Driving from NY w/5 yr old- are we crazy

[Beka'sMom]

Considering driving this year since airfares are so high-
We have a 5 yr old- ARE WE CRAZY?

Please give me feedback if you have done this with kids-
Thanks

 

[parmtoo]

We live upstate in the Watertown area, and are also driving. We have 3 kids, 16, 14 and 8. My sister is driving from northern NJ with her 3 yo. She got a small car TV for the trip, and is hoping that will keep him calm while in the car............So, if your crazy, we are too! Just bring plenty of activities for the trip like, coloring books, game boy, childrens music, ect.......Good luck!

 

[tci1212]

My son was 3 yrs old the first trip that we drove down to Fla. We crossed over to Delaware on the Ferry and as soon as we started to drive he fell asleep. He stayed asleep until we reached Florida! After that we only had 4 hrs of driving left, and he was great. Your daughter is only 5 so she will probably sleep some of the trip. We drove with a 4 yr old this past Feb. I packed her a little treasure box filled with Disney toys. I went to our local Disney store and bought little Disney toys and coloring books, and anything that would fit is a large shoebox. I also bought her Disney dollars for her trip. I waited until we were on the rode to give it to her. She loved it. She played with everything on the drive down. How far would you be driving?

 

[treehugger]

My Sister drove down last year with her 5 y/o twins. Everything was fine for the first 6 hours and then one of the twins started to get car sick. She never had any problems before the trip, it must've been the long drive. They felt so bad. Her tummy finally calmed down once it was empty and they started giving her clear liquids. Needless to say they are now Southwest lovers!

 

[The Prophet]

I have done it three times with 2 kids (and my do it a fourth time in Feb 05)
My advice to you is

1. Get a portable DVD player
2. Eat at restaurants which have playgrounds such as McDonalds or Burger King
3. If possible, do most of your driving at night and avoid the D.C. Beltway during peak times.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a PM.


The Prophet

 

[Fonzy13]

23 days til I set off on the 20 hour drive from Albany. Me, DB(15), and younger DB (6). At first I thought I was crazy, and started to look for cheap airfare. Then I said screw it, and I'm looking forward to the drive. Leaving at 4 a.m., so driving 70-75 will get us through NYC and DC at off peak times, and hopefully into southern SC, northern Georgia by 7 p.m. Get up and do the next seven hours on a Saturday and be in Epcot by 6 p.m. that night.

(My brothers are going to kill me!)


Commando Out!

 

[WDW4KIDS]

I would leave NY late evening around your 5 yr olds bedtime.The longer he's sleeping the better for your sanity.I give you this example The drive should take anywhere from 18-22 hrs.The little one sleeping for 9 of those hrs. will let you have a safe and carefree vacation.

 

[twoeeyy]

our first trip driving was when our daughter was 4.

things that worked good were; childrens books on tapes with the books you follow ( from library ).

childrens sing-a long music. Althoug we were TIRED of them by the time we got to florida our daughter loved them.

A cd or cassete player for the kids so you won't have to always listen to what they are.

A dvd player is an excellent thing. When we started driving down they did not have them out yet.

And last but not least a bag of various ' things' most from the dollar store along with a few special food treats. As we went along I would hold the bag up and she got to pick out a surprise.

This worked good because if she did start to get a little bit cranky we would tell her that at our next stop she could pick from the bag again, and this seemed to make her want to 'not drive us crazy' so she would be able to pick something out. Just remember to leave stuff in the bag for the ride home.

 

[StephMK]

If you're crazy, we're insane! Taking our 3 - 10, 4, 2 - to Disney for Halloween. If you have a Leap Pad, my 4 yr old loves to play that in the car. It comes w/a headphone jack too! They sell well on ebay. I've also heard good things about books on tape. Good luck!

 

[Jestocost]

I would rather drill my own teeth without anesthesia than drive 16-20 hours--kids or no kids. But that's just a personal problem. YMMV. Literally.

 

[Beka'sMom]

Thanks all for your opinions-

Looks like we are going to try it this year- the amount of $ we will save between airfare and rental car will make up for the long drive-

We will look at it as a "family adventure" and make the best of it!..

Can't wait to be back at WDW - we go every year!

 

[Letsbgoofy]

I am sure you are not crazy now, but you might be after the trip!

Seriously, my son has done the trip (straight through) many times with no problems. We leave late afternoon, by the time he starts to get bored it's time for bed. We live near Binghamton and it takes us about 18 hours if we drive at night.

 

[mickeymousefan]

We did the trip last December from southern NJ with DD's 3 and 1. We left at 8 pm with hopes they would sleep through the night....... guess what... they didn't!!!! My 3 year old was awake the whole night and did not fall asleep till day break. The one year old drifted in and out of sleep, never getting more than an hour or so of sleep. On the other hand, the trip back we left seaworld at 4 pm and grabbed a hotel room around midnight. What a difference!
The kids got 6 or 7 hours of sleep at the hotel and then napped the whole way home. They were much happier being able to sleep in a bed during the night rather than in the car seats.
This trip we will be leaving 4 am on Jan 1 (do not anticipate any DC traffic on New Years Day), stop around 7pm for dinner, then grab a hotel room (hopefully in GA) and then be back on the road by 7 am. Hopefully this will put us in WDW by 12-1 pm.

One word of advice...... take it slow. Without kids we have done this trip in 17 hours. Last year it took 20. We took lots of breaks (and had a flat tire on 95 south of Jacksonville), and got the kids out of the car at least once a state.
Also, invest in a vcr or dvd combo.... they are priceless. I ordered lots of videos off ebay really cheap so they had a good selection for the trip.

 

[kaylajr]

We drove from Saratoga NY to Fla when the kids were 4 and 6
and just be aware that not all kids SLEEP on the drive
we left at 6 am and drove to SC and the girls never closed there eyes once
i was shocked

we didn't have a car tv but brought lots of activites and the ride was ok

i learned a few things though

1.) be willing to make a few extra rest stops nicer ride when the kiddos are comfortable

2.) when packing the car to leave remember you WILL be coming home with more than you left with i did not plan for this and rode home with a bunch of suvioners under my feet NOT COMFORTABLE

3.) rent don't take your own we had transmission trouble on the way home if it had been a rental easy to call for a replacement as it was our car OUCH the repair bill hurt after just spending 7 days in fla

4.) when comparing rental car to air fare don't forget to factor in the additional coats of driving
gas
all the meals on the road
hotel ( if you are not driving straight through)
how tired the adults are when you finally get to WDW

all that being said we are considering driving again now that the kids are 10 and 8
we are waiting to see which is more cost effective

have a great trip no matter what you decide

 

[MamaLema]

If you're crazy, we must be insane!!!!

We are driving from Canada to WDW with our 3ds :

ages 7, 5 and 8 months

 

[Beka'sMom]

Thanks- anyone else?

 

[lkc0538]

You may want to consider driving to Lorton, VA (just south of DC) and hopping on the auto train. You can even just book it one way if you want to stomach the drive down, then take a break on the ride back. If you aren't leaving until Oct. you may be able to still get a good rate. It may be worth looking in to-that way you still have your car, and we have found it much cheaper than flying.
Just go to www.amtrak.com.

 

[Chicago526]

It depends on the temperment of your child. My brothers and I got cramed into the back seat of the station wagon every summer for 9 to 13 hour trips in the car. We did just fine, and mom didn't even give us stuff to do. No coloring, no travel games. we just sat there quietly while Dad concentrated on driving. At least we had the radio!

Anyway, if you give your kid enough to do in the car, he should be fine. Try to stop for lunch somewhere for 45 minutes to an hour so he (or she) can run around for awhile after you eat. It makes a good break for the adults, too!