overnight train with 8 mo baby

[moongloe]

has anyone done this? ours is going to be a 26 hour trip. we can't afford a sleeper, so we'll be sleeping in our seats.
i'm looking for tips and advice on sleeping, diaper changes, and anything else you can think of.

[maddymama]

We've done it for four nights, two there, two back, with a baby and a 3 year old, but we had a sleeper. I'd say treat yourselves to a dining car meal here and there....
Oh... my biggest piece of advice is get yourself an awesome carrier (like a mei tai). You'll be walking on the train when it moves/ rocks and you want to have both hands free to grab a seatback if you hit a bump or jolt (not very common, but occasionally happens.
Have fun, it's a great way to travel.
~maddymama

[Comtessa]

We did it when DD was 5 months. We went coach one way and splurged on a sleeper on the way back. Traveling coach on Amtrak was pretty miserable with a little one, and ours was really extraordinarily well behaved and calm. If you have a high-needs baby it may be a very difficult trip. (But I'd still choose coach train travel over flying any day.)

The sleeper car on the way back was the height of luxury, in comparison. We just got one of those tiny "roomettes," barely more than a closet with two seats jammed into it. It was wonderful. Having a door to close meant that when she got fussy we were able to keep from bothering the other passengers. DH slept in the top bunk, and I slept on the bottom bunk with the baby. Since we cosleep anyway, she and I were perfectly comfortable, and the rocking motion of the train put her right to sleep. It was a lovely trip. Being able to lay down - even in a narrow little cot - makes all the difference for me. In short - the sleeper is SOOOO worth it with a little one!!! Upgrade if you possibly can. Sell things if you have to!

Besides that, then, here's my advice about traveling by train with a little one:

• Stash most of the clothing, diapers, etc. that you will use on your trip in your luggage. Store the luggage in the train's lower-level luggage rack or room. Pack a VERY small diaper bag (think along the lines of a medium-sized purse) to bring to your seats with only the very minimum you need for train travel. (If you really need to get into your luggage while you're on the train, you usually can.) Moving around on the train (and up and down those narrow staircases to & from the bathroom) is so difficult anyway, a bulky diaper bag only makes it worse.
• Diaper changing facilities are actually pretty good on the trains, IMO. Loads better than most Starbucks, anyway. Bring along some extra plastic bags for stashing dirty clothes, wet washcloths, etc. I found that one-piece outfits and sleepers were easier to deal with than two-piecers, mostly because there's very little space in the bathrooms to put things down. To take off a pair of baby pants and then find somewhere to put them while you change a diaper can be pretty difficult.
• If you're getting on near the end of a long cross-country route (i.e., you're boarding a train in Georgia to go to Florida), be prepared for the train to be running low on some things, like toilet paper, paper towels, soap in the bathrooms, drinking water, and food in the dining car. It's appalling and ridiculous, but it does happen. Bring a bit of your own and you're less likely to get caught off-guard. Pack a big water bottle, especially, because the drinking water provided on the train is often not very palatable.
• Bring a couple of extra blankets. It's always freezing on the train. Especially in the summer when they're running the air conditioner on high. Dress in lots of layers.
• If your LO can sleep upright in a carrier or sling when you're seated, plan on doing so. It's going to be a lot easier on your arms and shoulders if you're not trying to cradle the baby while also trying to sleep comfortably in a train seat. I can't sleep in a train seat for squat, and sleeping with a baby in my arms was even harder.
• Whoever's holding the baby at night sits by the window. Holding the baby while sitting in an aisle seat means you're always trying to avoid people bumping your baby's head or little feet with their luggage when they walk by. (I can't believe this didn't occur to me ahead of time. It was a long, sleepless night for me, holding the baby in an aisle seat. Stupid idea.)
• Invest in a couple of those inflatable neck pillows. If you're trying to sleep upright holding a baby, you're going to want something that you can just wrap around your neck. Don't count on the little mini pillows they give you on the train; they're mostly worthless.
• Pack snacks. The cafe car is often closed when you need it most. I've found that a hot cup of tea will often calm me down when I'm traveling, so I also pack a mug, some teabags, and one of these to make my own tea on the train.
• Wear shoes you can easily slip on and off. It's really hard to tie/untie shoes in a train seat while holding a baby. And wear socks. Your feet will freeze otherwise.
• If your child needs comfort items, like a blankie or pacifier, bring loads of extras. We left behind the bag with all the binkies and we had a few scary moments on the train hunting for the One Binky we had with us!
• Pack a book. You might end up having a long, sleepless night where you have to sit perfectly still to keep from waking the baby. You might as well have something to do.
• Figure out where on the train there are common areas where you can walk around with a restless baby (or better yet, let her crawl). The sightseeing deck and cafe car are usually a good bet. Also, often on the lower levels of the train cars there are empty rooms that are used for storing luggage, game/arcade rooms, or other spaces that are generally unoccupied. Take liberal advantage of these while your little one is awake and squawking; the passengers in the neighboring seats to yours will thank you.

ETA: There have been a number of threads on this forum offering some great advice about traveling by train with a little one. Here's links to a few:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1192621
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1182803
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1168985
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1071171
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=980512

Happy traveling!!!

[maddymama]

Oh, I forgot to add:
If you are breastfeeding, wear clothing you are comfortable nursing in. And, I brough this inflatable pillow for our sleeper car. It was wonderful and saved my back from hurting. http://www.amazon.com/Breastfeeding-.../dp/B000JYBKTC
Comtessa had some fabulous ideas and suggestions.
~Michelle

[sapphire_chan]

I'll go one further on Comtessa's list, the bathrooms are all near the luggage racks, so leave all your poopy-diaper only changing stuff down there. Give yourself a ton more room for the toys your baby'll ignore

The seats at the ends of the car can be flipped around so you have a seat facing a wall with a good amount of room. Plenty of space to lay down a blanket with toys and such. With a crawling and/or non-mobile baby that might be enough. (Sorry, can you tell my toddler took one look at my lovely set up and went "as if!"? )

A huge about water bottles. Bring as many as you can carry slightly uncomfortably. Don't break your back or anything, but better to feel sore and have that next water bottle.

At night, be ready to bring one of your medium sized bags upstairs to put at your feet. The leg rests are wonderful, but just slightly too short for really comfortable stretching out. Being able to extend your legs all the way makes a huge difference to comfort at night.

[Comtessa]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

The seats at the ends of the car can be flipped around so you have a seat facing a wall with a good amount of room. Plenty of space to lay down a blanket with toys and such.

Great suggestion, sapphire_chan! I forgot about the seats at the back of the car. If you can manage it, try to get the very last seats at the back of the train. Remember when all the coolest kids clambered to the seat in the very back of the school bus, because it had the most room? It's the same concept. Except on a train, there's a great little space behind the seats that allows for some crawling and playing on the floor (or on a blanket, as you suggest), not to mention the fun of looking out the window at the track behind you. And, if you're all the way in the back of the train, people aren't going to be pushing past your seat at all hours of the day and night to get somewhere. (Though there's always a couple of slightly crazy people who pace up and down the train a thousand times an hour, returning to stare longingly out the back window. They always make me a bit nervous.)

When I travel alone, I try to get the last seat in the back of the train, because if I'm very sneaky, I can stretch out on the floor behind my seat with a pillow and blanket and sleep a bit more comfortably at night. Assuming the crazy train-pacers don't step on my feet.

[moongloe]

you have all been a huge help! thank you.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by Comtessa

(Though there's always a couple of slightly crazy people who pace up and down the train a thousand times an hour, returning to stare longingly out the back window. They always make me a bit nervous.)

That would be me and dd. Sorry we scared you! (Okay, if it was adults doing that, I have no idea what's up with that.)

[ithappened]

perhaps a stupid question but I assume you're talking about US rather then EU night trains?

We have done a lot of night trains in the EU (when DS was 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 3 months and 4 months) and had both sleeper cars and non-sleeper. The trains ranged in travel time from 7-18 hours in each direction ... The sleeper cars here provide water bottles and so we didn't need to bring anything on with us, ditto food.

If you are sleeping in your seat, have a carrier he can sleep in and when you reserve the seats ask if they have a baby room in the train (in the EU they have rooms with seats reserved just for a family with a baby so you get the whole room in the car without paying for it)

[moongloe]

thanks all. the ride up was pretty decent. i'm petite, so was very comfortable sleeping in my seat. lo slept either on my chest, or in the crook if my arm (i had the inner seat.) there was a dressing room with a little couch, which made diaper changes a snap! the toilets all had changing tables, but'once i saw the couch i didn;t bother with the tables.

my 12yo slept in the seat next to mine, and dh across the aisle. in the night he went searching for an empty seat, so he could sprawl, and lucked out to find a large handicapped seat to sleep upon.

fingers crossed that the rode home is even better!

oh - the food was horrid and pricey. i recommend bringing your own.