So this coming weekend we are taking our first road trip with Elijah. This will be the first time he's ridden anywhere farther than downtown Kansas City where Daddy works. I'm trying to plan when to leave and what to pack without bringing the entire house with us. So far I've concluded that it would be best to try to leave as early as possible and as close to just after a feeding as possible. Hopefully if we leave right after a feeding he'll be content and just go to sleep in his car seat. However, it does put us at higher risk for immediate poo diaper, which would mean we'd have to stop quickly and change his diaper. I guess we'll just have to cross our fingers and hope the poo stays at bay for at least a few hours.
Leaving just after a feeding also gives us the advantage of being able to drive for about three hours before we have to stop for another feeding. The problem then becomes whether I feed him in the car, which will be very difficult logistically, or if I feed him in whatever restaurant we stop for lunch at and deal with disapproving looks even though I'll be wearing my cover (because you know there will be some). And I'm not feeding him in the bathroom. No one else eats in the bathroom so my baby shouldn't have to either. I guess it will depend on where we stop and how hungry I am (like can I feed him in the car and then wait until he's done feeding before I get to eat). Alternatively I guess I could pump some milk that I could just feed to him while Mike drives and Elijah doesn't have to get out of his seat. But I hate for him to be stuck in that seat for 6 straight hours and I'd rather not end up with rock boobs by the time we get there.
As far as packing goes, I know I'll need to bring his clothes, the bassinet sheet (my mom has a playpen with bassinet for him to sleep in, just not a sheet for it), my moby wrap, my breastfeeding cover and his shampoo and baby wash. I also don't plan on bringing a ton of diapers and wipes because my mom and I can get some at the store once I get there. But should I bring his bouncy chair? His bathing chair? His stroller? The baby monitor? If we bring all those things I'm not sure we're going to have room for it all in our car. If I don't bring the bouncy chair it means someone has to hold him the majority of the time we're there. If I don't bring the bathing chair it's going to be a lot more difficult and potentially dangerous to give him a bath and I don't want him to go five days without a bath. The stroller would take up practically the whole trunk but if we don't bring it, if we go anywhere we either have to carry him in the car seat or in the moby wrap. And I really don't want to pack the monitor but I don't know how else to keep tabs on him while he's napping in another room.
Road trips are way more complicated with an infant. But we're very excited nonetheless. It's been a couple months almost since he's seen my mom and stepdad. And my brother & sister-in-law's baby shower is that weekend. So that should be fun. Hopefully Elijah won't be grumpy so I can sit and enjoy it without his crying making my chest ache and leak. And so he doesn't scare the crapola out of my sister-in-law getting ready to have her own. ;)
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