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Long car trip

amberfernandezamberfernandez member
in Northern California Babies

This post is related to the below Disneyland post, but I didn't want to ask toooo much in one post  :)

We will be driving to Disneyland with DD, almost 1-yr old.  We have never taken a long trip with her, and we're debating on when to leave.  We estimate about 8-hours for the trip.

#1 - Should we leave at 7am (Have to drop off dogs for boarding, can't leave earlier) and arrive around 3pm, which means DD will be in the car seat for the entire happy part of the day.

#2 - Should we leave after work / dinner the night before (drop off dogs a day early) around 7pm (DD's bedtime), so that she can sleep the entire drive, and get there around 3am, and driving all night after a day at work?  As a side note, DD usually wakes around 5:30am for the day, so one of us would have to get up with her, and most likely, the other will wake too.  If choose this option, we would have a lazy day at the hotel napping, and hanging by the pool before we are at Dland for three-days.

 Any advice is very much appreciated as we have NO experience with a long car trip with DD.

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Re: Long car trip

  • Lexi & Orion's MommyLexi & Orion's Mommy

    i would plan on leaving at 7am. How does dd do in the car now? We took a trip with Lexi at that age, and we would drive for a couple hours, stop for 15mins to a half an hour and relax, run around, snack. Also I would not plan on going to DL after driving most of the day.

     Also , once we tried to do a 10 hour drive at night, after work, and it was a disaster. THe kids slept great. However, DH did 90% of the driving because i couldnt stay awake. Then when we got where we needed to be, it was 6am, and kids were up and excited and ready to start thier day, and DH and i wanted to crawl in a hole.

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  • DandaLionDandaLion
    We left around 5pm. We stopped for dinner about an hour and a half into the trip, got DS fed and then did our bedtime routine in the parking lot and he fell asleep before we got back on the freeway. We got to the hotel around midnight. One of us checked in and the other stayed in the car whit DS til we could get his bed set up in the room. He woke up early (6am,he normally sleeps until 7or so). We made it a short day in the park the first day and caught up on sleep.
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  • dblhappinessdblhappiness
    We did option #2 for our first trip to DL when my boys were 14 months old..it was a total bust. Usually they are awesome in the car...would fall asleep within 30 minutes. But they were up the entire night and didn't fall asleep until almost 2am (we arrived at 1am). It was brutal...so ever since then we usually leave in the morning or whenever our schedule will allow. I would go for option #1. 
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  • amyfeliceamyfelice
    We did the day trip thing. I am terrified to do any kind of red eye trip in case she doesn't sleep, which is common with her in cars and planes. We stopped a few times, let her run around. We did the DVD player, which helped tremendously, BUT then she knew about videos and was constantly asking for Barney or Yo Gabba Gabba, so there's a risk there. But your DD is a  little younger (Elena was 15 months when we took our last long trip and talking). She only napped 40 minutes out of the whole 8 hour trip to SD and same on the way back. She just can't transition in the car seat for some reason. 
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  • Mama_v2.0Mama_v2.0
    I would drop the dogs off and pack the car the day before. Then when ever I wake up and feel ready to start driving I would just start. If I wake up at 4am I just put the kids in the car with blankets and go, and then we just stop for breakfast when everyone is awake. If I sleep in until the kids wake up then I feed & dress them & go. 
    Mama to Z - 5.5 years, G - 3.5 years, & M - 1.5 years.
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  • Mrs.BoomBoomMrs.BoomBoom
    imageDandaLion:
    We left around 5pm. We stopped for dinner about an hour and a half into the trip, got DS fed and then did our bedtime routine in the parking lot and he fell asleep before we got back on the freeway. We got to the hotel around midnight. One of us checked in and the other stayed in the car whit DS til we could get his bed set up in the room. He woke up early (6am,he normally sleeps until 7or so). We made it a short day in the park the first day and caught up on sleep.
    This would be my suggestion.  The totally over the night drive destroys the driver and I think this is the best of both worlds.
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  • bubbs147bubbs147
    We just did the after work drive last week.  We left about 4 pm (got out of the offices early), drove for a couple hours, stopped for dinner and stretch, and then the girls fell asleep about halfway to our destination.  So we got the last few hours of the drive with them sound asleep.  We arrived about 11:30, and that way we weren't too exhausted on the road.
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  • amberfernandezamberfernandez member

    Thanks for the advice, seems it's pretty much split down the middle.  We decided to stick to our original plan and leave at 7am once the boarder opens up.  That way we don't have to pay an extra night for dogs that aren't even ours.  Plus, DH informed me that if we drive after work, I have to stay up the entire time with him so he doesn't fall asleep.  I proposed one driving while the other naps, then switching half way so that one person doesn't take the brunt.  But if he can't drive while I nap, no way can we drive all night, with DD waking up at 5am for the day.

    Sometimes DH's are completely irrational and won't listen to reason, or don't want to admit they are wrong, whatever the case, we're going with the safe bet.

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