A Long Drive With An 8 Month Old

[DisneyStitch626]

Hey there!

We are from Alberta, Canada and were planning on taking a weekend trip down to Disneyland in Feb. But with how expensive flights are, we are now considering driving.

The only thing about driving is that means we would have to be gone longer, and would probably end up taking our then 8 month old baby. Does anyone have any advice or tips on traveling long distances with a young child? We've done the drive before, just not with a child.

Thank you in advance!

 

[skiingfast]

Toddlers and infants are great in the car, they fall asleep in it real easy as you will soon find out.

Mainly with an infant, they will puke and and dirty their diaper, so be ready for some extra clean up stops. And if they get car sick, though you will mostly be on smooth strait freeway, being stuck in a smelly car since until you get to southern Utah it will probably be too cold to open the window isn't pleasant. But it's something you will have to deal with from time to time.

 

[Jynxed]

Hey there!

We are from Alberta, Canada and were planning on taking a weekend trip down to Disneyland in Feb. But with how expensive flights are, we are now considering driving.

The only thing about driving is that means we would have to be gone longer, and would probably end up taking our then 8 month old baby. Does anyone have any advice or tips on traveling long distances with a young child? We've done the drive before, just not with a child.

Thank you in advance!

I have driven that far with my child. You will definitely want to stop plenty of times to allow her to stretch her legs. Or if possible, try driving over night when she is sleeping. If she will be awake, I usually sit in back with her to play with her and keep entertained with some toys. My son for the most part is good in the car and likes it, so that's a bonus!

 

[DizNee Luver]

As long as you start your baby out in the car for small road trips early on, most babies will do very well traveling long distance. We would take our kids out right away & go for drives, just so they'd enjoy the car.

You'll just need to make stops for regular feeding & diapering. Start playing music at home & in the car......it helps soothe them. Bring along favorite toys & blankets (but bring spares, just in case) & you should all be fine!!!

 

[CrazyDuck]

Do the math and factor in what the extra days off work will cost you. Also take into account the cost for lodging and food if you can't drive right through to Anaheim. And dont forget the rrising price of gas (not just where you are because you will have to fill up somewhere in Cali). Are you sure it's not cheaper to fly?

 

[DisneyStitch626]

Thank you for the tips everyone! It makes me feel a lot better knowing it can be done. He will be used to the car by then I am sure. We live about 2 hours from my family, and will be taking frequent trips with him.

As far as gas goes, it is cheaper than flying. It's going to be about $1400 for us to fly, and about $500 to drive.

 

[Susie63]

I think if you check starting in November and after Christmas, you will still find flights at $99 each way. Feb tends to be a slow time and you will have to check AC's website everyday and they are not advertised sales.The prices go up and down quite often. We flew direct to LAX from EDM for $912 taxes incl.for three of us. We were there in 3 1/2 hrs.

 

[skiingfast]

I think if you check starting in November and after Christmas, you will still find flights at $99 each way. Feb tends to be a slow time and you will have to check AC's website everyday and they are not advertised sales.The prices go up and down quite often. We flew direct to LAX from EDM for $912 taxes incl.for three of us. We were there in 3 1/2 hrs.

I don't disagree, but what was the price of gas then? Was it cheaper than now, because when gas goes up so does the cost of jet fuel, the main cost behind the pricing of airline tickets.

Also when you fly you have to figure in, transportation to and from the airport. Maybe airport parking. Food costs. Luggage fees as you might need to check an extra bag to fit all the diapers in.

 

[Susie63]

Gas was maybe 8 cents a litre cheaper. Also when you drive you have to factor in hotels and a lot more eating on the road.Depending on where the OP lives it might be a 25 hr drive.I am four hours north of Edmonton and it is a 28 hr drive.

 

[VandVsmama]

I don't want to be a wet blanket, but just keep in mind that every child is different. For example, when our older daughter was a baby, we went on the 6-hour drive from Tucson to San Diego. Well, without a baby in the car, it normally would have been a 6 hour drive. It turned into 8-9 hours with all of the stops that we had to make. Our baby didn't sleep hardly at all in the car. She is just not a kid that will sleep in the car.

On the ride back, we tried to drive at night, with the thought that she'd fall asleep quickly if it was nightime. Nope. She cried for 5.5 hours straight.

Your mileage may vary, of course, but after that experience, we didn't take any road trips like that until ODD was 3.5.

 

[rbbs]

Do it!! We did this same trip in 2009 with our two young kids and will do it again this summer. It is the only way to go as it is cheaper and you get more out of your holiday. We actually added on to this trip and went down to Mexico and then went up the coast to check out Big Sur, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Red Wood's, Oregon Coast, Seattle etc.etc. We ended up putting on 6,800KM's and we had soo much fun we told ourselves most of our memories happened on the drive to get there and if we would have flown we would have missed out on all the things along the way (Grand Canyon, Vegas, San Diego, TJ and above places to name a few). I almost think that an 8 month old makes pulling a trip like this off even easier as we had two kids that were 4 and 6 so they weren't able to be lulled into sleep like an 8 month old would be. Give yourself lots of time and take lots of stops along the way and use the money you save to have a good old fashioned road trip. Nothing like it!! I would likely drive even if the cost was the same as there is just soo much to see!!

 

[purplecrush]

I say go for it!! Ive taken lots of trips roads trips with my kids! Nothing else like it!! like pp said, lots of memories are to be made in the car! I guess my kids are easy..they always fall asleep in the car ...and they are 14 and 12...and STILL go to sleep haha.

Have a great, wonderful time on your trip!!!!!

 

[DisneyStitch626]

Thank you everyone!

I might still check for flight prices. If they can get as low as about $700 for us to fly, we might still go that way. We are from Red Deer, so to fly out of Calgary or Edmonton won't be a big deal. That's great that you were able to get them for $99 each way. I hope we could get that!

Hopefully we can get our baby used to the car so that if we decide to do the road trip, he won't be too fussy. We did the same trip in October with 4 adults, and were able to make it all the way without stopping at hotels, but this time we are going to have to! So there's that extra cost too.

As it gets closer we will see!

Thanks again!

 

[jernysgirl]

My older DS's first trip to DLR was when he was 11 months old and I was pregnant with our second DS. It is a 10 hour drive from our house, and while I am sure that it was difficult, (I don't really remember), I know that your trip is WAY longer than that.

I would suggest making sure you bring a blanket or window shade so that you are able to block the sun coming in the baby's window, plenty of toys/teethers, and make sure you have bottles and spare clothes & diapers readily accessible and not buried under a pile of luggage in the back of the car. Be prepared to stop frequently, but if the baby is sleeping try to keep driving. Maybe bring a blanket to throw out on the grass at a rest stop for the baby to crawl around on (if it is warm enough).

Get to be a pro at changing diapers in the car instead of bringing the baby into icky rest stops or truck stops. And I would put a lap pad (waterproof pad) in the car seat to protect in case of a diaper leak.

Make sure that baby is nice and cozy and warm in the back seat, but I would dress him/her in something lightweight, comfy and breathable. Layer with a blankie to keep their legs warm.

And make sure to check the weather before you come down, as that time of year some of the passes can get snowy, which will add time to your trip as well.

Hope that helps!

 

[vew-tori]

When DD was about that age we made a 16 hour trip across the country. We left after work and planned to stop about 9 or ten for the night then get up and drive in the next day. She was sleeping so good that we pushed it to about midnight. We checked in and she was wide awake and ready to play ! I was downstairs in the lobby with her about 2 in the morning so DH could get some sleep . We never did that again! We stop as planned.

She is now 13 and a great traveler. We love our road trips as a family! Have fun with your new little traveler.

 

[TheChapman6]

You can do it. I think with minimal stops even in one day. I say go for it. It would nicer than checking all your bags you can bring all that fits in your car.

 

[MommiePrincess]

W will have a 7 hour drive with our 4 month old next month. We made the drive when our DD was 7 months and she was fine until the last hour (fussy). I did sit in the back off and on. I held a DVD player with Elmo and Baby Einstein shows (sorry anti TV parents no offense) for some of the time. She slept less then her normal naps, but was content. My other DD was 3 at the time and sat in the back as well, I think this helped. We left mid morning. We just stopped for lunch and that was it. I am a bit worried with our 4 month old and wish he was a few months older for this trip, just from an understanding point of what is going on. You'll be fine!

 

[taaren]

When DS was 2 weeks old DH decided we needed to surprise my in-laws with a holiday weekend visit ... at the time we lived in the Bay, they live in Phoenix. So in that 14 hour drive I was very glad we did most of it at night (extra insurance towards sleeping) and had lotsa diapers and wipes and plastic grocery bags (ziplocs also good) to put the dirty wipes into. Made this round trip trek 3 more times before he made a year and moved to a non-drivable location. Its definitely do-able, probably easier than with my now-4 year old who sleeps on trips but not quite as much.

 

[MyYearWithTheMouse]

I would fly if at all possible. There's a big difference between a 12 or 14 hour trip and a 26 hour trip, so the comparison doesn't really translate. Your little one will probably be crawling and once they get to that stage, it's much harder for them to sit still, and if they're crawling and not walking, it's much harder for them to burn off any energy if you're just at rest stops because there will be very few clean places for them to crawl around on the floor. Especially in the winter. It's not like you can just pull over at a rest stop and everyone gets out of the car and stretches their legs for a few minutes and then gets back in. Driving through the night is a great idea, but only if you're going to be able to do the whole trip in one night.

I know, Negative Nelly here. I also wouldn't be surprised to see gas go up to $5.00/gallon by next year.

My other piece of traveling-with-a-baby advice is to always use overnight diapers so you can go longer between changes.

 

[jory29]

I would fly if at all possible. There's a big difference between a 12 or 14 hour trip and a 26 hour trip, so the comparison doesn't really translate. Your little one will probably be crawling and once they get to that stage, it's much harder for them to sit still, and if they're crawling and not walking, it's much harder for them to burn off any energy if you're just at rest stops because there will be very few clean places for them to crawl around on the floor. Especially in the winter. It's not like you can just pull over at a rest stop and everyone gets out of the car and stretches their legs for a few minutes and then gets back in. Driving through the night is a great idea, but only if you're going to be able to do the whole trip in one night.

I know, Negative Nelly here. I also wouldn't be surprised to see gas go up to $5.00/gallon by next year.

My other piece of traveling-with-a-baby advice is to always use overnight diapers so you can go longer between changes.

Negative Nelly, meet another Negative Nelly on the board for this idea... I agree with the idea of flying vs. driving, and I am always a very budget minded person. This would be a very, very long drive and would make for a very long and not very fun drive. Keep an eye on Westjet's sales that they have every Thurs. for a few hours and hope that a great price to LA or Orange County comes up - or, redeem air miles for a flight if at all possible so you just have to pay taxes, use air miles for the Park Hoppers to save money for the flights, etc. Babies do tend to travel better than older kids, but that being said, since baby will be crawling by then, could prove to be a pretty long trip on everybody's part. Good luck with it and have fun, whatever you do!!