Two days on the train with small children?

[Peregrane]

Anyone done something similar, with advice to share?

We are planning this trip on continental Europe. Our initial thought was to use a new sleeper train service that would have cut down on the daytime hours travelling and offered more comfort, but it’s fully booked out for that period (we don’t have much flexibility as we have to travel during school holidays).

So our options are: nearly 7 hours during the daytime followed by 1) an old sleeper service that departs at midnight and probably not as comfortable as the new sleeper would have been, or 2) a night in a hotel and another 7 hours during the day on a relatively comfortable express train.

We have a 6 year old who is an easy travelling companion, and a 1.5 year old who is a bit of a wild card. On a sleeper we would book a family compartment so no sharing with strangers, and DH and I would each share a bed with a child (to make sure they sleep as deeply as possible with the reassurance of a parent next to them, and that they don’t roll out, so the adults would probably not get much rest).

I don’t expect this to be more challenging than a long haul flight with onward travel, so consider that before calling me a total nutter :)

If you have done anything similar, which option do you think might be easier with the children? Any other tips or advice?

It depends on how your DC will cope staying up late to catch the sleeper.

I've done both with small children (not my own).

My own would have not handled the sleeper train option well. The 3yo I did it with was fine, but used to not sticking to a routine.

The daytime option I did as a nanny. I hated every second, but I think the parents enjoyed themselves.

Overall the hotel option sounds best to me, even though I flipping' love a sleeper without DC.

We did a 20 train journey each way in China when DSs were 4 they LOVED it! Don't expect any sleep though!

When DS was 3, and I was pg with DS2, we did a journey to Italy which consisted of Eurostar to Paris, sleeper from Paris to Rome and then onward to Naples.

It was very hard work with a buggy and luggage. DS was violently sick all over DH in the dining car in the sleeper and all DH's clothes were locked in the baggage car. The overnight bit was awful, the train was rickety, rattly and seemed to stop at a station every 5 minutes so we got no sleep.

I would never, ever do it again.

My DS is 13 months old and I recently had to do a 3.5 hour train journey with him- it was hell. He constantly wanted to walk up and down the carriage and screamed if I didn’t allow it despite all the snacks and toys I brought with me. I was exhausted by the time I got home.

It really depends on your child’s personality. I find 1-2 year olds the most exhausting when travelling because they can move around but can’t comcentrate on anything for more than 10 minutes!

Ah yes, the buggy... we'll need to get an umbrella stroller either case as our pushchair is a bulky beast.

We did one trip with the toddler where departure time was at midnight, and it wasn't hell, possibly because he was distracted by all that was going on, but at home he normally goes into a meltdown if we don't put him to bed when he is getting tired.

@TwigTheWonderKid you are quite the hero for having even considered that journey while pregnant!

@Noti23 I would normally let the toddler walk up and down (and walk with him, obviously) but that of course depends on the train not being too full to move! I'll have DH with me who can stay behind with DS6 and the luggage, and to take turns with. We've done 3.5 hour train journeys with him, also a nightmare one from Oxford to Liverpool on a day when we hadn't realised that a strike had been called. We did get to travel, with a delay, but on trains that were carrying 3 other cancelled services' worth of passangers! Even then, we survived - passengers were squeezing up on the seats, somebody was kind enough to stand up for us so I had both kids on my lap, and another family across the table with whom we exchanged snacks etc.

@LynetteScavo may I ask why you hated the daytime option so much? I am not enormously worried about doing it once, it's the thought of doing it on two consecutive days that has me worried that the kids would be too fed up.

Funnily enough, I didn't find out I was pregnant until the day before we travelled...

Even with an umbrella fold buggy, which we had, it obviously means one of you is pushing the buggy whilst the other adult is dealing with all the luggage. You need to be able to travel very light.

Long ago my parents travelled on an Indian train for two days and nights with four children. One was 1 year old and one wet the bed every night. They also had to share with an old man, but there was no bunk for him.
They survived this then had to repeat the journey to go back home again.

Have you slept on a sleeper train before? The beds are narrow... I'm not sure if two people would fit on one.

We did the sleeper from Paris to Venice last year and I was worried about my 12yo dc falling out, never mind a toddler! You would get no sleep and it would be crap.

I'd do hotel and two daytime trains.

Which sleeper is it? Some are more comfortable than others. In quite a few the daytime seating in a normal seating ticket folds in to a kind of bed and I've often seen families off to camping vacations or something nested in there with duvets.