CONCLUSION: BEST AGE TO TRAVEL WITH A BABY In our experience, traveling with a baby between 3 and 18 months old was our favorite time. It's just so easy because they're small enough to take anywhere and are free everywhere.
The best time to fly with kids
The best times, most agree, are between three and nine months, when kids aren't yet mobile, and any time after age two or three. The idea here is to bypass the toddler phase, and, more importantly, to avoid flying with young infants.
But infants aren't as fragile as parents sometimes fear. And by age 3 months or so, babies are pretty good candidates for travel, as long as the trip is low-key.
Experienced traveling families already know this, but in most cases the hardest time to travel with a child is from when they become squirmy and mobile by about 9 months old until they hit the age of reason bargaining/cartooning/snacking at about 18 months.
It is important for you and your baby to get out of the car every few hours and take a stretch to avoid restlessness. Try to take a break every 2 to 3 hours for a day trip and every 4 to 6 hours at night to change diapers or soiled clothes, or to feed your baby.
There is no exact number of hours that you can road trip with a baby, but it is highly recommended to give your baby plenty of breaks. Just like adults, our bodies can only take sitting in a car for so long.
Travelling with a baby by car will take longer than travelling with adults. Plan for regular breaks (about 1 break for every 2 hours travel) and expect unscheduled stops, such as for nappy changes. Babies are not meant to spend long periods of time in their car seat.
When kids are especially small — think a few months old to about a year old — it's downright easy to travel with them. The plane provides white noise and lulls them almost straight to sleep as soon as you're in the air, barring any pressure change discomfort, of course.
How soon can a newborn travel long distances by car? If you are taking a long-distance trip, again, it's advised to wait until baby's immune system has fully developed at around two to three months old.
At the end of the day, even if you have to make extra stops or change a blow out diaper on the front seat of your car, a road trip with 6 month old baby is doable! It will be different than a trip by yourself, but can still be a fun experience for you and your baby.
However, infant healthcare professionals, safety experts and most car manufacturers recommend that babies should not be in a car seat for longer than 2 hours at a time and they should be taken out frequently. If your trip involves driving for long periods of time, you should stop for regular breaks.
Your baby should not be in a car seat for longer than two hours at a time. Research has shown a link between travelling in car seats for long periods and breathing difficulties in young babies. If you are driving for a long period of time, it is important that you take regular breaks (at least every two hours).
Drive no more than three hours at a time and take breaks as necessary. Bring some children's music to make your child more content if they get a little fussy. Practice shorter trips a few times before you leave so your 3-month old baby gets used to sitting in the car seat for longer periods.
It usually varies depending on the development and size of your baby, but most experts and experienced parents (including me) agree that around 6 months of age, you can start taking longer rides (more than 2 hours).
Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12. Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing.
Feeding Baby in a Car Seat
Don't feed baby while the car is moving. Bottles become projectiles in the event of a crash. Motion sickness is something to consider as well as choking hazards while a vehicle is in motion. Don't feed babies solid items of food that could be choking hazards, like grapes, in the car.
As many parents know, babies often love to sleep in the car. The droning sounds of the engine remind your little one of the womb—and may help send them into slumberland. And the jiggly movements seems to keep babies stimulated enough to promote breathing.