Road tripping with a 10 month old baby

The wife’s perspective

If you’ve read @Uwe’s post about our latest adventure, you’ll know that we’ve been on an epic road trip covering 45 mountain passes. You would also have read that the men planned this trip so there were some logistics that might have been somewhat overlooked . We ended up driving an average of 7-hours to 8-hours a day which meant we tend to get to the next campsite late in the afternoon or early evening. So, to all the men out there planning their families next road trip, please keep the following pointers in mind:

• Ensure you’ve factored in at least a 1-hour break every max 3 hours. Your little ones need to stretch their bodies, have some milk or eat (if they’re on solids).


• Arrival time at your campsite should not be after 4pm. Let’s be real, you need at least one hour to setup your tent, get the bedding sorted and find your kitchen utensils & food crates. Dad’s, prepping your babies food does take some time.


• Keep the baby changing mattress nearby along with a small necessity box filled with nappies, wet wipes, bum cream & sunblock.


• Have a cooler nearby for access while driving. Those emergency snacks do come in handy when your baby is getting a bit feisty. This will give you at least an additional 30minutes to find an appropriate spot to pull over and attend to your little one.

We always tend to overpack for those “just in case” situations, but then you end up with a bakkie full of unnecessary items you need to offload just to get to the camping chair at the back.

       

So, here’s a list of the essentials you actually need for your baby:

• Their camping cot & mosquito net to stretch over the cot.


• Camping foldup table which is big enough to use as a changing station and small enough to fit in the tent next to the cot.


• A flask for boiling water. This would make getting the midnight or early morning bottle much easier.


• A quick and easy fold up pram that takes minimum space. You use this pram as your feeding chair as well.


• A container that’s big enough to fit your baby bottles in. Once the bottles are washed, pop them in here and cover with boiling water. This allows the bottle to sterilise and stay clean from dust.

          

Ladies, if you’re going to go on a road trip and only camp one night per site, you don’t need your exercise clothing. Packing, unpacking, setting up and doing it all with a baby on your hip is more than enough of a workout! It’s those items that end up way at the back of the bakkie taking up unnecessary space. Most important advise, camp with friends who love kids and don’t mind taking your baby while you setup or get their food sorted. It really does take a village. At the end of the day, the adventure was 100% worth it. Let us help you plan your next adventure and add these personalised tips for your trip. Ditch the admin and Go Adventure! Linda Auer