Driving with a 7 month old

[AnnetteF]

We have driven from CT to WDW every year for many years now but this October will be our first trip with our 7 month old daughter. I was wondering if those of you who have driven with babies could tell me about your experiences. What time did you leave? How often did you stop? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[robinb]

Welcome to the DIS!

We drove from Wisconsin when my DD was 4 months old. The only problem was when my DD needed to nurse while we were in a traffic jam in Atlanta. I won't go into the details since it's certainly TMI!

A 7 month old may be a little more challenging since she will be a bit more active. She may become bored facing the back of the car the whole way and one of you may need to ride in back to keep her company. We left and stopped on our schedule, except when she was hungry or needed a diaper change.

 

[Kristi1357]

We drove down from NH last January with our 6 month old.

We left around 3pm and went straight through. I actually think taking turns and going 24 hrs.+ helped since he slept through the night most of the ride.

He did get very cranky in NJ - just from being in his seat too long, I think.

On the way home we stopped overnight and I think that was worse, actually. He didn't like sleeping in a different place/crib and woke up all night long. We ended up having to keep him in bed with us so he wouldn't wake up the rest of the hotel! Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep - then had to get up and drive again. At least swapping driving the other person got rest on the way down.

Just remember to stop often and be flexible and you'll be fine.

Kristi

P.S. We are planning to drive again this Dec. DS will be 18 mos and I'm sure it will be much harder since he will need to be entertained now!

 

[Jon99]

Our daughter was 7 mos when we went in April, left here around 3 PM and arrived at WDW around 10 AM...

We stopped around 7 for dinner, gave her a last bottle after we ate, hopped in the Jeep and she slept until 5:30 AM, when we stopped for breakfest in Valdosta... Put here back in her seat for the last few hours and she was fine....

The trip home was a little bit rougher on her, a few times my wife crawled in the backseat and kept her company, but we didn't drive through and drove during the day, which was much tougher on her..

 

[disneymom3]

I have travelled from MN to WDW with a 13 month old who was still rear facing. (I try to keep them that way as long as I can.) One of the things that helped a lot is to have several toys that either suctioned onto the window or hooked onto the handle/coat hanger thingie. He liked having things that he could pull on and play with that did not fall down and get "lost." I also spent a bit of time in the back with him reading books etc. The great thing about having them in a rear facing carseat is that they are in a great position to sleep. We always drive through the night too. Even when the older two don't sleep, they somehow are quieter at night than during the day. They also think it is really cool to watch the sunrise and then stop somewhere for a bite to eat and to run around a bit in the cool morning air.