Driving with 7 month old

[AnnetteF]

We will be taking our DD 7 mos. for her first trip to Disney in October and will be driving from Connecticut. We have driven every year fo many years but with a baby it will be a whole new experience. We have allowed 3 days for the trip and plan to take it very slow. I am even thinking of buying a portable DVD player so that she can watch her Baby Einstein videos that she loves so much. I am getting a lot of flack from family on taking the baby on such a long road trip. I was wondering how many of you have done this and how it went.

 

[stacy6552]

Thats an awefully long time for the baby to be in the seat. Watch the airline wars. If you can get a good deal on tickets for everyone, then this may be the time to try flying, especially when compaired to gas, food, and 4 nights motel.

 

[megan2346]

My family and I drove from Cape Cod in Feb. with my 2 boys, one was 3 and the other was 6 months. I have to say both boys did great. We had a tv/vcr combo for the car but the baby could not see it because he was backward in the seat. I brought lots of toys and snacks. We also took 3 days to get down but only took 2 to come back. The only down side was that we had to stop alot to feed the baby. We all had a great time and would do it again.
Megan

 

[GEM]

We drove to Williamsburg, VA, in June with our 12 month old and it was great! It was two very full days (10 hrs plus per day) of driving. He was 3 months premature, so as far as size and development go, he was more like an average 9 month old at the time. We had the best time! We did get a portable DVD player for him to watch his Baby Einstein, which he is addicted to. We also took lots of new toys and books. We took food in a cooler and stopped at pretty rest areas along the way for picnics. We spread a huge blanket out on the ground so he could get out and crawl around some whiel we ate. We also did quite a bit of driving at night while he slept. It was a wonderful trip! Now, I will say that a lot of it probably depends on the temperment of your child and how he or she feels about the carseat. Our little guy is generally very laid back and easy going and doesn't usually mind his carseat if someone sits in the backseat with him. I wouldn't hesitate to do a long road trip with him again. We are flying in December because we don't have enough vacation days to do a road trip, but we always prefer a road trip when we can! We actually think it's fun.

 

[mjmcca]

I have driven down a total of 4 times with my kids. They are now almost 4 and 2.5. Make a lot of stops When he gets fussy it is stime to stop. Maybe not for the night but at a rest stop or a mall somewhere. There are plenty of places along 95 to stop. I would also eat at a sit down resturant . This gives the baby a change of scenery and a break from the drive.

 

[MamaLema]

Driving from Canada the end of Sept with 3 DS ages 12 months, 5 and 7. I'm very nervous also.

 

[AnnetteF]

Thank you everyone for the feedback and suggestions! I feel a little more encouraged now. It's great to hear such positive experiences. As I said before, some family members have been giving us a really hard time about taking the baby on the drive. According to my Mom, we're selfish and we're going to scar the baby for life!!! I was regretting having made the arrangements and even thinking of canceling. Flying is not really an option for me because I am a VERY nervous flyer and now that I have my baby I think that would even be worse. But I just dreamed of being at WDW WITH BABY the whole time I was pregnant, and I made these arrangements when I was 8 months along. Thinking about sharing this trip with the baby got me through a lot of bad moments and I just don't want to give up on it. I'm also going to talk to our pediatrician about it on Friday when my daughter has her 6 month appointment but I really can't imagine that they would say "DON'T GO".

MamaLema: We're supposed to leave October 8. Good luck with the ride and have a wonderful vacation! Let me know how everything went when you get back.