Driving to WDW w/ 14 month old...are we nuts??

[Pluto14]

My dh does not do well with flying, so we've always driven from NJ to WDW in two days time (stopping over somewhere in SC). Now, this year we will have our 14 month old dd with us......any tips from anyone that has driven a long trip with this age, or about this age?????? We will have both of her grandmothers with us, too....hopefully, they will help keep her entertained!

Thanks for any advice!

Kris
Joe
Katie (1 YEAR OLD TODAY!!!!!!!)

 

[Denine]

We have driven from Cleveland several times with DD who is now 3-1/2. Not to discourage you, but we did drive when she was 14 months and that was the worst driving trip ever! Maybe since you will have both grandmas, it will be easier. Good luck!

 

[mommystieg]

DD#3 was 7 months old last year when we drove and will be 19 months on this road trip. I know this doesn't work for everyone, but last year we drove non-stop from Texas to WDW which was probably the best option for us. We left at the girls' bedtime--it took us right at 24 hours. If an all-nighter is not an option, a great tip I read on here was when you stop to eat, let your DD play while the adults eat and then order her meal to go. Having the grandmothers along will probably help a lot!! Good luck

 

[BlondeAlligator]

All I can say is, good luck! We have done road trips with my DD since she was about 20 months old. Now, I am not a huge supporter of TV for the little ones, but have you considered a DVD player for the car? You don't have to have one built in...there are a lot of portable ones out there you can get (Disney even makes them). You can get an adapter that plugs into your cig. lighter & makes it a regular plug outlet. When she was younger my DD would watch Baby Einstein vidoes & sleep...she would also scream and cry or play with the world's most annoying toys! It's just a thought that might save your sanity.

I would advise against the "drive-straight-through" philosophy...it seems kind of risky to be on the road that long and through the night with your little one along for the ride.

Be safe & have a great trip!

 

[labst60]

Yes!

I just drove home from the mall with my 14month old and felt like I was losing my mind as she screamed the entire time (30minutes) and has been know to yell much longer than that. Personally, if we had a not-so-great trip down, I'd be dreading the drive back the entire trip :-(

 

[pbharris4]

Get a portable DVD player and a case that straps inbetween the 2 front seats. Take a few DVD's with you. My DD was 13 months when she went for the first time and we drove from Northern VA. Take some cute books along and just a few toys. A really good DVD is the Laurie Berkner Band (she's on Noggin sometimes). Make sure she gets out to stretch (if she's walking) and take a few snacks, drinks for the road. Make sure to stop before your child gets too hungry (sometimes there are waits for places to eat). One thing I did want to mention was when my DD was 13 months old we drove from here to Savannah the first day. SHe was really tired, but did OK. The next day she was good until 1 hr before we got to WDW. So last year we left on Friday night and drove 3 hrs and spent the night and then to GA and then the 3rd day was a piece of cake. It worked out great! SHe was well rested and we could sleep in. We're doing it again this year. Yes, it's an extra hotel night, BUT they start off the vacation rested and it's only while she's still young. Next year when she is 4 yo she should be able to handle the 2 day drive. Just a suggestion.

 

[DW2006]

We have four kiddos ranging in age from 7 down to almost 10 months. We drive 1400 miles to GA from South Texas as least once a year. We do the majority of the driving at night. We leave within a few hrs of the kids bedtime...drive a bit...stop for supper and then they sleep and we d-r-i-v-e. (sorry I sleep and hubby drives ) Hubby usually will stop around 4 in the morning and grab a room...where he gets about 4 hrs of sleep we get breakfast and then finish off the trip.(sometimes we do drive straight through it just all depends) We've always traveled via minivan since having kids and all our trips have been long ones because family lives far away. For us the portable DVD, gameboys, books and art (doodle pad and colored pencils) are a saving grace. With your little one, driving via night time would keep her on her schedule too.

 

[WantToGoNow]

We drove from Ohio to WDW when my son was 6 months old and then again when he was 3.5 and my daughter was turning one. Both times we left at 8:00 in the evening – they fell asleep shortly after leaving home and slept most of the trip. On the return trip, however, we would leave in the morning for the full days drive. The trip down was much easier than the trip back. If you child likes cartoons, get a DVD player for the car and play her favorites.

 

[Pluto14]

Thanks!! Any other tips, keep them coming! We do have a DVD player built into our car, and will be taking the ones she loves. We will be taking books, maybe a magna doodle (travel size) small toys that won't drive us insane, and plenty of snacks/drinks, etc. I like the idea of traveling at night, but am not sure the rest of the party would go for that. I just know that this trip down will be different than any other!!!!

I do like the 3 day idea, rather than doing it in 2 days. Maybe I can talk DH into that idea.

Thanks again!

 

[pbharris4]

The extra night really helped us because my DD rarely sleeps in any moving vehicle (like me) and she wan't too tired and cranky. Will the others be in your car as well? They can help out too. It'll be ok..your child will enjoy seeing new things. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[bartleby1]

We have driven from NJ for the past 4 years with kids of varied ages (on different trips we've had kids of 9 months, 14 months, 19 months, 26 months, 3 yrs, 3.5 yrs, 4.5 yrs, and 5.5 yrs. I always bring a lot of things for them to do and the kids have done great. We try to stop at rest areas for lunch where they can run around a bit. The DVD player is a life saver after dark when they can no longer see to color or play.

Personally, driving through the night doesn't work for us. We did it once and never again. DH drove while I was supposed to rest, but I was afraid he would fall asleep at the wheel so I couldn't sleep. So, we both ended up exhausted, whereas, DD was ready to go because she slept just enough to have some energy. A good night sleep helps everyone, so now we take the trip in 2 days and it is much easier.

My kids have recently discovered the aquadoodle character mini-mats and they are great for the car. You fill the pen with water and they color the pictures with the water. When they dry, the mats are ready to be colored again. No mess! At 14 months, my little one did like to suck on the pen, but it is only water in it so it can't be too bad for them.

With two grandmas in the car, I'm sure your little one will be entertained just fine!

 

[SnowWitch]

Our daughter will be 14.5 months old on our trip this summer and I must admit I'm nervous. We have decided to leave around 2 am which will put us crossing the Fla state line around 0700. So we're hoping she will sleep until 0800 or so, we plan to stop when she wakes and take a nice break for breakfast and gas. As others have mentioned the trip back will probably be more of a challenge.

The DVD player sounds great but Anna-J has no interest in TV so unless she develops it in the next 2 months that will be no help. She does however have two older brothers, 16 and 13 who can help entertain her.

 

[Tam1067]

We drove from Chicago to WDW when DD was also 14 months, and her two brothers were 4 and 6. It was rough, I won't lie. While the boys watched the movies we brought along, she was too young to care and didn't even like the Elmo ones I'd purchased just for her.

Bring lots of toys she can play with in her car seat and have someone be her entertainer. I mean this. An adult needs to sit next to her and do stuff to entertain her when she's not sleeping.

That said, our DD screamed all the way from the Georgia/Tennessee border to Atlanta--no kidding--on day two of our drive. I think she was just sick of the car seat.

We're flying on our trip in July.

 

[jtopp]

DVD! The savior of parents everywhere. Your child should do fine, as you have enough people to keep her occupied. Also, the advantage of driving is that if they get fussy enough, you can always pull off the highway and get out and walk around. Stop at a Mcdonalds and let them play a few minutes. Blowing off a little steam is good. I also don't recommend driving all night, unless the grandparents will entertain the little ones while you get some sleep.