Traveling with Blake

Two weekends ago, I went up to Rochester with Blake and his dad to celebrate BD's cousin's first birthday. I would really love for Blake to know how loved he is and appreciate the company of both sides of his family.

The last time we took a road trip with Blake he was only about 2 months old. During that time he slept for most of the day and would only wake to nurse. Now that he's 9 1/2 months, it's not as easy to get this kid to sleep especially if he sees me in the backseat with him.

The trip to Rochester, NY from Maryland is about 6 hours. When we went up, Blake already had a little bit of a runny nose, but we already made arrangements to travel so we decided to take the risk. We left in the evening around 8 pm and had him in his jammies already. He slept for most of the ride up and woke every two hours to nurse. Then again, we also gave him a little dose of Children's Tylenol since he had a cold. So that may have contributed to him napping.

Now the ride back was a little worse. It seemed like he got a little more sick while we were up there for the weekend, so that may have contributed to it. But we also left mid-afternoon so Blake probably thought it was time to play. He hated being in the carseat, which doesn't happen often. He was screaming and crying most of the way. I tried nursing him in the car and that didn't even work.

We finally stopped halfway home to fuel up and stretch our legs. Took him out of the car to see what was going on and change his diaper.

Mommy had to get some Advil because all the crying and sitting in the backseat just made me feel sick and gave me a headache.

The sun finally went down and around 7:30 pm, Blake started to get quiet. Once it was darker he fell asleep. And he slept for the rest of the way!

I'm sure his cold played a part in his fussiness but I'm trying to figure out how it's going to be traveling with him on a plane.

BD and I agreed that taking a family trip would be a good idea for Blake and would give him memories to last forever. So we're taking a family trip to California in a month. Plus... Blake flies for free until he turns two! Our flights and hotel are already booked. Counting down the days!

If anyone has any tips on traveling with a little one, please share some tips and tricks in the comments!