Rome to Sorrento and capri

It's doable but ambitious. It's about a 3 hour train ride to Sorrento, so 6 hours of your day is on a train.

Too far, too much as a day trip

Even Pompeii from Rome is too far, too much although more doable

If the godson is old enough to get anything from visiting Pompeii, then I'd suggest sticking with that. Not interested? How about this: you'll spend a lot of time travelling but you could take the ferry from Naples to Capri then to Sorrento. You could then take the ferry back to Naples, if early enough, or take the train. At least some of your travel time would be on the water with some wonderful views. It isn't perfect but might be worth thinking about?

A day trip to Capri from Rome is going to be 80%+ travel and at best 20% 'being there'

You may want to consider going to Ostia Antica. Similar experience to Pompeii without the exhausting travel.

How old is the godchild?

Your previous post
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/rome-to-capri-in-a-day

A couple of weeks ago, you asked about possibly going to Capri for a day from Rome. Is Capri still the primary objective, or is Sorrento itself the main destination, with Capri a possible addition? Both are great to see. If the Blue Grotto on Capri is a main attraction, you may know that it isn’t always accessible. High winds can prevent boats from entering the Grotto, and it gets closed down. They don’t decide until 9:00 in the morning whether to open it or not, so if you’re on the train and bound for Sorrento, you might arrive and then find out the Blue Grotto won’t be open.

Is Pompeii a backup plan, if Capri isn’t going to be everything you want that day? Or is the Pompeii archaeological site just as attractive, and a place you’ll want 3-4 hours to explore? If the town of Sorrento (plus maybe the island of Capri) is enough of a draw that Pompeii isn’t being considered, and weather won’t change your plans, then treat yourself and your godchild to a visit.

If archeological ruins are a top interest, then Pompeii could take up all your time, before you even reached Sorrento, let alone Capri. As mentioned above, the Ostia Antica ruins are impressive and closer to Rome, so unless Pompeii is the essential destination, Ostia could be an excellent option. Just so you know, primary companion attractions in and near Naples, along with Pompeii, are Herculaneum, another buried town, and the Archaeological Museum in Naples, with many of the treasures recovered from Pompeii. Seeing one or all three together would be worthwhile, but you have to deal with transportation, if staying in Rome and not Naples or Capri.

not Bapmes or Capri

"Bapmes" ??

mtsof, two weeks ago, you never came back to comment or respond to our suggestions. We need to hear more from you before we spend time and effort to reply again.

Lots of good responses. Sounds like a lot of traveling on train. Guess I have to make a decision after reading your pros and cons. Thanks