NJ to Toronto with small kids?

amother

Bisque

Tue, May 31 2016, 9:20 pm

We have close family in Toronto and would love to visit in the summer. Orh4 small kids, it will be super challenging to travel there. I'm willing to make stops along the way though. Can anyone help suggest HOW this can become a reality? Hotels are an option...

Rutabaga

Tue, May 31 2016, 9:23 pm

Do you specifically want to make stops along the way or would you rather spend more time in Toronto? If it's the latter, then you may be best off driving through the night.

amother

Bisque

Tue, May 31 2016, 9:51 pm

Rutabaga wrote:

Do you specifically want to make stops along the way or would you rather spend more time in Toronto? If it's the latter, then you may be best off driving through the night.

That's an option but with small kids, I don't have the energy to drive through the night Sad

doctorima

Tue, May 31 2016, 10:11 pm

Would you consider flying? Otherwise, there are places with kids-oriented activities to stop in along the way - Scranton (Train Museum), Binghamton, Syracuse, Buffalo/Niagara Falls. Depending on how many days you want to devote to the driving and how often to stop to break up the drive, you should be able to find things to do in these places. You can also bring a DVD player and other travel activities to keep the kids distracted.

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, Jun 01 2016, 3:34 am

Another vote for driving through the night. From northern jersey it takes about 8 hrs during the night. I usually split it with my husband. We each drive 4 hrs. We drove through the day once.... never again. At least not until the kids grow up. Flying (international) with little kids is no picnic either and does not save much time when compared with nighttime driving. And you have a car when you get there.

Marion

Wed, Jun 01 2016, 8:38 am

My parents do Toronto-Tom's River a few times a year. Usually they leave Toronto after work, stay over in Corning, NY, then do the rest the next day. It's about 5 hours each day. Reverse in the other direction.

SingALong

Wed, Jun 01 2016, 8:47 am

I did it with 2 little kids, we had a DVD player in the car, plus stickers, crayons, activity books. 1 way we did day time, stopped 2-3 times for bathroom and to stretch out legs.
Other way we did nighttime, kids slept through.
I've flown there before driving was much easier. Flights are frequently delayed, and since it takes an hour to airport, 1 1/2 hours in airport, about a 3 hour flight, another 1/2 hour after landing getting luggage and going through customs, another 1/2 hour from airport...added up its not so much different than driving.

Chana Miriam S

Wed, Jun 01 2016, 8:50 am

Come visit me in Niagara Falls too!!!
I used to live in Boston and agree with the above posters sbout videos, books, toys etc. We also used to do the night thing to return but that we could only do coming back home because my parents could watch kids while we slept.

Chana Miriam S

Wed, Jun 01 2016, 8:52 am

Also we liked staying in Syracuse off the electronics parkway on the thruway if we had to break it up.

amother

Crimson

Wed, Jun 01 2016, 9:05 am

We do it all the time. Much easier to drive through the night than day, or even fly.
We normally leave at 6pm after supper and baths, and the kids sleep the whole drive. Sometimes we stop in niagara overnight, we get there before 2am, spend the morning in hotel pool or sightseeing, and then continue to Toronto. It's better to cross the border late at night as the lines during the day can be hours long.
The way back we leave in the afternoon and drive direct with only one stop for supper. Once were a few hours away from home it's easier to just keep going even if it's late at night.

sky

Wed, Jun 01 2016, 9:16 am

We do it at least once a year. With little kids every time.
If you want to turn it into a road trip you can do stops along the way - even just for picnics and to run around. Watkins Glen, Letchworth STate Park, Niagra falls are some options. (When just driving through we go past Niagara and then stop along the water on the way for a picnic.

IF the border has traffic that can make it difficult when sitting with little kids. Especially if there is a nursing baby that is starving. At least when entering to Toronto there are choices of border crossings. It is easy to stay on top of the traffic and pick the border based on that.