16 hour drive with 23 mo. old, am I crazy???

[DonaldDuckFan]

My parents are driving to Disney in late September and getting the free dining. They offered to add us to their room and it would only cost us for the extra adult in the room and tickets. It would just be me and DS4 and DS almost 2. DH has to work so he would stay home. I love the idea of being able to go for sooo cheap with the free dining and all, but I'm not so thrilled with the idea of having the baby in the car for that long. They do make a stop and stay overnight probably more than half way and we will have 2 DVD players in the car (one portable and one built-in). And of course lots of snacks...

Has anyone else done this? Any advice?

Thanks, Amy

 

[mommiepoppins]

yeah you and me are crazy!I am driving 14 with a 2 year old

 

[all4fun]

We did this last fall with our ds (2-1/2 at the time) when we drove 18hrs each way to visit DL. We did split the trip up both ways. We had a great time when we were there but boy that drive was a bear. We have vowed never again! lol.

That is a hard deal to pass up though!

 

[traviesojmt]

I am pretty sure that DH and I would win the CRAZY parents award then. Last summer, (DD turned 2 on trip also had DS7) we drove from Anchorage, Alaska to Disneyworld. We are in the military and were being moved from Anchorage to Massachusetts. We drove Alaska to Ky in 10 days. Stayed with family for a week and then on to Disneyworld. Then we drove from Disneyworld to Mass. My kids did great. We also had a DVD for each child in the car. I made sure that I had my daughters favorite tapes. I really dreaded the trip in the beginning. It was DH who thought that this was a trip of a lifetime. In the end, it was great. My DD did great in the car. She enjoyed watching episodes of Dora the Explorer and a couple of others. When we stopped for meals, we gave her time to run around. I guess, in the end, each child would be different, but our DD2 did wonderfully.

 

[cjnix29]

You are not crazy. Last October, my DH and I drove 19 hours straight through BOTH WAYS from Ohio. Now, granted, we had our 12 year old niece in the van to help keep the DS2 company. But he actually did really well. We left at 3 am, so he slept for the first 6 hours of the trip. We then made sure that the breaks we took were at places with playgrounds. (Yes, have a hefty stash of antibacterial wipes handy!). And THANK GOODNESS for the portable DVD player! We also had gotten a lot of small new toys for him to play with that were cheap, but he had something new. It worked so well we are doing it again in September for free dining...this time without the niece. We'll see how it goes. Good luck! Just prepare and you will be fine.

 

[checkwriter]

cjnix29 has the right idea. If you are up to it, drive during the nighttime. Leave in the afternoon, drive all night, and the youngster will sleep through. You need to make very sure that the drivers are up to this -- driving all night is very hard, and it's dangerously easy to doze off.

Also, portable dvd players are so darn cheap now that it makes sense to invest in one to keep the youngster entertained, if you don't generally have a problem with TV (I understand completely that some people do).

 

[WAHMto5]

We drive every time we go from Illinois to WDW with our kids of all ages! We always leave late at night, around midnight and always works out great. We used to stop over night, but found it was much easier on everyone to just drive straight through. We enjoy the drive and when the little ones get crabby we stop at a rest area and let them run around and play for a short bit.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

One thing we did when DS was little was to take advantage of meal stops. We would stop at a fast food place with a cool playground and let DS play while we ate and then take his food with us in the car. That gave his something else to so for a 1/2 hour or so and he ate so much better after playing.

Another idea we used was to watch your road signs for a rest stop and then pick a fast food place a stop or two before and go through the drive though for food. TAke it to the rest stop and have a picnic. You can also pack a picnic for this or as aw often do have a cooler or drinks and some chips and get sandwiches. We always felt better after being in the fresh air.

Good luck.
Jordans' mon

 

[Boncho]

No, you're not crazy. I have been taking my son (now 10) on driving vacations once a year since he was 1 year old. When he was small, I would stop every 2 or 3 hours (depending on if he was sleeping) just so we could get out of the car for 15 minutes or so. I never had a problem>

 

[DonaldDuckFan]

Thanks for all the replies and support!!! We definately will be taking full advantage of the DVD players, I think that will help the best. We will be leaving around 4 in the morning, but DS usually wakes up around 6 am, so I'm hoping he'll be able to fall back to sleep and just won't stay up... he's not the best sleeper and wakes VERY easily. I think I'm most concerned that my parents won't want to stop as often as we'll need to with him, but that is a great idea to let him run around and play while the rest of us are eating and then bringing his food in the car with us, I think that will definately help!!!

Thanks for letting me know there are others out there with me!!! I think once we get there they will both LOVE it!

 

[KJMAX1]

Youre not crazy. My DH was on a three week business trip last year and he stopped in LA for a few days. My 3 kids, and I, plus I begged my mother to go, drove from Seattle to LA. We stopped only for gas or some food. We started at 4am and didnt stop until I got to Sacremento at 4:30 in the afternoon. I booked an Extended Stay hotel room and brought a box of their toys, some old and some new. A DVD player, and a cooler full of drinks and snacks. Basically we only stopped for gas, and bathroom breaks for the first day. If you have never been on a car trip this long with a little one, you will soon figure out day one should be the longest and furthest you can go, because by day two they know EXACTLY how it works. I made it to Sacremento in 12 1/2 hours, but the next day it took me 8 hours to get to Anaheim. . We saw every In and Out burger joint. If you can find a playground place its a great idea. BTW, we drive our kids from Seattle to Phoenix about once a year, with a stopover in DL. Youre not the only crazy ones.

 

[java]

Oh yeah we do it. Let's see this year it will be 12,8,3 and a 1 year old in the car. We drive every year. When my 3 was only 4 months old we drove from NJ to Miami for a weekend. *now that is crazy!! It really isn't bad if you work in the breaks. and if you are stopping overnight I suggest doing most of the driving day one because after being in the carseat for a long day they are not so happy getting back in day 2. Go and have a great time.

 

[lady9]

We drove 22 hours with a 25 month old. The DVD player helped a lot. I also got in the back with her to play dolls, tea party, read books, etc. To go along with the DVD player we bought her earphones (she called them her "muff ears") so we could talk without listening to the Wiggles DVD for the 3rd time in a row. Oh well! Whatever made her happy. She did very well. All the above suggestions are great. Good luck!

 

[Grendalynn]

Another vote for leaving at night and the DVD player.

We have traveled extensivley, as a child and now as a parent, and always try to leave around bed time. Yes, its hard on the parents but easier if the child(ren) are sleeping. Bring lots of toys and snack to entertain. Be ready to take some stops a long the way so the the child(ren) can stretch their legs and run around to expell some energy if need be.

I also suggest buying a few new toys and bring them out one by one, once the others have gotten old or didnt hold their attetion like you were hoping for. Borrow or buys a few new DVDs to entertain as well. You will have your inlaws there to help out when you arrive so you parents get nap or relax. Thats very helpful!

Good luck and enjoy it! They are only little for a little bit of their/our lives. I say suck it up, its only a short trip in the car in comparison to how long the pictures and memories will last!!

 

[mrstomrice]

Hello fellow Bucks Countian! We drove with our son, who was 22 m/o at the time. It was wonderful! We did not stop too much to be honest..about every 4 hours, and it worked out well. We clocked the mileage from BC and if I remember correctly, it was near 1,000 miles total. We didn't hit the road until 3pm from my husband's school in Philly (off the boulevard and C street). We avoided the BAltimore and DC area, by taking 301 to just above Richmond, which was a good route overall. We drove to Rocky Mount, NC that night and got there around 11 pm. We were on the road again by 6:45, made more stops then I wanted because I wasn't feeling well through Georgia, then made it to our hotel by 5:45pm. The traffic getting to and around Orlando was pretty bad and proved to be the worst part of the drive, so try not to get the kids too excited when you see Orlando signs. The dvd player was a blessing, as well as handy snacks. We had a plug in cooler, which was nice to have for the road and the hotel room. Coming home, we decided to take an extra morning and do AK one more time (we didn't have tickets, but upgraded for about $2.00 each) We left the park and were on the road by 11:00am, which helped us avoid the heavy am communte around Orlando. We stopped again in NC, then we were home again by 5pm the next night. The drive went much quicker then expected.
BY the way, be sure to stop at the Florida welcome center for a free cup of OJ...delicious! It is also a good last stretch break for the 4 hour ride to DW.
Enjoy!

 

[In Luv with Disney]

We are driving in December with a just turned 5 year old and an 18 month old. The drive should be about 14 hours. DH has done the drive before, but I never have. I am kinda looking forward to it!!! DH works until 11pm the night we leave. I plan to pick him up from work in Manhattan and we will leave from there. The kids will be asleep until at least 8am in the car. Then I can put on the Disney movies and keep them entertained until we get there. Why am I driving instead of flying which will take me only 2 hours??

1 - Flights are getting EXPENSIVE...will save the cost of the flights
2 - Will save the cost of the cabs to and from the airport
3 - Will save the cost of the rental car
4 - Will save THE HASSLE OF TRAVELLING with all of our luggage, double stroller, 2 kids, etc. in the airport. It's ALWAYS a nightmare!!!

I figure we'll save about $300 or more in the end after gas and tolls, which is great in my opinion. Who knows, we might make it a habit to drive after this trip!!!

 

[Lizzydoll73]

We just drove straight through from NJ with DD5 and DS3. We left at 7pm and arrived at noon the next day. The kids did sleep most of the way, it was great. We planned on stopping overnight on the return trip but after listening to the kids ask when are we going to be there a few times we kept driving. We left WDW at 10am and got home at 4am. It worked out great because we did not hit any traffic in the major cities.

 

[lovethattink]

We did several times with our little one from Fl to Lebanon, Pa. Our latest trip was over Easter to go to a funeral. Our next trip to Pa is coming up this month. I'm not sure if your toddler is potty trained or not, ours isn't yet. I had to stop every 2 to 3 hours to change his diaper. (He drank alot of milk in the car to pass the time away.) We stopped at road rests so he could run. In the car, we played DVD's, brought his favorite toys, pointed our trucks and cars. I found a really nice motel in Smithfield, NC. We deemed that pretty much the half way point. There is a Cici's pizza next to the motel. $3.99 for all you can eat pizza, pasta, and salad. Perfect grub for a toddler, lol. At Easter time, our 16 hour trip became a much longer trip with all the stops we had to make for him. I think it took us 12 hours just to get to Smithfield, NC (which would normally take 10 hours). Then it took us 8 hours to get from there to our destination.