Train travel with children may not sound like an exciting prospect – in fact, it probably incites fear in most parents. But so long as you know how to prepare for it, it can be a fun activity.
Whether it’s a Eurostar day trip to Paris or a cross-country ride, you could enjoy a relaxing journey with your little ones.
To find out how to achieve this, follow our top three tips.
- Feeding and Changing
How long is your upcoming train journey expected to last? If it’s set to be a lengthy trip, you may want to bring an extra change of nappies and clothes for your baby or toddler.
Luckily, most train services provide changing facilities to passengers – so you can attend to your child’s needs discreetly. Most likely, all you’ll need to do is pack the required equipment into a readily accessible bag.
If you’re breastfeeding, why not consider re-scheduling your pattern a few days before you depart? That way, your baby may enjoy a longer, more restful sleep during a long train commute.
Sorting out how you’ll feed and change your baby or toddler can make for a more straightforward train journey.
- Snacks and Entertainment
Toddlers are likely to want snacks during the train journey – especially if it’s long. Yet as you may well know, younger children can be messy eaters.
There is, however, a solution: mess-free food. This spans dry cereal, apple pieces, raw fruit bars and more. Invest in the right snacks, and you and your kids will be able to stay clean during the adventure.
To encourage them to eat tidily, offer rewards for when you reach your destination. Give them an incentive to be well-behaved, and they’ll likely do so.
For entertainment, think about your kids’ favourite hobbies. If they love reading, why don’t you download an audiobook to your phone or tablet for them to listen to? If there’s a certain film that they love, you could download the soundtrack for them.
Either activity could keep them occupied during an extended journey.
- Comfort and Relaxation
We all need to rest – and this applies to babies, toddlers and children. To ensure that your little one winds down, pack items that comfort them – whether it’s a blanket, teddy or bottle.
While the motion of a moving train can gently rock a baby to sleep, you’ll want to avoid the risk of sudden noises. As you’ll no doubt know already, these can startle babies awake.
Private carriages are known to help with this, as they typically soften outside noise. These tend to be more common in continental Europe – so, you might want to consider this option if you’re planning train travel within this area.
If your journey will be based solely in the UK, why don’t you schedule your journey for a quieter time of day? Very often, this will be outside of peak train times. Your baby or toddler may be better able to get to sleep as a result.
To guarantee a relaxing journey, it can be worth taking where and when you aim to travel into account.
Train travel with children needn’t be stressful. Now that you know how, you’ll be able to master this task. Who knows, you may even enjoy your family rail adventure.
*Collaborative Post
