When we decided to go on a 7-hour road trip from Albuquerque to Phoenix with our 4-month-old baby, I immediately grabbed my phone and started typing a million questions into Google, like “What do we actually need to pack?” “How often should we stop with an infant?” “What do I do if my baby screams right from the start of the road trip?” The night before I was so nervous that I even looked at last minute flights becasue I thought the road trip with our baby was going to be just awful.
Now that we’ve survived (and dare I say thrived on) the drive, I’m sharing our top survival tips, our complete road trip with an infant packing list, and a printable checklist with all the baby travel essentials. If you’re nervous as all heck to do a road trip with your baby… you’ve got this mama! Trust me, it won’t be nearly as bad as you’re imagining.
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Road Trip with a Baby Tips
Smart Timing, Logistics, and Survival Tips for a Road Trip with an Infant
- Give yourself way more time than your maps app says you’ll need. Ours didn’t quite take twice as long, but we did spend 12 hours on the road instead of our predicted 7 hours.
- Map out stops every 2 hours, and make them fun! We stopped every 2 hours as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to prevent strain on the baby’s spine and to make sure their airways stays fully open. Since you’ll be stopping more frequently than you would otherwise, map out some fun, interesting stops along your route! We planned out stops at quirky statues, a drive thru neon route 66 sign, scneic overlooks and cute coffee shops.
- Plan and map out some “extra stops” along the way just in case your baby wakes up as before your next pre-planned stop. Albuquerque to Phoenix has a lot of empty land between them, and we wanted to make sure we knew where the next closest towns and rest stops were.
- Start the trip early around your baby’s schedule. Our baby usually gets up around 6:00 am so we left around 4:00 am to get a good two hours down the road before she woke up. It ended up working so well! We gently got her out of bed, changed her diaper, put her in the car seat and got two quiet hours driving before she even knew what was happening! (I know that’s so early, but it was worth it!)
- Expect to pull over more than usual. Sometimes you’ll get an hour and a half hour down no problem. Other times you’ll get 10 minutes down the road before you need to pull over. Just know that it’ll happen, and it’s ok. We had an unplanned blowout stop less than 10 minutes after our first stop, but the random exit we pulled off at ended up being one of the best photo opportunities of the entire trip!
Road Trip with a Baby Packing List: How I Organized Everything in the Car
Packing for a road trip with a baby can feel overwhelming because you have to think about what items are essential to bring and what part of the car you’ll actually need them.
Instead of packing everything by category, I organized our baby travel essentials by where they went in the car. That helped me keep the things we needed quickly, like diapers, wipes, burp cloths, and extra clothes, within easy reach instead of accidentally packing them away in the trunk.
I broke our packing list into five zones: what I kept up front with me, what stayed within easy reach in the backseat/diaper bag, what we kept directly around the baby, what went in the trunk, and what stayed packed away in our suitcase.
Read on to see how exactly how we packed for our 7-hour road trip with our 4-month-old!
ZONE 1: Passenger Seat Essentials – Things I wanted within arm’s reach
These were the things I wanted within arm’s reach during the drive or at every stop. Since I was riding as a passenger princess for most of the trip, I kept these items up front with me.
- Water Bottle. Crucial if you’re breastfeeding, the thirst is real!
- Camera. To capture the beautiful chaos.
- Hair Clip. My baby’s favorite toy, of course. I swear she loves looking at this more than the toys I bought her!
- Cord to charge portable fan. To keep our baby cool while we’re stretching out legs on the stops.
- Snacks. A must for long car rides.
- Sunglasses. Especially when the desert sun got high in the sky.
- Phone charger. An essential for any trip.
- Sunscreen. We brought face and body sunscreen for the longer stops.
ZONE 2: Backseat & Diaper Bag Essentials – Everything we might need for a stop
This was the most important zone in the car. Every item here was something we might have needed unexpectedly and quickly, so I made sure that the item was either in the diaper bag or in the backseat. Think diaper changes, spit-ups, surprise bowouts, feeding, and all those little things you don’t want to have to search in the trunk for.
- Diapers + Wipes. We packed 10 for the trip.
- Diaper Rash cream
- Hand Sanitizer. Essential after quick diaper changes on the go.
- Burp Cloths.
- Changing Table Mat. We decided to use the backseat of our car instead of public restrooms. This mat gave her a little cushion while we changed her.
- Extra Outfits. We brought two just in case she had a blowout or a really bad spit up.
- Wet Bag. This is where we put dirty diapers/wipes when we changed her in the car.
- Breastfeeding cover. I mostly fed her in the car, but we stopped at a coffee shop, and I used this to feed her while we sipped our hot coffee.
- Baby Sun Hat. We were in the desert and it was late August – think hot and bright.
- Nasal Aspirator. For the little boogers.
- Nail File. To trim her little claws
- Q-tips. For any ear wax we saw.
- Portable Fan. Used this when we were outside
- Thermometer. Just in case!
- Pacifier. Especially since we were changing elevation!
ZONE 3: Baby’s Car Seat Area – Baby’s entertainment and comfort for the road trip
At 4 months old, I knew our baby wasn’t going to be entertained with just looking out the window or by playing with one toy. So we brought a few simple things to give her something different to look at and play with during the drive. These are the items that worked for us:
- Pokémon fabric. Okay, this one is so random. I bought a yard of Pokémon fabric at Michaels and hung it where my baby could see it because I wanted to give her something more interesting to look at than the black interior of the car seat. Honestly, I think she liked it!
- Colorful link toys. My baby loves to try to pull these into her mouth.
- Crinkle Book. Entertains her for either 20 minutes or two seconds.
- Pink Bunny. My baby is obsessed with this toy!
- Blanket. Just in case it got a little too cool with the A/C.
ZONE 4: In the Trunk – Larger items for longer stops and for the destination
These were the bigger items that we didn’t need while driving, but knew we’d want at stops or once we reached our destination. Since trunk space disappears fast when you’re traveling with a baby, I tried to keep only the larger baby essentials back here.
- Tripod. Super useful for family pictures at the scenic overlooks. ^^ see pic above where it came in handy!
- Ergo Baby Wrap. LOVE THIS! It was a spluge item for us, but I love how it’s endorsed by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute. Plus now that my baby is heavier, it’s helping my back too.
- Stroller. We got the Chicco Caddy Frame because it’s smaller than our Bravo and free’d up extra trunk space that we desperately needed.
- Picnic Blanket. We planned to stop at a grassy park so she could stretch out for a bit.
- Baby Bjorn bouncer. We used this to set it up at our destination. I love it because I can set her down and I’m less worried about her spitting up after eating.
- Backup diapers.
ZONE 5: In the Suitcase – Baby things we didn’t need for the road trip
Finally, these were the things we didn’t need during the drive, but wanted once we got to our destination. I packed these together so we wouldn’t have to dig through multiple bags after a long day on the road.
Clothing and Bath Time:
- More outfits
- Baby brush
- Wash Clothes. For bath time
- Ella and Ollie Baby Soap. We use this one at home, and I love it because it’s made with clean ingredients and is gentle on baby’s skin.
- Baby Robe. To dry her off.
Feeding:
- Bottle
- Pump
Sleep and Play:
- Play Mat. I bought the Lovery secondhand off of Facebook marketplace with the strands, and she loves it!
- Pack and Play. We use this for nap time. I love how lightweight it is and it has a lot of safety features.
Laundry:
- Molly Suds Detergent. We also use this at home for all our clothes! Made with simple ingredients.
OPTIONAL ITEMS: Other Baby Essentials You May Need
Every baby and every road trip is different, so there may be a few things you need that we didn’t personally bring on this trip. Depending on your baby’s age, feeding routine, destination, and how long you’ll be gone, you may also want to pack:
- Formula. I exclusively breastfeed but even if you do too, this might be nice if you know you want someone to watch your baby for a bit.
- Baby Monitor or Mirror. To check on them in the backseat while you’re driving.
- Sun Shade. My windows are tinted but this would be a MUST if you don’t have tinted windows. We have one for my husband’s car.
- Dish soap to clean bottles and pacifiers.
- Any medicine your baby may need or has.
- Swaddle. Especially for newborns!
- Owlet Sock
- Socks, shoes
- Baby sunglasses
- Sippy Cup
- Bibs
Road Trip with an Infant: Words of Encouragement
If you’re planning your road trip with your baby and you’re iternally freaking out…I get it, but I promise that it’ll be so much better than you think. I was so worried my baby would be screaming and crying the whole time, but in reality she only cried when she was hungry and tired, like she normally does!
We also had so much fun at all the roadside attractions. We stopped at places I probably would have driven right past had I not had a baby. I stretched our legs at scenic overlooks, grabbed coffee, and found some unexpectedly beautiful spots along the way. Traveling with a baby definitely requires more flexibility, and A LOT more stuff, but it also gives you a reason to slow down and enjoy the journey a little more. The road trip actually ended up being some of my favorite memories to date as a little family.
You can do this mama! While you’re doing it, you’ll be having so much fun exploring with your baby, and when you’re done, you’ll feel like Superwoman. Let me know how the road trip went with your baby down in the comments!
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