RV'ing with Newborn/Infant

[PartyBoyWA]

Fellow Rv'ers,

My wife and I are having our first child in about a month. We'd like to take our MH from WA to CA for Thanksgiving and don't have a lot of time for the trip. So we're looking at being on the road for three days straight each way with 4 days in SoCal in between.

I'm particularly looking for advice about wheather this will be too hard on a 1 month-old or not. Of course we'll run this past the Doctor also.

Thanks in advance!

[NLOVNIT]

1st, Congratulations! How exciting. As for the marathon drive...I sure wouldn't advise it. 1st time parents+wacked out hormoes+sleep deprivation+holiday traffic=one really bad trip. You don't need that stress.

Lori-

[MaverickBBD]

You should take the time and enjoy your newborn. They should be coming to YOU.

[sdennislee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT 1st, Congratulations! How exciting. As for the marathon drive...I sure wouldn't advise it. 1st time parents+wacked out hormoes+sleep deprivation+holiday traffic=one really bad trip. You don't need that stress. Lori-

What Lori said +1

[RVThere]

Agree that the relatives should be coming to YOU!

Checked with DW and she has some good points against it:
- baby will not have all his/her vaccinations by 1 month
- beginning of cold/flu season and you don't want to expose the baby to extra germs (our son who was born 11/14 ran a fever in his 1st month and was put in the hospital in an oxygen tent)
- if your wife has a C-section, she won't be going anywhere for 6 weeks

Enjoy Thanksgiving at home, cook for your wife and new baby, and start planning for a trip around Easter!

[ga traveler]

You might wan't to rethink the signature. I think diaper dad or pooper scooper might be good. congrats on the new addition.

[djkarau]

First...congrats.

Our son was born in Jun and by Aug we were once again camping...in a pop up trailer in northern Canada. We continued to camp well into Sep with several mornings waking up with snow on the camper. He slept in a portable playpen that we set up on the dining table, of course we had lots of quilts and a heater in the camper.

The best part was that all the fresh air had him sleeping...well...like a baby. Actually gave my DW a few extra hours of rest between breast feedings.

[jackrobinryan]

A father's first job is to protect his family. I would see this as a chance to make a smart responsible decision and not take a chance with your new little one.

[hamguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PartyBoyWA Fellow Rv'ers, My wife and I are having our first child in about a month. We'd like to take our MH from WA to CA for Thanksgiving and don't have a lot of time for the trip. So we're looking at being on the road for three days straight each way with 4 days in SoCal in between. I'm particularly looking for advice about wheather this will be too hard on a 1 month-old or not. Of course we'll run this past the Doctor also. Thanks in advance!

Just don't let him/her drive!

[Aguyfromcalg]

Congratulations on your new baby. Does your motor home have the correct seat belts and location for a rear facing newborn car seat? If not then in my opinion you shouldn't travel with your baby. If it does great, just travel on baby time. Don't be in a hurry to get to your destination just enjoy your trip and your baby.

[Lindafell]

I think that it would be too hard on your wife!!!

As a mother of 3 under 5, I didn't take my kids anywhere where they would be exposed to germs until they were 12 weeks old on the advise of my DR. If a baby develops a fever before 3 months then it's an automatic hospital stay with a spinal tap. I didn't want to risk it. That being said I know that people do it all the time. At a month old the baby will only be sleeping, eating, crying, and dirtying diapers, so it won't really matter to them where they do it. It's more about if your wife will be comfortable doing these things in a moving vehicle for three days each way and will you be getting enough sleep with the crying that will be going on at all hours. It's doable but looking back at what I went through the first 4-6 weeks of each child's birth, I personally would not do it.

[PartyBoyWA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aguyfromcalg Congratulations on your new baby. Does your motor home have the correct seat belts and location for a rear facing newborn car seat? If not then in my opinion you shouldn't travel with your baby. If it does great, just travel on baby time. Don't be in a hurry to get to your destination just enjoy your trip and your baby.

We can secure the rear facing seat without issue. Again, I do not believe that there is any more hazard here than driving a car.

I just wanted to know if the drive could cause undue stress on a newborn. My folks took me on a several hundred mile roadtrip when I was a month or two old in the back of a BMW 2002 and I'm still ticking.

Please keep the advice coming. You've all brought up some very good points of consideraton.

[Aguyfromcalg]

That's good to know your RV has means to secure your precious cargo.
I have to agree with you that a trip with a new baby will be better than in a car.
I hope you will have a great memory making trip.
Pat

[bsirby]

We moved with our 5 week old daughter from Upstate NY to Arlington, TX in a Plymouth Duster. Now this was in 1975 and it was tough. But with that being said, I have a very helpful husband who shares the duties and we were in our 20's. I would think traveling in a MH would make this trip so much easier as you will be able to stop when needed, and rest when the baby rest if need be. Drive safe and have a wonderful holiday.