Road trip with young kids?

[verlee]

Has anyone driven to WDW with little kids? We flew last time but the kids had trouble with their ears. We are considering another trip next spring but may want to drive instead of fly. My kids will be 4 and 7. I am not worried about the 7yr old as much as the 4 yr old. We are driving from Wisconsin so it is a good 2 day drive. I am not against flying again especially with a good rate, just weighing my options. Any opinions??

 

[RF536]

We have made the drive from MI twice, once when the boys were 3 and 5 and this past summer when they were 5 and 7. If you don't already have one, invest in a DVD player with 2 screens or 2 DVD players for the car. This was definately a life saver especially with the younger one. Plan on making frequent stops to let the kids get out and walk around a little while, we tried to stop every 2-2 1/2 hours. This past trip I made up goody bags that I gave every so often if they were being good in the car. They weren't anything expensive mainly activitly books to do the car, or things they could use once we got to WDW. Another good investment, if your kids like to color is the lap desks that have cushions on the bottom side. My 7 year old, loves word searches and used this a lot to do them in the car.

 

[dayrewerts]

We drove both of the last two years, and we're driving again this year from Illinois. It's an 18+ hour drive, we take two days also. Our daughter is 4 now. I agree with the previous poster, the best thing you can have to make the trip more enjoyable with kids is a DVD player. We bring LOTS of her favorite movies (especially the Disney themed ones), and they really help keep her occupied during the drive. Each year I also bring a goody bag with us. In the weeks before the trip, I buy plenty of mostly-cheap little toys and games that I can pull out and surprise her with when she starts to get cranky. A new toy is a great distractor! The dollar store is a great place to look for these types of things. We also bring along plenty of snacks and drinks. Really, she was EXCELLENT both years during the drive. I couldn't believe how well she handled both trips. Not a single tear either year, and that is not common for my little princess!

 

[verlee]

Thanks this is encouraging. I grew up with road trips and have great memories. I would love to share that with my own family!! I can't tell you how excited I get when I think about stopping at truck stops and watching the sun rise after driving during the night.

 

[jeslegit]

Good to hear this is not impossible! We plan on driving from NY to WDW with our 2 year old.

 

[mom_to_2]

We drove from central Ohio last year with my son who was just shy of three; he did amazingly well! The DVD player was definitely wonderful to have, but we also packed a bag of toys and books that we could give him when he got bored with watching TV- a small doodle pro, a mini etch a sketch, etc. Also, if your child has a comfort item (like a blanket) I'd be sure to have that as well. I had a drink and snacks for him, too.

Don't stress about the drive; it can definitely be done!

Good luck and have a great vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jacobsmom]

We live in Wisconsin and drive to florida every year!! Our DS9 has grown up doing this so he's a fantastic traveler! We have a dvd player for our van and we stock up with games, cd's, toys, and treats! The nice part about driving is you can pack the stuff you want to bring (instead of worrying about the weight) and go where you want. We have great memories of driving together!

 

[DreamWeaver2002]

We drive from Missouri almost every year (a 20+ hour drive). Our girls are 10, 5, and 3 and have been going since they were infants. Don't push too hard, Take frequent (about every 2 hours) stops and bring snacks and Movies. Have a great time!

 

[KNJWDW]

We live in Wisconsin, too and have made the drive south a couple of times. We are headed to WDW again this June with our 2 kids - ages 5 and 8. Actually, we look forward to driving. Since I start planning so far in advance, I am able to pick up little toys, books, etc. throughout the year and I save everything for the car ride. They look forward to their goodie bag. Plus, I make sure to bring lots of snacks. In the past I bought them each a Disney lunch box and filled it with different treats. We also have a DVD player and they have hand-held games to play. We also stop alot for potty brakes. Once you get outside of WI, the rest areas are quite nice! We do stop and spend the night somewhere. Last year it was Chattanooga. For grown up entertainment, we use satellite radio. I like to listen to the news talk shows and the 80's music channel. I think it really is a nice bonding time for the family.

 

[alice99]

I've driven the 20 hour trip from NY , at least 6 times... one time alone, another time with a 2,3 and 4 year old.
Once I packed up the kids at 6 pm one evening and said "Let's go!". We drove until 1 am, got a hotel and were in Disney by sunset the next evening.

Some people enjoy driving , others don't. If you like driving , then it is absolutely do-able.

My kids (especially my son, who is a homebody) like to be in their own car. He says he feels more comfortable in our car.

Plan ahead for what you will need. I actually have 4 of those Quiznos sandwich plates, so the food doesn't fall all over while I am driving.

We also have XM radio and DVD player.

Have a great trip!!

 

[DISNEYFOS]

We are leaving this Fri to drive from MA with a 5 year old and a 19th month old. First time.. I'm excited and scared to death

We are planning on two hotel stops..we've got dvd players for the back of both seats and activity bags.

I definitely feel much more laid back about packing since we can just throw things in the car..no weight limits..concerns about liquids etc... so...so far I'm enjoying it

 

[geishagirl81]

Our first road trip- was from northern ohio to boston when m son was 5 months old. it wasn't bad. if he fussed, we gave him a bottle. yes, he had a lot of wet diapers and maybe a little too many calories that day, but we all stayed happy. when we drive to DisneyWorld this summer, there are few things I plan on doing. My son will 2.5 years and my daughter will be 9 months. we have the double dvd players for the van, so they will watch a lot of baby einstein and disny movies. we never considered the age gap in movie interests and now wish we would have bought 2 seperate dvd players. but i figure we'll rotate dvd interests. i also started saving happy meal toys if my son doesn't notice me remove them form the meal bag. I am stashing them away with little dollar toys to put in his Cars bookbag for the trip. I also found disney color sheets to print online including ones with It's A Small World, the monorail, and the MK ect. Found triangle crayons too so they don't roll around. which brings me to a tray. if your child is in a car seat, think about a special tray that attaches to the car seat. that way your kiddo can snack and play without dropping everything including the tray on the floor. Make sure you have a ball on hand for rest stops. take some time on the grass to play soccer or catch.

AND THE BEST TIP I GOT FROM MY CHILDHOOD ROAD TRIPS: Leave at night if possible. We plan on leaving at 8pm just a little after bedtime. DH and I will drive as far as we safely can before pulling over for a rest. Since we a night owls, we plan on driving til 2 or 3 am, making a third of the trip while they are sleeping. We jsut pull over a rest stop and snooze in our seats until the sun rises. Then we all freshen up, eat, play a little, and coninue on.

 

[Carrie772]

I love the treat bags for the trip. To make it even more special, I wrap them as a present! I even wrap their snacks. It just seems so much more fun to get M&M's as a present!

 

[SeeDisney]

Bajilllions of young families from all over the northeast drives to WDW.

Yes, buy a portable DVD player, get the favorite movies. Do you have a DS? bring that along. Get $1.00 items during the middle of the trip.

YOurself, look forward to reading a good book that you heard about.

You'll be fine!!!

 

[kittycat9]

We're driving from Chicago next month. The airlines give us grief because of the 'extras' we have to take for my son's health needs. It's not worth the hassle - so we drive. My boys are 2 & 5, and we're expecting it to take 2.5 days to get there. We did an 18day tour through the south (MS, LA, FL, GA, OH) when Kyle was 2.5 and he did fine - but he wasn't a typical 2 year old. This time we have DVD in the car, and will plan more stops to make sure they can stretch and play.

What I like about driving is that you can do other things - like stop at Children's Museums or Aquariums along the way, and you can take everything plus the kitchen sink along with. We have a new van that gets decent mileage, and the gas prices are good right now - so it's also far cheaper for us this way.

 

[DRS_Are_Best]

We are driving from just north of Washington, DC with our 3 kids; ds (nearly 4 when we travel), dd(2) and ds(2) -- the twins will be 26 months during the trip.

This is definitely the part of the trip that we are dreading the most. We are planning DVDs, stops with rest stops with play areas (dh has already researched which McDonald's/Burger King's on I-95 have play areas). It's a 14 hour trip by the book -- we are going 10 hours the 1st day and 4 the second. We also have a hotel reservation at a hotel with an indoor pool (which will hopefully be open) for the trip down which will help make the kids a little happier about being trapped in the car for 2 days. On the way back we're stopping pretty close to the halfway point.

All I can say is good luck, and plan the best you can. I'm just hoping that our drive isn't as bad as I'm fearing!

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

For anyone taking I-95 down, I have to suggest getting a copy of this book as it's awesome: http://www.amazon.com/Drive-I-95-Ex...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234314831&sr=1-1 (and it lists which restaurants have play areas, and a million other little things to make life easier!)

We've been driving from NJ every year for the past 6 years and our kids are now 4, 2 and 1 so yup, it can be done.

Movies are great, snacks they don't usually get, little toys, anything to break up the monotony. The adult who isn't driving will also sit in the back of the minivan sometimes to provide even more hands-on entertainment.

I also suggest bringing a portable potty if you have kids that are recently potty trained as when they have to go, they have to go NOW! We've had our share of pulling over to the side of the road for emergency potty breaks in the back of the car... no matter how much you tell them to "just try" at the last rest stop, they always have to go about 20 minutes later...

Oh, and these were also a lifesaver - soft travel trays that are great for coloring (the edge keeps things from falling off), playing with toys, eating, etc. There's a strap that goes behind the carseat and we leave the strap in place and just clip/unclip the tray part when we want to use it. Highly recommended!
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534362&cmSource=Search

 

[catne]

any way you can drive at night? When our kids were little, we used to do most of our driving at night, and they'd be sleeping for virtually the whole trip...husband & I would alternate 4 hours driving/4 hours sleeping. We'd be a bit tired on day 1, but we just planned that to be a down-day at the hotel, hang around pool, nap when we get in the room.

 

[Cars2006]

We are leaving this Fri to drive from MA with a 5 year old and a 19th month old. First time.. I'm excited and scared to death

We are planning on two hotel stops..we've got dvd players for the back of both seats and activity bags.

I definitely feel much more laid back about packing since we can just throw things in the car..no weight limits..concerns about liquids etc... so...so far I'm enjoying it

We are also doing the drive from MA during Spring Break week. This will be our kids second longest drive. We did Armish country and Hershey, PA in 2007. We are stopping in NC for a couple of day to visit some friends. Then on our way to the Happiest Place on Earth. I will work half day and they will pick me up and were on our way.

DISNEYFOS where are you staying? We have yet to plan on a Hotel on our way back. Just wondering is you have any good suggestion?

 

[Leajess99]

Has anyone driven to WDW with little kids? We flew last time but the kids had trouble with their ears. We are considering another trip next spring but may want to drive instead of fly. My kids will be 4 and 7. I am not worried about the 7yr old as much as the 4 yr old. We are driving from Wisconsin so it is a good 2 day drive. I am not against flying again especially with a good rate, just weighing my options. Any opinions??

My kids are frequent travelers and we have found that letting them have a dvd player and their game systems has kept us sane. My youngest was 5 when we went to Disney World and we did not have a dvd player at the time but she took her leapster L-max as well as some colored pencils and paper. She and her sister both kept busy in the back seat and the ride went smoothe. I recommend avoiding crayons at all cost as they tend to melt and it is not fun trying to get that out of the car seat.

You could also look at car games and such. Take breaks so they can get out and run and they should do good. We are driving again this trip in October but this time my youngest will have her Nintendo DS her dad got her for Christmas.