possible, put a variety of old cards, folded magazine cuttings. This used to be the most interesting activity for a child up to the age of two. It used to take an hour to go through everything.

GUESS WHAT’S IN THE BAG

Put a variety of things in an opaque bag according to your child’s age (spoon, toy car, comb, cream jar, button, pencil sharpener). And let the child guess what it is just by feel.

YOUR CHILD’S FAVOURITE SONGS

Record your child’s favourite songs on a suitable medium for use in the car before the journey.

BOOKS AND STICKER BOOKS

Very handy, space-saving and very engaging and fun activity. We really like the books from Flintas. Banana Panda also has very handy and interesting books for travel. You can read more about the different activities for travelling from Banana Panda in the article “How to keep your children occupied when travelling”.

With the discount code KELIONESSUVAIKAIS you will get a 20% discount on the entire Banana Panda range.

Child travelling by car

CONVENIENTLY ATTACHES TOYS

There is now a wide range of toys for children that can be conveniently attached to chairs and seat backs. They are very convenient because they will not fall off when the car is moving or driving.

TOY CHAIN

A complete invention that has proved very useful to us. Take a longer piece of string and use it to tie various toys (an unused key, a soft toy, a plastic chew toy – anything that your children find interesting is suitable) into a chain. It has worked well for us, because the toys don’t get lost or fall to the ground.

What to do on the trip and how to keep older children occupied

BINGO

Prepare a table or print out a sheet with pictures (if the child is younger) of objects you can see during the trip through the window. It can be traffic lights, green car, horse, two-storey house, etc. A very engaging activity.

SENTENCE FROM CAR NUMBERS

More suitable for older children. Make up a word from the letters of the number plate of the car you have passed.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF…?

More suitable for older children. Think of more interesting questions before the trip and have everyone in the family take turns answering. What would you do if you won a million, what would you do if you found yourself on an uninhabited island, what would you buy if you could choose anything from a toy shop, what would you do if you became invisible, etc. It is really a very imaginative game.

Car travel with babies or children. What to bring

I KNOW

Each member of the family names an animal, a dish, an edible item, an inedible item that they know.

I’M GOING TO…

Think of where you are going to go and name one thing that is essential for this trip. There are many different types of journeys. Some of the things we use (skiing, mountains, beach, forest for mushrooms, picnic)

ONE WORD STORY

All family members say one word to create a story. It seems boring – give it a try, it’s a really fun story with lots of laughter.

ACTIVITY CARDS

“Banana Panda” Activity Kits are very travel-friendly cards that don’t take up a lot of space. Because they are bound in a small book. Each card comes with a specific activity. The fun part is that the cards are reusable, because once the task is done, you wipe it clean and the child can do it again. The tasks are varied and non-monotonous – tracing lines, connecting dots, drawing missing elements, recreating shapes.