infant in car seat ?

[kylie&haley'smom]

Parents that drive to WDW,do you you keep your infant in the car seat the whole ride? Do you ever get in the back and hold them,so they don't get tired of being in the car seat? How can they see the tv screen if they are facing the back? We are taking her Baby Einstein tapes w/us also. I know it's not the safest thing to do,but I know it has to get boring sitting in that seat for the whole ride. Just wondering!!

 

[HappyMommy2]

Hi!

Our car DOES NOT MOVE if everyone is not in a properly installed carseat (or in a seatbelt, if older). True, this can be very boring for the kids--and we have taken some very long car trips with our little ones, now 3 and 1, since they were born--but my kids' well-being is my #1 responsibility in life and I just can't imagine how I would ever live with myself if we had a wreck (or even just had to stop fast) and the kids were injured or killed because they weren't buckled up! My eyes are tearing up just thinking of it!
Not to mention, it's against the law to have kids unbuckled in a moving car.

I see that you're a pretty good drive away from WDW; that's hard with an infant, but definitely doable! Try to time long chunks of driving around baby's nap times, if possible. Take some good breaks (we've found that the rest areas/information centers on state lines are usually nice places to stop), and take lots of entertainment. Baby Einstein would be nice, but if the baby can't see the screen, just play some fun music and bring lots of new toys. If the baby's not old enough to grasp things herself, you can buy a wrist rattle and a couple of baby toy links and "link" some toys to her wrist so she can teethe and play--our kids liked that as infants. Party glowsticks are fun for nighttime driving; our younger son is scared of the dark in the car so those are great for him. Often, DH and I would take turns riding in back and entertaining the baby; that worked best of all for infants. If the baby is old enough for finger foods (Cheerios, etc--not anything too easily chokable), that will keep her occupied for a long time too.

We always try to stop if the kids just can't take it anymore. I figure it must get uncomfortable being in the seat for so long--I'll bet their poor little bottoms get sore! But, no we NEVER let our kids ride unless they're in their carseats.

Have a great trip! Most of the people on these boards agree that babies love WDW!

 

[njmousefan]

I agree with your understanding and concerns re the risk involved with having an infant or any child for that matter not securely fastened in a child restraint system while traveling on the roads.

We drove from NJ to NC and then from NC to FL just a few weeks ago on our trip to WDW with our 5 month old. We figured it was about 1100 miles one way. We knew he would need a break from the carseat and wasn't sure how we would handle it, but we undertook the drive anyway.

Here is what we did to handle the drive and keep him safe. We drove at night for a large majority of the trip and we split it up into 2 nights of driving each way...we drove at night day one...spent daytime in NC, rested and slept then...drove second night to FL and arrived in early afternoon in time to get a little bit of early check in. We slept as soon as he fell asleep each night and then got started on the road about 1am. He usually sleeps from 9 to 7 and he naps at least once a day for about an hour and a half or two hours.

It took us 9 hours from NJ to NC...he was only up for a couple of hours and we stopped and gave him a break and us too..so he didn't mind the carseat too much at all. We did the same from NC to FL and vice versa on the trip home. The trip from NC to FL took a little longer, but he didn't seem to mind too much. I think he had really gotten used to the drill by the time we did that last part of the trip home.

I did not have him out of the carseat too much at any time...there was at least two times where he did really cry and I did have him on my lap in the rear seat (we had a Chevy Surburban for our vehicle) for a short time and then once he calmed down and I was able to get him interested in a toy...back in he went, but the majority of the time he rode secured in the infant seat facing backwards.

I think my husband and I both agreed this was really the only way for us to undertake the drive. I don't think I would have been able to keep him occupied and quiet had we driven in the daytime vs at night.

Good luck.

 

[BevS97]

in my car, the baby stays in the carseat, no matter what, I don't care if you have a surburban or not. If we need to take the baby out of the carseat then we stop the car, it's that simple.

My dd slept most of the time we were in the car, regardles of the time that we drove, the car just seemed to zonk her out. We also played a lot of fun song tapes when she was awake.

We stop every couple of hours when the baby is awake, if she's sleeping we just keep going.

Bev

 

[jay1929]

We are heading down to WDW in October with our 4 month old. We are going to break the trip into two days so we don't have to get the little one is the seat so long. He usually sleeps in the car so I'm hoping he will sleep most of the way. I also plan to sit in the back with him and keep him entertained while he is in his seat. Good luck with the drive.

 

[tallyfamily]

Like NJmousefan we chose to do our driving later in the day when the baby would be asleep the most. When we drove from Florida to Michigan, we broke it into two days. We left home at 3pm. The baby took his afternoon nap from 3 to 5pm. Then the baby went to sleep for the night at 8pm. We drove until 11pm. That way the baby was only awake in the car seat for about 3 hours even though we had driven for 8 hours. Of course we also took breaks as needed to eat/stretch. When he was awake I would be with him in the back seat to entertain him. He was NEVER out of his seat while the car was in motion. Why take the chance??

 

[njmousefan]

I wanted to follow up on my earlier post....I am not advising that anyone should ever take their infant out of a car seat while the car is moving and it was not until we were on this drive did I debate it even for a second.

I would not have done so myself if we felt comfortable pulling to the shoulder for a few minutes on Rt. 95 with the cars passing by at speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour...we were not close to a rest area (they can be 30+ miles or so apart and there is one stretch in SC where you are completely surrounded by water or we most certainly would have pulled in and then removed him.

The circumstance which I guess I should have written in my earlier post.....Our ds has trouble from time to time with gas bubbles and he is in pain and will really scream...I mean really scream to the point he is completely red, choking etc..at times like this he needs a pat on the back to get that bubble to move.

I can accomplish this in less than a minute and then back in the seat he went. I do think that there are times when you may need to remove a child from a car seat while the car is moving...and I was being honest about doing it....I don't feel I negligently placed my child at risk..leaving him choking in the seat wasn't an option...and I think anyone who has driven rt 95 recently may be willing to agree that sitting on the shoulder is not a very safe place to be at all.

He did not come out for any other reason (we were not changing a diaper, eating, playing, etc)...and yes he did cry at other times, but those times I was able to get his attention focused on me and then on toys and he was fine.

Please keep in mind...we were in a car for about 48 hours and he was buckled in for 47 hours and 55 minutes. At home when doing our normal running errands etc...he has never come out of his seat while the car is moving....I have pulled to the shoulder a number of times to check on him.

Hope this clears things up a bit.

 

[kylie&haley'smom]

Happymom2,I'm not saying I would take my dd out of her seat while moving. I was just wondering what other people thought. My dd safety does come first. Now if she was choking and we couldnt pull over right away,yes I would pull her out. Njmousefan,I know all about those bad gas bubbles. My dd had them really bad when she was a newborn. People drive crazy out there,and I don't trust anyone on the road. Believe me we will be stopping a lot. Even my rear end gets soar sitting for a long time!!! LOL!!!

 

[safetymom]

I realize that the baby may be in the car seat for the majority of the time but please realize that something can happen in just an instant.

Plan lots of breaks, travel at night and you shouldn't have a reason to take the child out of the seat.

 

[Bird-Mom]

I am really sick to my stomach that anyone would take the baby out of the carseat while the car is moving. It only takes an instant for something to happen. Gas bubble or not, pull over to the side of the road, put your flashers on, and tend to the baby while the car is stopped. My sister is a nurse on an emergency helicopter, and she has made me promise on many occasions, please make sure my baby is buckled in. She has seen more than one baby die because the parent took the baby out "just for a second."

K&H's mom, I'm sure a tiny little one probably won't care if she sees the tv screen. My dd loves to look at books and magazines, especially pics of other babies. Try something like that.

 

[califred]

yes please pull over, you easily could have been in an accident in one minute.

I learned that my son did better if we got him out of hte car seat on our breaks,.. the one time I didn't we ended up stopping 20 minutes later to take him out.

I did not have the option of driving at night but that would be my advise if you can. While they are sleep

 

[lurontravel]

We took our children from So. FL to NYC to visit my in-laws the Thanksgiving of 2001, just after 9/11. My husband was too nervous to fly, and we opted not to use the tickets we'd purchased 6 or 8 months prior to our trip. We rented a mini-van, and off we went. Our youngest was 7 weeks old, and our oldest was 26 months old. We rose early, and drove from 4 am on. We stopped at the first rest-stop after they both woke up, and every couple of hours in between, keeping in mind where the next rest-stop was (10 min away or an hour), and stopped accordingly, erring on the side of caution, and stopping more, rather then less. We made it in two days of driving. I brought tapes, the foot rattles that go on like socks for the little one, and nursed as soon as he started to become hungry. He stayed in his carseat, and I climbed in the back with him and leaned over. As soon as I needed to start nursing, my husband pulled over at the next rest-stop. I also tried to anticipate when he'd want to eat, watching his cues closely, so I didn't have to nurse him in his carseat often. He NEVER came out of his carseat unless we were stopped at a SAFE spot. The only exception I would/will ever make to this rule is if his immediate health and safety are severly at risk (ie choking, turning blue, etc.). I'm a NICU nurse, and my own babies are the most important babies I've ever cared for, as they are my responsibility, and the oness falls on me. I also found that bringing a blanket to lay on the ground, and let the baby have some time to play at the rest stops really let him get hsi wiggles out, and even tired him trying to crawl and roll over. I must say, some babies travel better then others, and you may not have as smooth a trip as some, just be FLEXIBLE, and have a lot of extra time built into your travel time.

Keep in mind, travellers of the night, that your reflexed will be slower then during the day, and a tired driver is worse (less safe)then a drunk one on the roads...

They were done with the car and driving once we arrived, and didn't have to go back in much once we got there. THe trip home was also smooth, but took a bit longer.

 

[lulugirl]

Originally posted by Bird-Mom
I am really sick to my stomach that anyone would take the baby out of the carseat while the car is moving. It only takes an instant for something to happen. Gas bubble or not, pull over to the side of the road, put your flashers on, and tend to the baby while the car is stopped. My sister is a nurse on an emergency helicopter, and she has made me promise on many occasions, please make sure my baby is buckled in. She has seen more than one baby die because the parent took the baby out "just for a second."

K&H's mom, I'm sure a tiny little one probably won't care if she sees the tv screen. My dd loves to look at books and magazines, especially pics of other babies. Try something like that.

I absolutely agree. Taking a baby out of the carseat while the car is moving in not only incredibly stupid, but also illegal. Sorry to sound harsh, but come on a little common sense.......

 

[laurie31]

Originally posted by lulugirl
I absolutely agree. Taking a baby out of the carseat while the car is moving in not only incredibly stupid, but also illegal.

Yes, I must agree. One out of every 60 kids born today will die in a car wreck. Taking them out of their seats is like playing russian roulette

Also, if the unthinkable were to happen, you will not only be dealing with the grief at the loss of your child and the guilt of knowing it was your fault, but you can be charged with anything from child neglect to criminally negligent homicide. Think of the horror of having to explain to a jury why you didn't stop the car to tend to your baby. Sorry to sound harsh, but I am an RN at a Level 1 trauma center. It's horrible to escort grieving parents in to see their child's body and then have to talk to the police about their injuries. Or to stand there while the MD tells the parents their child is quadriplegic or permanently brain damaged...

And yes, I agree that the side of the interstate is not safe, but get off at the next exit - it doesn't have to be a rest area. When my dd was an infant we went on vacation and it took us 8 hours to do what shuld have been a 5 hour drive...we stopped a hundred times for every imaginable thing - she spit up, she needs to be changed, she's hungry and lots of those stops were in gas station parking lots or even the exit ramps themselves - just pulled waaaaay off the shoulder. (and yes, I sat in the back with her to entertain her and was able to nurse her in the car seat sometimes - with both of us properly restrained...but please don't try to imagine this )

Traveling with an infant is a challenge and I'm sure he/she will get tired of being in the car seat, but stop frequently and take them out. Good luck and I hope your trip goes smoothly

Laurie

 

[HappyMommy2]

Originally posted by kylie&haley'smom
Happymom2,I'm not saying I would take my dd out of her seat while moving. I was just wondering what other people thought. My dd safety does come first. Now if she was choking and we couldnt pull over right away,yes I would pull her out. Njmousefan,I know all about those bad gas bubbles. My dd had them really bad when she was a newborn. People drive crazy out there,and I don't trust anyone on the road. Believe me we will be stopping a lot. Even my rear end gets soar sitting for a long time!!! LOL!!!

Kylie&haley'smom, sorry I misinterpreted your post--I'm glad to hear you really weren't thinking of taking dd out of her seat while moving (except for choking, turning blue, etc. of course)!

Have a wonderful trip! Wish we were going soon too!

Janet

 

[Jon99]

JMO, but I would feel safer taking my child out of her car seat driving down the highway at 70 MPH than pulling over to the shoulder and taking her out... Find an exit and THEN take your child out of the seat...

 

[Rapunsel]

We took our first road trip when our son was 5 mos. We drove while he was sleeping and when he woke up we stopped for about 2 hours and had lunch and a break. We also took magazines... He loved to tear them apart so I saved up the ones you get in the mail that come apart easily. He was content for about an hour. Also put up window clings on the side or back windows. We just put them out of the way for the driver. it made the trip real easy that way. Ever since we just make sure that he is in the middle of the back seat and he loves to go places. We even have a special car blanket and backpack filled with trip only toys.. Don't forget to add a flashlight. They are great at night...

 

[DISLOVE]

The idea of traveling long distances in a car with an infant or young child in a car seat if daunting. We have a one year old and when we go to Disney we are flying because we just couldn't handle it in the car.

I know it is tempting to take your child out of the car seat. But please please don't.

Almost 3 years ago my cousin and her husband were coming home (PA to MA)for Thanksgiving. They decided to drive and then had numerous troubles with their 9 month old. They decided to take him out of the seat to nurse but kept driving so they didn't get behind. They were hit by a 16 year old kid out driving with only a permit and my cousin and her son were killed instantly. Her husband killed himself a year later because he couldn't deal with the pain.

It may take longer to take breaks as needed. It may cost more to fly with an infant. But imagine what could happen if you didn't.

 

[Leia's Mom]

I am certainly not advocating driving with a child out of a carseat. I have never done so (even on long car trips). However, certain states (such as Tennessee) have special exceptions from the car seat laws for the period of time while a child is being nursed by his/her mother.

I was surprised but thought it interesting.