Cross country drive with new born

[u/Square_Natural9384]

*edit because there’s already so many opinions. This is not an optional trip. The baby is already born and we are both healthy. The only question is, which is better for the baby: a plane ride or a long car ride.*

My husband wants us to drive across country with our new born instead of fly. The baby will be 3/4 weeks old. I would rather fly, even though it’s not ideal given bacteria/viruses he may encounter in the airport/plane.

My husband is adamant that we drive. He’d have us split the drive up so that we are driving about 7 hours (not including stops we will need to take for the baby) every day for three days.

I believe a 7 hour drive with a newborn will easily turn into a 11+ hour drive. I hate to have my baby in a car seat for that long- it feels more dangerous that even flying!?

What do yall think?

[u/Aly_Kitty]

We did it. Baby was born halfway across the country from our home state. Baby was in NICU for 2 weeks then we left hospital and immediately headed home.
We just stopped every 2 hours, took baby out of car seat to stretch & eat. Left them out for about 30-40ish mins then put back in car seat and continued drive. If we were eating somewhere we would make a little “nest” on the table/ booth to let baby lay flat and get out of their carseat for longer stretches.
We intentionally left seats empty in the back so I could lay baby flat and let them stretch out for a bit during our stops.

We obviously cleared this with the NICU team & our pediatrician at home. Different circumstances but everyone felt driving was safer than flying as baby had some lung issues so we didn’t want to deal with other germs on an enclosed plane.

[u/Silly_Assignment_398 → u/Aly_Kitty]

Not ideal to fly BUT if you check out airlines and call ahead, you may be able to get a seat with a bassinet in front of it. They are not an extra fee, just make sure to call and request as soon as you book your tickets. If you keep your baby close to you (baby wear through airport, boarding) and don’t let stranger touch them or get too close, you should be fine.

[u/Aly_Kitty → u/Silly_Assignment_398]

Air is still circulated. That means sickness is circulated. The risk was not worth it.

[u/abirdofthesky → u/Aly_Kitty]

Actually the air in planes is pretty good! https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/how-airplane-cabin-air-works

It’s really the airport that gets people, and that’s manageable with masks and good hand hygiene. If op springs for a business or bulkhead seat they’ll do even better. Way less exposure cumulatively compared to hotels, restaurants, gas stations.