Doing big trips with babies... Feedback please...

[DSS150 Find all posts View Profile Close DSS150]

My wife and I are thinking seriously about doing the Cape York trip next year.

The conundrum is... Do we take our (then) 18 month old daughter with us?

Be interested in peoples experiences doing big trips with little ones, both good and bad.

My wife would rather take our daughter but I am thinking...

1. Is it fair on her to have her couped up in the Prado for weeks on end.

2. Will I want to kill her after a few days making it a less enjoyable trip.

What do you guys think?

[Chris_M Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chris_M]

Many years ago we took our 2 year old on a two week trip, Melbourne, Broken Hill, Tiborburra, Innaminka, Marree, Lake Eyre and home in our then BJ45 shorty.

Generally it went very well, but you have to plan for regular stops and play activities. If you don't you will pay later!
Still remember the drive from Innaminka to Marree with constant bribes of chips and coke to try and pacify him, now its chips and beer to keep him quite!

Limit the big driving days and you should be ok. It was a wonderful experience for all.

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

At least your 18mth daughter won't have too many teeth to be rattled when you hit those corrugations!. (Kids usually tend to fall asleep through these parts anyway...)

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

Many years ago we took our 2 year old on a two week trip, Melbourne, Broken Hill, Tiborburra, Innaminka, Marree, Lake Eyre and home in our then BJ45 shorty.

Generally it went very well, but you have to plan for regular stops and play activities. If you don't you will pay later!
Still remember the drive from Innaminka to Marree with constant bribes of chips and coke to try and pacify him, now its chips and beer to keep him quite!

Limit the big driving days and you should be ok. It was a wonderful experience for all.

Agree with the limiting driving and planning your breaks. A few years ago we did a two week drive with our then 2 and 3 year old and have very few issues. We limited driving to 3 hours a day. We left early in the morning after breakfast, stopped mid morning for a play and morning tea, then drove during midday whilst they slept in the car. Stopping about 2/3 pm for the day. We did stop for 2 nights half way to give them a bit of a break. Last year we did the Red Centre: Alice, Uluru, Kings Canyon, Kakadu, Darwin (in a Britz Camper) and they travelled fine following a similar routine.

It all depends on how you daughter has been conditioned to travel. Our boys have been going on road trips since they were 2 weeks old. They are now 4 &5, and we can have them sit in the car for 5 hours without too much issue, though we try and limit non-stop journeys to 3 hours. We don't have DVD players but did have a large collection of nursery ryhmes on CD to start. Now they have grown up a bit, we have moved onto Audiobooks - Lion king, Incredibles, Rudyard Kiplings Just So stories (they love this one), and recently Hank the Cow Dog. (strange 80's American kids book). Being boys they also are happy playing with just rocks for toys whilst we are out.

I appreciate your daughter is a bit younger, but we get them to find and choose stuff to bring home to put in their 'cabinet of curiousities' - Rocks, sticks, feathers - junk really. But they really engage with the journey that way.

We've now found that they love being out and seeing different things, and learn heaps of stuff they wouldn't experience just being at home. Everytime it rains, my two still talk about the stories they learnt in Kakadu. Its a great experience for them and they love it and having the quality daddy time!

[cnfusedstu Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cnfusedstu]

Hi Dan,

From my experience I say go for it. I have always taken my kids camping/touring. Did the kimberley's for 3 weeks when my eldest daughter was 8 weeks old, was brilliant.(not that she would remember anything). Did 3 weeks in the red centre and Sandy Blight track with our 2x daughters (3 years old and 16 months old at the time). Once again it was great. From my experience I haven't needed to change my driving/stopping cycles much for the kids. Living in Darwin, i generally put in 1 or 2 days of big driving to start our trips driving 8-10 hrs each day. Just stop for lunch and maybe 1 or 2 toilet stops (mainly for the missus from memory). I've always had the kids music playing in the car while travelling (the wiggles, nursery rhymes, whatever they are into), and since the kids are now older (5yrs and 3 yrs) they have portable DVD players and now we don't hear ANYTHING from them all trip, apart from to change DVDs. If your child watches TV, a DVD player is gold. Just get some DVDs of their favourite TV shows and your set.

As said above, my kids fall asleep quick smart once the corrigations start. Make sure you have enough snacks for her in the car to keep her happy. Another very handy thing is a rear wheel bag to use as a rubish bag, because she will go through disposable nappies and they don't smell too flash if left in the car.

Cheers,
Stuey

[karlmagoo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close karlmagoo]

Flew overseas when our daughter was around same age, 10hrs straight, restless but not too bad, as others have said, books, ipad, dvd player stop at parks or beach etc. However, now shes 4 & we did a road trip holiday 2 mths ago between sunny coast and sydney, VERY stressfull on us all, she was bored and acting up which made me antsy, which in turn made the wife antsy, probably more bad than good on that trip, doubt ill do similar anytime soon.




Cheers

[christofurry Member Find all posts View Profile Close christofurry]

We drove to the Cape (this time last year) with our 14 month old boy.

It was very easy to be honest. It actually made us realise how little stuff you need to survive with a kid, they are very easily entertained!

Best thing you can do is fly both the missis and bub to Townsville or Cairns, that way they miss out of the two day slog straight up the highway.
Our day started about 630ish everyday - get up eat breakfast and got sorted, pack up camp and by then it was 9ish and bub was ready for a nap. Drive for about 2 hours stop for lunch and a break, then we would drive for another or so whilst bub had a sleep, then pull up at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and set up camp. Thats a good 4 or more hours driving everyday which is plenty up the teletrack.

Highly recommend a awning with mozzie net enclosure. Each time we were packing up or setting up camp bub was in there happily playing and not getting eaten alive.

Have plenty of snacks and stuff for each days driving if they do wake up. We found it easy to get everything prepared for the day before heading off.

Also take enough nappies/formula/wipes for the entire trip. We didnt need to buy anything (except fuel/food) and it made things so much easier not having to worry about the essentials.

Cheers
Chris

[blkd4d Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close blkd4d]

My wife and I are thinking seriously about doing the Cape York trip next year.

The conundrum is... Do we take our (then) 18 month old daughter with us?

Be interested in peoples experiences doing big trips with little ones, both good and bad.

My wife would rather take our daughter but I am thinking...

1. Is it fair on her to have her couped up in the Prado for weeks on end.

2. Will I want to kill her after a few days making it a less enjoyable trip.

What do you guys think?

You will want to kill her but would you want to miss out having your daughter there with you standing at the tip.
Our daughter was 2 when we done the cape in 2011.
This picture was walking to the tip .

DVD's , books , kids music lol and food we found if our daughter was a bit grizzly the wife would jump in the back with her.

Easter this year Talia and my wife went camping without me up to the high country and my daughter kept saying we going camping mum.

[blkd4d Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close blkd4d]

We drove to the Cape (this time last year) with our 14 month old boy.

It was very easy to be honest. It actually made us realise how little stuff you need to survive with a kid, they are very easily entertained!

Best thing you can do is fly both the missis and bub to Townsville or Cairns, that way they miss out of the two day slog straight up the highway.
Our day started about 630ish everyday - get up eat breakfast and got sorted, pack up camp and by then it was 9ish and bub was ready for a nap. Drive for about 2 hours stop for lunch and a break, then we would drive for another or so whilst bub had a sleep, then pull up at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and set up camp. Thats a good 4 or more hours driving everyday which is plenty up the teletrack.

Highly recommend a awning with mozzie net enclosure. Each time we were packing up or setting up camp bub was in there happily playing and not getting eaten alive.

Have plenty of snacks and stuff for each days driving if they do wake up. We found it easy to get everything prepared for the day before heading off.

Also take enough nappies/formula/wipes for the entire trip. We didnt need to buy anything (except fuel/food) and it made things so much easier not having to worry about the essentials.

Cheers
Chris

I also was going to suggest the fly thing but the cape trip the whole family road tripped all the way from Melbourne .
Fraser she was six months old but that trip the daughter and misses traveled only one way by car . I picked them up a Brisbane airport.

Chris well done 14 month old .

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Spot the real baby.

[blkd4d Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close blkd4d]

Spot the real baby.

Dave I need to delete that pic . Photo shop me out .

[DSS150 Find all posts View Profile Close DSS150]

Thanks for your feedback guys, I really appreciate it.

Truth be told, it would be very difficult to leave bub with my Mum and for my wife and I to have so long away from her.

But hey, lots of things can change in a year, will have to see what she is like closer to the time I suppose.

We have done a few road trips and a long weekend of 4wding with her, so far she behaves very well and does sleep well when too tired.

We also have the iPad strapped to the headrest for her to watch Baby Einstein vids which she loves.

All going well, we will be good to go next June and have her in tow.

Thanks again

[Est_1982 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Est_1982]

If you don't take her you will just spend the whole time missing her and wondering what she is up to. They are resilient little buggers, took my 3 year old on a 15 day trip without her mum last year. Longest day was 1500km and she was great. Only time she sooked was when she had to wee in a toilet and not do a bush wee!