Some babies love to travel by car ... And others start crying as soon as they get inside! Do not give up or sacrifice vacations. We teach you how to entertain your baby during a long road trip, we give you tricks to liven up the journey and tips for taking breaks at the right time.
Not all babies admit physical immobility. There are those who fall asleep instantly with the movement of the car, while for others entering the car is synonymous with tantrum. Animosity usually happens when the habit is replaced with the passage of time, but if you are about to go on vacation and plan to take a long car trip, pay attention to the following tips. They will help you improve the situation!
How to entertain a baby during a car trip
- Get a small arsenal of travel toys. Most of the right toys for your stroller are also for your car seat. Small stuffed animals or toys with light and sound will help your baby stay relaxed and entertained.
- Travel by his side. If your baby is afraid or unfamiliar with road trips, it may be that feeling close, hearing your voice or being petted makes you feel safer on your first car journeys.
- Cartoon. Even if they are very small, babies distinguish intense color forms and strong contrasts. They also like to hear voices and they love songs and melodies. Traveling with a DVD player properly adapted with an approved fixing system and suitable for the vehicle, can make your trip much easier.
A more pleasant trip
- Playing music suitable for babies during the trip can be a key factor. Children's songs, classical music, relaxation melodies or set in nature, songwriters and babysitters are an essential repertoire.
- The temperature of the car must be adequate. For a baby to rest well, it is important that the temperature is between 20 and 24ºC. Putting the air conditioner below these temperatures will make you feel uncomfortable and go cold.
- Smooth driving, constant speed. Abrupt conductions, with continuous overtaking and sudden changes in speeds will make your baby very nervous. Do not try to arrive earlier, the accelerations will only make the situation worse and will endanger all the occupants of the vehicle.
Breaks every hour and a half
It is important to respect this time to make stops during the journey to avoid postural asphyxiation. The position that babies acquire when placed on these devices means that, if their use is prolonged, the risk of bradycardia, apnea and oxygen desaturation increases. The car seat is much safer than the carrycot to transport the babies in the car, but we must take into account their special needs and take small breaks of 15 or 20 minutes every hour and a half to be able to get them out of the car seat and place them horizontally.
Travel Safety
Although your baby does not like to travel in the car and his crying can hinder the trip, his safety comes first. Keep firm. These are the things you should never do:
- Lose your nerves It is very difficult to hear the cry of a baby and not get nervous, but the screams or nerves will worsen the environment and generate more tension.
- Go to his side breastfeeding. In addition to jeopardizing your physical integrity with uncomfortable postures of impossible contortionism, with this you will only be able to put a patch encouraging an attitude that you will later have to correct equally. Car trips will become a nightmare for you if the baby begins to demand to be fed every time you start and will force you to always travel with a second driver behind the wheel.
- Take him in his arms. Do not get used to something that besides being dangerous, is illegal. According to the regulations, not taking children properly seated in the car with their approved chairs and not using their seat belts is considered a serious infraction. And it entails an economic sanction of up to 200 euros and the withdrawal of three points. Do not give up or let yourself be overcome by crying. You better be disgusted that you are in danger. As much as our little one protests, you must travel in a car seat appropriate to your age. Choosing a comfortable car seat will make the car trip a good experience for our baby. If you want to take advantage of it for a longer time, opt for an evolutionary model such as Chicco Seat Up 012 car seat, suitable from birth to 6 years (or 25 kg weight). It is a comfortable chair that "hugs" the newborn and is adapting to its growth to cover all the needs of our child preventing him from feeling uncomfortable during the trip.
For Group 0+ (up to 9 kgs.), Seat Up 012 it is installed in the opposite direction to the march, using the own belts of our car.
Following these simple tips you will make your trip much more enjoyable and that your baby gradually gets used to car journeys. Good trip!
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Images | iStock / Kirza.
