First road trip with baby

We took our first road trip with the baby this memorial day weekend to NJ. It was a fun trip and we had a great time.

My daughter was pretty good for the most part. On the drive to NJ, she was awake for the most part and only slept for a hour and a half and awake for the rest of the trip. She was happy playing with her toys and only cranky for the last bit because she had pooped.

On the way back, she slept for 3 hours but pooped twice and so was very cranky. Thought I'd make a list of what I did right and wrong so as to learn from this trip.

Things to continue to do next time

• Take pack n play - she slept well in it for at least most of the night
• Extras - Take extras of everything.
• Pack toys for baby - Taking plenty of toys helped to keep her busy in the car and at NJ

Things to not do next time

• Sleep in another room if possible - she kept waking up at night and after seeing me, wanted to be with me and not go back to sleep. Sleeping in another room may help and she may go back to sleep on her own after crying for a couple of mins
• Try to not do a late night for baby - Try to stick to her usual bedtime routine & sleep time if possible. The later it gets, the worse the night is and she gets overtired.
• Pack lunch - For the road trip, pack lunch for us so as to save on stops & money.
• Leave early - Leave a little earlier in the day so she can sleep more in the car
• Change diapers just before you leave and at every rest stop

Overall, it was a great trip and she had fun playing with her cousin and we had fun catching up with my cousins. She loves meeting new people and going to new places and we can travel more locally now with her.