About to start an all night 12 hour drive w a 6 week old and 2.5 year old. Appreciate some positive vibes fellow fathers

[bellsmom]

MADE IT! Thanks for the love and support!

Here’s to hoping they sleep. Happy holidays!

Edit to add 6 week old peed all over her clothes and we haven’t left yet. This is fine

 

[hiennhan12]

@bellsmom If you get sleepy... Pull over and get a room. It isn't worth falling asleep at the wheel.

 

[rahenson]

@hiennhan12 Yes. Even if your wife says otherwise. Just make the executive decision and stop. The few bucks you're out isn't worth your life or your families lives from falling asleep at the wheel.

Stay alert, stay alive.

Wishing you the best of luck with your drive OP.

 

[shayyydee]

@rahenson Yeah, at least do regular breaks and get some movement going. Anyway the driver gets to call for breaks and the rules of the cat, anything else is just dangerous. They are the only ones who can evaluate their ability to drive (hopefully).

 

[rachael3]

@shayyydee The biggest problem with movement breaks is that it will wake up kids who might otherwise sleep for several more hours. Obviously not recommending continuing to drive if you're going to fall asleep, but just yesterday I was absolutely furious at myself because I needed to swap drivers when both our kids were asleep (managed to do it without waking them up this time, but I'm pretty sure that's the first time both of them haven't woken up the second the car came to a halt).

 

[shayyydee]

@rachael3 Yeah that is definitely a problem, our daughter gladly isn't too bad with it. She'll definitely wake up too but so far she was a good sport (she generally is very sunny after a nap). I could imagine it gets exponentially worse with two or more kids.

 

[edhall]

@rachael3 I found that using a sound machine helps them not wake up whenever the car slows down

 

[rachael3]

@edhall We always use a sound machine, but ours will usually wake up if the movement of the car stops.

 

[wirefire]

@rahenson It's the other way around in our relationship. Me as the husband just wants to get there. Wife is so about taking multiple stops and likes to get a hotel halfway when we don't even need it sometimes.

 

[calliebee]

@hiennhan12 Had a relative flip her car while sleeping. Her kids and in laws were in the car. No real injuries but it was extremely scary.

 

[apebblethrown]

@hiennhan12 Absolutely this. Have a backup plan for locations you can stop and get a room. I tried this with a young baby and hitting a very dark highway in Illinois caused more fatigue than anything.

 

[az1]

@hiennhan12 Read a study years ago that being awake for 18 hours straight is equivalent to driving drunk (0.08 BAC). Wrecked my first car and nearly killed myself because I fell asleep, will never drive tired again even if it means catching a quick nap in a parking lot.

 

[dreamchaser222]

@az1 Never heard that, cool

 

[az1]

@dreamchaser222 Micro sleeps are real, you blink and fall asleep for 1-5 seconds. At highway speeds a LOT can happen in 5 seconds.

 

[katrina2017]

@hiennhan12 This, way more important to be super careful and realistic with kids or family in car too. like fuck myself but never the fam. Adding to this, kids love hotels!

 

[dorcas01]

@bellsmom Make sure you take your 6 week oldnout of the car seat every once in a while. I think it's recommended they only stay in it for 2.5 hours max

 

[rkjohnson2005]

@dorcas01 On these long trips I plan every half a tank to stop and fill up and stretch. Usually works in the 2.5 hr range and we don’t lose too much time.

 

[pierreb]

@dorcas01 Make sure the driver does too! Blood clots are no joke.

 

[vemisa]

@dorcas01 You should stop for a diaper and/or a meal at that point anyway, especially at 6 weeks.

And the. 10 minutes after you get going again, they’ll have a blowout anyway.

Man even short road trips take forever with a baby. I remember driving RI to NYC with my first when he was maybe 8mos. 3hr drive on a normal day. Probably took about 6 between pit stops, traffic on the bridge, and then one hour just on the last 2 blocks.

 

[divinediv]

@bellsmom My dad likes to tell a story of when me and my twin brother were colicky infants, and his brilliant plan to do a 10 hour drive overnight because we would sleep all the way through it.

The plan did not work out that way, and 30-some years later he still describes it as one of his worst experiences.