Rv with a 12 month old

[Haley R]

Okay I need some help. Our son just turned 12 months. We’re planning to visit family in Iowa in June or July. Our original plan was to fly but he hates being in a car seat and we aren’t sure we feel comfortable with everything going on. But we’ve never driven an rv before. It would be an 18 hr 30 min drive without stops. We talked about stopping along the way at aquariums or something fun like that. I just have no idea what to expect with a 12 month in an rv for that long. Idk how naps and bedtime will go. Will it be awful? Would we be better off flying?

 

[dez1978]

I'd fly because personally I don't think it's safe to have a kid in an rv without a car seat, and most rvs don't have anywhere to properly install a carseat. I remember researching it about 5 years ago, and I vetoed it as a safety issue.

 

[dez1978]

https://saferide4kids.com/blog/traveling-children-rvs/

 

[Haley R]

I'd fly because personally I don't think it's safe to have a kid in an rv without a car seat, and most rvs don't have anywhere to properly install a carseat. I remember researching it about 5 years ago, and I vetoed it as a safety issue.

For some reason we had it in our heads that he could just play and run around in the rv but obviously that can’t happen. Idk why we didn’t think about that. Guess we’ll be flying. We’ll have to just tough it out and hope he naps

 

[dez1978]

For some reason we had it in our heads that he could just play and run around in the rv but obviously that can’t happen. Idk why we didn’t think about that. Guess we’ll be flying. We’ll have to just tough it out and hope he naps

I was thinking the same thing years ago because thats how we traveled when I was a kid lol. But then I wasn't in a carseat after I was an infant (because I'm old lol). So I envisioned it would be the same and we could chill out in the back comfortably. Then I realized it's not legal just because it's an rv. I was very sad.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Some RVs have car seat anchors, or you can do a seat belt install on seats that face the front (meaning RV seats; you can still use rear-facing car seats). We did this for a little while, but a lot of car seat experts recommend to have kids not ride in the RV, so now my husband usually drives the RV while I drive the car. The advantage is having a "room" to eat, change diapers, stretch, and rest in. We did the car/RV plan when my daughter was an infant and my son was 3.5 to travel from NC to WI. Took 3-4 days, and right around sunset, my daughter would inevitably get upset, signalling time to stop for the night. The rest of the time, snacks, toys, music, and napping kept her busy. We stopped often, so it is not a fast way to travel, but I prefer it in the covid world. But yeah, you would need to install a car seat.

 

[Haley R]

Some RVs have car seat anchors, or you can do a seat belt install on seats that face the front (meaning RV seats; you can still use rear-facing car seats). We did this for a little while, but a lot of car seat experts recommend to have kids not ride in the RV, so now my husband usually drives the RV while I drive the car. The advantage is having a "room" to eat, change diapers, stretch, and rest in. We did the car/RV plan when my daughter was an infant and my son was 3.5 to travel from NC to WI. Took 3-4 days, and right around sunset, my daughter would inevitably get upset, signalling time to stop for the night. The rest of the time, snacks, toys, music, and napping kept her busy. We stopped often, so it is not a fast way to travel, but I prefer it in the covid world. But yeah, you would need to install a car seat.

I think we’ll just fly. Hopefully he won’t be a nightmare. I’m dreading the drive there, the flight, and the drive to my parents house. It’s just a lot of time spent sitting in one spot. He’s a wiggle worm

 

[dez1978]

I think we’ll just fly. Hopefully he won’t be a nightmare. I’m dreading the drive there, the flight, and the drive to my parents house. It’s just a lot of time spent sitting in one spot. He’s a wiggle worm

How long is the flight and how long is the drive to the airport? We usually break it up since the airport is about 2 hrs from our house. We drive to a hotel near the airport the night before then try to fly out the next morning. That way it's not a solid day of traveling and stuck in a car seat. I never traveled with my kids until they were 4 & 6 for this very reason lol. My oldest was a horrible traveler. Like 30 min in the car and he'd be screaming. There is 100% no way he'd have made it on a 2 hr flight. Now tho at 7 &10, they are expert flyers and do better than most adults on the plane lol.

 

[PaHunter]

Our motorhome has a rear facing anchor for child sets and seatbelts for older passengers. It is a 2008, so can't imgine most don't have something.

 

[Haley R]

How long is the flight and how long is the drive to the airport? We usually break it up since the airport is about 2 hrs from our house. We drive to a hotel near the airport the night before then try to fly out the next morning. That way it's not a solid day of traveling and stuck in a car seat. I never traveled with my kids until they were 4 & 6 for this very reason lol. My oldest was a horrible traveler. Like 30 min in the car and he'd be screaming. There is 100% no way he'd have made it on a 2 hr flight. Now tho at 7 &10, they are expert flyers and do better than most adults on the plane lol.

It’s an hour drive, 3 hour flight, and another hour drive. He hates the car and being strapped down. We usually make it 15 minutes before he cries. I have no idea how he’ll do on a plane. But obviously an rv won’t work

 

[Sjm9911]

1. I might be the odd ball here, but you might as well get him used to the car seat, they have to be in them for the next 8 years or so. And also invest in a car dvd player or whatever they have now. Yes , hearing the wiggles or paw patrol, and dora is excruciating. But not as much as a crying 1 yo. Take more stops and add a extra 2 days to travel. But i hate flying.

 

[Sjm9911]

You will need the carseat on the plaine also? Right? So you are in a no win situation.

 

[Haley R]

You will need the carseat on the plaine also? Right? So you are in a no win situation.

He actually doesn’t have to be in a car seat on the plane but we plan to use one anyway at least for take off and landing. Then he might go in our laps. He’s a mover so he wants to be running all day long

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

5 hours total in a seat is way better than 18.5 hours! Like others have said, he needs to be is a seat when the motor home is moving.

 

[Haley R]

5 hours total in a seat is way better than 18.5 hours! Like others have said, he needs to be is a seat when the motor home is moving.

Now we’re just trying to decide where to sit on the plane lol

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Now we’re just trying to decide where to sit on the plane lol

Very back. That way they can only annoy the people in front of you, not the people behind you.

 

[Sjm9911]

If your child has allergies , or even if they dont , check with the pediatrician for advice. Just for me, and i always balled and cried , so i was told, when i was older i got mind splitting headaches when flying. Only when i was older and saw an ent for a diffrent reason , did i know that my sinuses did not regulate the pressure in the planes well. So i take allergy meds and a nassel decongestant if i have to fly. Much better. Im just saying i think kids cry because there in pain from the decompressing of the cabin , and that it may be relieved with benadryl. Im not a doctor, and this isnt medical advice other then to consult a pediatrician. I know for me , it was a kin to an aneurysm every time i flew.

 

[Haley R]

Very back. That way they can only annoy the people in front of you, not the people behind you.

Haha that’s true but we also thought maybe the front would be easier to get in and out of.

 

[Haley R]

If your child has allergies , or even if they dont , check with the pediatrician for advice. Just for me, and i always balled and cried , so i was told, when i was older i got mind splitting headaches when flying. Only when i was older and saw an ent for a diffrent reason , did i know that my sinuses did not regulate the pressure in the planes well. So i take allergy meds and a nassel decongestant if i have to fly. Much better. Im just saying i think kids cry because there in pain from the decompressing of the cabin , and that it may be relieved with benadryl. Im not a doctor, and this isnt medical advice other then to consult a pediatrician. I know for me , it was a kin to an aneurysm every time i flew.

I’ll ask his pediatrician if there’s anything we could maybe give to help make things go smoother. I was told to have him chew on something for take off and landing. I had awful ears as a kid. I cried almost the entire plane ride and even after. Now that I’m older I’ve learned how to pop my own ears because they don’t seem to pop on their own. I just get this pressure built up that doesn’t go away