Let 22 month old sleep in car for 4 hours?

[Macbeth8]

We have a last minute booked trip to France. Planning to go Disneyland and partners idea to drive.
Last holiday we had then 19 month old was a nightmare. Screamed the whole flight!!
So actually want to try an alternative transport...we will be driving 4 hours to Dover to get on ferry.
We have to wake up at 3am and shove them in the car. Dreading it 😫
We think dc will go back to sleep but worried if 4 hour stretch is safe/advisable at that age?
Would it affect her quality of sleep - she gets extremely ratty when she hasnt had a decent 11-12 hour stretch!!

Perfectly sensible thing to do. When mine were that small that was how we did the journey to my parents. Set off at 4.45, drove 3 hours till we got a decent place for breakfast then carried on.

Only stopped because they stopped going back to sleep but at 2 they would have done.

Now we do it, when we have both of us going, at bedtime in pyjamas so we do 2.5 hours then stop just to switch drivers and carry on ASAP.

You need to leave time for a decent stop if they wake up. If they don't great, you get there early and stress free. But if they wake at 5 and want to get out for breakfast and nappy/toilet then it's only fair to do that.

It's fine to do, she's not a small baby in a creased up position..

at her age I'd expect her to go back to sleep, no bother. She maybe more tired the next day, she may not. I actually sleep better in an armchair than a bed.

but also remember, just because the flight last time was a nightmare, it doesn't mean the next one will be. Same with this car trip. Could go either way & the next time be the opposite!

I hope you have a great time!!

a four hour car trip with a 19 month old is fine. You’ll need to stop though maybe twice for everyone I imagine!!! X

I wouldn't! When we used to set off at 5 if they woke at 6 then we still carried on to the planned place. Unless they absolutely needed a wee or had leaked. No way was I stopping for breakfast 90 mins early just because of whinging from the back.

Stop twice for a 4 hour trip? I'd be surprised if they need to stop once if LO sleeps lost the journey.

I'm not getting that either. For 4 hours if we were both going we would stop once literally pulling into a layby/services to swap drivers. For anything less than that we would try to just push through with one driver unless there was a desperate wee situation.

It's not about whinging.
I'm not going to leave a child screaming and soaked with wee for potentially hours. No more than id leave them wet and screaming in a cot because I fancied a lie in. Just because it's a car seat not a cot doesn't make it better.

It doesn't apply to every child or every journey, but you leave time in case it does because ferries aren't known for being understanding and flexible.

Thanks all
I do agree with pp. She can scream.bloody murder with no consoling her. Other dc are fine but when she is screaming her head off id rather pull over to give her a break from the carseat tbh otherwise we would just hate to drive with all that going on.
Hopefully she will be ok 🤞