Four year old on train

[Ppejfhfhrhhfhf]

I’ve booked for my four year old nephew and me to travel from the North on the train to London, a visit to Hamley’s and the aquarium, then on to Hampshire to visit Peppa Pig World the next day.

He’s a very good little boy but I’m worried he’ll get bored on the train. I don’t have kids and I’ve never taken him away before, so I wondered if anyone had any tips for travelling with a child?

This sounds super fun! Paulton’s Park have just opened a new log flume for kids as well! My 2 year old was able to go on a couple of little rollercoasters in the main park.

For the train, bring snacks and talk to him, play games. Feel free to bring a screen but only get it out if he’s getting a bit restless towards the end of the journey. We have an emergency kids’ tablet just for very long car journeys.

We regularly do York to London with our 2yr old. We pack a little bag for her with snacks, a new magazine, maybe a sticker book or new story book, plus we dig out some toys that she doesnt normally play with so they seem "new". Those little board games by Orchard Games are also good.

Id also advise maybe downloading some bits onto a device - we don't use screens on a normal journey as DD is fine without them, but we were once delayed by 3.5hrs when a power cable went down ln route so the total journey time was 6hrs and we couldnt even get off the train. We had really exhausted everything we had brought with us and we really wished that we had put something like the Gruffalo onto one of our phones as a last resort back up.

Edit to add - also, if you book directly with some train operators, you can see the seat map and book specific seats (LNER do this definitely) so you can make sure you have a nice big table seat with plenty of space.

Do they still sell the Peppar pig comics? I used to buy my kids one each for both halves of the journey. They were occupied for most of the trip with the stories, games and puzzles. Didn't use the tablet once as they were busy with the trip to the train cafe to buy a snack & then reading their comics.

Get to Hamleys early if you can as it gets busy & queues form to get in the shop. This does depend on the time of your aquarium visit. So maybe visiting Hamleys towards the end of the day might be easier & do book a table for dinner if eating out.

If you haven't taken him out anywhere before then start taking him out on little trips to the cafe etc. This will help you both get used to spending extended times together & your little habits.

Put a wrist band on his ankle and wrist with your telephone number in case he gets separated from you. Also, put contact details in a sheet and pop it in his rucksack. Hopefully nothing will happen but London is big & busy so keep him in sight of you at all times.

Only skim read, but there's some books you can get that are like eye spy but for train journeys and one for London (and other journeys/places) DS loved his about the same age it actually came with us a few times till he'd filled it in

That sounds like a super fun trip for him, what a lucky boy :-)

To the people saying don’t bring a screen - she’s planning a trip from the North of England to the Southampton, with a four year old, doing loads of exciting busy things - at some point during the two days, he is extremely likely to need a bit of downtime. Screens are not evil and they sometimes are the best way to pass the time in a confined space and spare your fellow passengers…

I have a 4 and a 5 year old and on long journeys we play I spy, drawing (giving a ‘task’ is often good at that age like draw me a treasure map/dream house) magazines, comic style books (super happy magic forest is our favourite) and sticker books (I like the ones from Flying Tiger where you dress up characters). Also a couple of cars/action figures (bonus if they are new, as they will be infinitely more exciting) and snacks.

Aw, it's ages since mine were little but they/we loved train travel back then.
No smart devices available, but I'd 100% take one now for back up.

Loads of good suggestions here, picnic, games etc. Mine loved top-trumps.
We always took some kind of paper map (old school 😆) to follow the route - point out interesting places/facts along the way.
Ask a friendly train worker which stations the train will be stopping at for a short while and you might be able to get off and stretch your legs by the train door.
Talking of friendly train workers, we met MANY along the way who were more than happy to chat with nerdy (said with love) young travellers with maps 😆. The ones who chatted were all super knowledgeable about routes and engines and loved their jobs etc.

Good luck, have a lovely couple of days.

https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/

Mine loved the transport museum in Covent garden. It's £24 for an annual adult ticket and kids go free under the age of 16.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5075598-paultons-park-recommendations-peppa-pig-world?reply=135383391

This very recent thread may be of interest.

I'm slightly worried you are overestimating the stamina of a 4 year old. It sounds a very packed few days. The Mortimer Arms is indeed very close to the entrance to the Paulton's estate, but be prepared for a longish walk to the entrance to the actual theme park and then of course you'll be on your feet loads of the day too. I suggest you check it out on googlemaps just to be certain.

I would also suggest bringing favourite small teddy/doll/mini plastic peppa. My ds and dd both loved taking photos of teddy and dc at various sights, once we made a little notebook afterwards with printouts of all the things we had seen and done (gone through the ticket barriers; eaten our sandwiches on the train; visited x y or z; stayed in a hotel).

it’s really good for helping them get a story in order and explain what happened next, which was something my ds in particular struggled with.

Not a favourite surely! What if it gets lost!!

Yes agree with this, my 4.5 year old couldn’t manage all the walking to and from plus the park itself. She’s in this annoying phase where she is too old for pushchairs but too little to walk very far without whinging. Traveling also makes her very tired.

The journey will be fine with a ton of snacks and games/magazines/drawing but you may need more downtime planned in.

Have you booked a seat for them on the train..I know under 5's are free but that doesn't guarantee them a seat!
Expect to stop often for snacks/drinks/chasing pigeons/spotting policemen add as required 😉

I would NOT expect to be able to stretch legs outside the train at any intermediate station. Trains are usually pretty busy these days and you would risk losing your seat as nobody would expect you to get back on once off.

Definitely reserve seats (look into family and friends railcard. 4 year olds don't need to pay on the train but sometimes it's more cost effective to use the railcard to buy them a ticket and this also means they get a seat reservation)

Do not get out any toys which can roll off a table. Also have some activities that you don't need any equipment for because rail journeys can often go tits up and you're rammed in like sardines. A good one is drawing pictures on each other's backs with your finger and guess what has been drawn. Also singing songs and telling stories out of your head.

A toy doctors kit works well in trains - you can get a lot of mileage out of bandaging each other and giving "injections." Folding paper is fun when colouring loses its appeal. Pick up a free newspaper to fold, draw on, use as makeshift cleaning cloths etc.

Definitely take screens but don't deploy unless he gets tired and needs a break. It will be useless as a distraction if he's been on Peppa since Newcastle (or wherever) but is now fed up and you're only at York. If he's going to watch a screen he must have headphones or the other passengers will look daggers at you (with good reason)

My top tip for days out is pack a couple of tea towels. They do remarkably well for drying children coming out of splash parks and paddling pools but they take up very little space.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/i-SPY-train-journey-Collins-Michelin/dp/0008182868

Get one of these if you can. We have a few different ones and it kept my kids entertained for a while.

My kids are 8 and 12 and still love a trip on the train.

Ah, sounds like you’ve got it all sorted! I’m sure your nephew will have a fantastic time. There’s also a dinosaur walk, if he’s into them! We live fairly near and have many happy memories of PP from when the (now adult) dc were young. Let us know how it all goes!

I would buy some magazines and bring sellotape, scissors and felttips to make whatever ridiculous invention there is at the back. He might be into paw patrol - they do a good magazine. You're a lovely auntie. Nothing wrong with an episode of something if you both need a break. People forget that children can be introverts too. If he needs some down time make sure he gets it.

The Mortimer Arms is indeed very close to the entrance to the Paulton's estate, but be prepared for a longish walk to the entrance to the actual theme park and then of course you'll be on your feet loads of the day too.

Have just looked on google maps and it states a 16 min walk which is presumably at adult pace. Depends how used your nephew is to walking. Might it be worth speaking to the hotel and asking them to organise a taxi for you? A bit of extra cost, but might be worth it?

Also not sure what the actual walk is like. There are lots of busy roads round PP. I’m sure the hotel can advise, though!

The actual walk should be fine, only Paultons traffic going past.

Are you needing to change trains in London?

Bring a back pack rather than suitcase so you can have your hands free, especially if using the underground... it can be very busy and overwhelming if the child isn't used to it. Some of those escalators are long.

We do lots of train travel, have since babies. Take plenty of water and food if you're travelling over meal times. Otherwise whatever he enjoys - books, colouring, stickers, avoid any toys with small pieces that could get dropped. Let him roam around the train if he wants (with supervision), so much nicer than being in the car. In case of a big delay, I'd consider having some games or TV available on your phone (sound off or headphones).

Thank you. I have taken him out thousands of times, I just haven’t taken him away overnight (he has slept over at my house though). We know each other very well and are very close, it’s just the keeping him entertained on a train I was concerned with.

He loves to be out and about or playing with trucks and cars and he enjoys a puzzle but it wouldn’t hold his attention for long. The little games, I Spy and visits to the food carriage should entertain him though. I’ve booked the fast train so it’s just under three hours and have booked him a ticket so he’s got a reservation.

I know London very well so no concerns there (although I’ve never been to Hampshire).

It’s Wednesday - Friday and Friday is literally just sitting on the train. The only other way to do it would’ve been to take him home after Peppa on the Thursday, but I (and I’m sure he) didn’t fancy getting a train from Southampton back to the North after a full day at a theme park.

There is no other way of getting the train to Southampton without stopping at King’s Cross and getting the tube to Waterloo onwards. We could skip Hamleys and the aquarium but it would mean him spending more time bored in a pub in Southampton instead. And I won’t deny that part of me just wants to show him London for the first time.

I’ve google earthed the route up to Paulton’s and I think he’ll be fine, but I could also always order a taxi instead.

I have. I actually doubt the train will be that busy at the time I’ve booked, the better safe than sorry.

I honestly don’t think it’s that much walking for him. He’ll be dropped at the station, straight onto the train, then onto the tube to Hamleys (and he loves our underground so the size of the tube will be exciting for him), some walking there, lunch, tube to the aquarium (depending on time, but it’s the same tube stop as Waterloo anyway), some walking there, then back on a train and into a taxi. A busy day definitely, but no longer than his nursery day at home.