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Road Trippin'

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I've heard rumors that there are babies who LOVE being in the car.  These babies fall asleep the minute the engine goes on and stay asleep until the car arrives at its destination (whether that's 5 minutes or 5 hours). This would work out great for me - a chance to relax, kick back my feet, think about nothing.  However, Leo is not one of these babies.  And so, managing car trips with Leo has become my Mount Everest.*
First road trip home from the hospital!  90% blanket.

At the beginning, road trips were pretty much no big deal.  He was asleep most of the time anyway, so as long as he was fed and dry, he was pretty much good to go.  Also, these road trips tended to be really short (30 minutes or less).  Our first trip out, we went to the bris and we occasionally traveled to the UES for some bagels and lox (Leo likes his thinly sliced by the guy at the Fairway counter).




Life is better in the front seat!
It wasn't apparent that there was no magical sleeping drug emanation from our air conditioning vent until we started traveling beyond the five boroughs - to a land of green and plenty known as Westchester.  On our way home, we got stuck in TERRIBLE traffic (apparently everyone in NY was deadset on making sure we didn't get home before Leo had to eat again), Leo woke up from his 5 minute nap,  and decided to exercise his vocal cords.  Literally nothing worked.  Eventually, we arrived at home. After being freed from the carseat, Leo pouted, waved his octopus at us angrily, and wouldn't talk to us for several hours. After this several more car trips of about 1 hour in length, several things about Leo's riding persona became apparent:

 1. Leo currently only naps for 30 minutes at a time in the car.
2. When he is awake, he must be entertained by a human.
3. If he is at all hungry, all bets are off.  
Entertain me, servant!
So, while he isn't wailing 100% of the time, it can be pretty exhausting trying to keep a baby fed, dry, and happy in the backseat of an economy sized rental vehicle.  Here's what we do:

 1. Someone always sits in the backseat with Leo if there is more than one adult in the car.  This insures that there is a person who can immediately do his bidding. We rotate who is in the backseat so that the entertainer gets a break.

 2. We pack lots of toys/books and bring out a new one every so often. This means that Leo is constantly on his toes(back?).  

 3. When Leo starts to get tired, we cover up his carseat with a dark sweater or blanket.  We also put on white noise and sing Itsy Bitsy in a soft, soothing voices tinged with desperation. 

 4. We stop and get out of the car about once an hour.  This allows everyone a chance to streeeeeeetch.  Leo appreciates this time as "rolling around in sketchy areas."

 5. I expect that now that Leo is eating finger foods, we will also pack a plethora of these to tide him over when he is hungry.  Shaws do love their car snacks!
Leo cuddling with Aunt Elizabeth at a Route 81 gas station. 
This system works pretty well for everyone involved - keeps Leo happy and me mostly sane.  

Happy with his turkey jerky (just like Mom). 

*Please note that Eric does not worry about car trips at all.  His motto appears to be, "Whatever happens in the backseat, stays in the backseat."





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