[chottsy]

it's an 7hr. (7 hrs. + 1 hour time change = 8hrs. of daytime / parktime) drive to WDW from P'cola, FL. we drove down last year, leaving about 5am. we did not want to got to the park on arrival day last year, but this year we have AP's, and want to make the most of them!

so..........................

i need tips on traveling early with a 41/2yo. she doesn't often sleep in her carseat.

am i crazy to think about leaving at 2am to get there by 10am??

we have all the car gadgets to entertain her...but i am hoping she will sleep.

how have you all gotten your little ones ready for a "night drive"??

any tips are not only welcome...but greatly appriciated!

[Dana]

Char - I really think you should let her sleep at home and leave in the early morning. It's not worth the chance that she doesn't sleep on the way there. It will make her miserable and your first day will be wasted. If you get there around 1pm, you will still have plenty of time to do plenty.

As for what she can do on the way to WDW: do you have a portable DVD player? Movies work wonders. They entertain me and I am not one for sitting still for 8 hours to do anything..lol

Please think about leaving later and not getting her up from her bed at 2am to sit in a car seat. If she isn't one to sleep in a car seat, she will most definately not sleep in it no matter what time you put her in it. Let her sleep till at least 5am and then drive up. Arriving at one will ensure she at least had some decent sleep. Nothing worse than a miserable, tired child at WDW.

[dancing4disney]

First of all, I was suprised that it would take so long to get to Orlando..I hadn't thought how long it would take to travel across the pan handle of Florida.
I agree that a dvd would be best...make sure you save a few new shows or movies for her. They seem to keep their attention better.
You could also have a bag of special surprises (including video) that you can give her every hour if she is good. Some crayons and a coloring book, special snack...etc.

[dac921]

My daughters always fell asleep in the car, even now at their rip of teenage years if we have a long car ride they fall asleep.

Just want to send some PIXIE DUST for a safe trip.

[Daisee]

Our very first trip to Disney with the kids... DS was 5.. DD was 2. We left our home in Ohio at 2:30 am. We traveled straight through with stops to eat, stretch legs, etc. We arrived at around 4:30 pm and checked into ASM. Our kids were awoken and put straight into their car seats at 2:30. They both stayed awake for about an hour, then fell back to sleep. They woke up again at their "normal" waking time. We stopped for breakfast, let them run around, and back to the car. My kids have always been excellent travelers. We did not have TV's or DVD, ipods, etc. then. DS played with action figures, cars, travel kits.. like crayons, puzzles, etc. DD did what all 2 year olds do. DS entertained her a lot. It really was not bad at all.

[chottsy]

we have the dvd player and i do the prizes every hour...she loves that! :c) she is also getting the leapfrog leapsterlmax gaming system for xmas....so she will have plenty to keep her entertained IF she's not asleep.

~Daisee: did you put your kids in the car in their pj's? i am thinking that IF i do go that route, she might be more likely to go back to sleep if she's in her pj's.

[Daisee]

Originally Posted by chottsy

we have the dvd player and i do the prizes every hour...she loves that! :c) she is also getting the leapfrog leapsterlmax gaming system for xmas....so she will have plenty to keep her entertained IF she's not asleep.

~Daisee: did you put your kids in the car in their pj's? i am thinking that IF i do go that route, she might be more likely to go back to sleep if she's in her pj's.

Yes they were both in PJ's. Straight from bed to car seat.

[chottsy]

Originally Posted by Daisee

Yes they were both in PJ's. Straight from bed to car seat.

okay....good!

i know it might not work out that this is a good plan for us, but we won't know unless we give it a try. right???

we go to WDW again in Nov. and if leaving very early does work, we can plan on doing it again then too! if it doesn't work out to be a good plan....well we will know to go back to leaving a bit later. no biggie......but i am willing to give it a shot.

if dd is too pooped out, say she wakes up after getting in the car and won't go back to sleep...we can always go to the park for the 1st part of the day then back to the resort in the afternoon for early bedtime, so she will be fresh for the next day.

[emamasa]

we have put kids in pj's or left them in them, as the case may be....and they slept with no problems.

my car trip advise.....dvd player, games, sing songs, bingo for the car (make bingo sheets of things you will most likely see on the way and get stickers), snacks and books. the dvd player was the best for sure!

have fun - pixie dust for safe/easy travel!

[jaljayjar]

We left at 4am for a 13 hour drive just to Jacksonville...we stayed the night there and then drove down the beach another night before checking in the resort. I think it just depends on how you think she will do. My kids 3, 8, 10 all did very, VERY well. They slept in lounge/comfy clothes that are decent for public or stopping yet comfy to sleep in, so when we loaded up they just had to get in the car and fall back asleep. We used their cues/behaviors as to when to stop.
Also, in my situation DH was doing the driving first so he slept while I stayed up and packed and loaded the truck. I kept the kids up late with me so they would be tired the next morning which wasn't a problem at all because they are night owls. They slept until atleast 12pm and then watched movies and played games the other 5hrs. to jacksonville.
If she big enough for a backless booster seat? Those tend to give a bit more freedom since they aren't so confined by the shoulder area.
Good luck either way!