Taking sick child on train?

[SleepyHollowed84]

On a train this morning. Small regional service only going about 1 hour between cities.

A parent has just ushered a child onto the train at the same time as me holding a metal sick bucket with a towel around his neck. Child is green. They’ve taken up camp by the toilet as presumably imminent incident is coming.

AIBU to argue that this is incredibly unreasonable on all other passengers?! I know and appreciate accidents happen (been there myself) but I would think if you’re bringing a sick bucket onto the train you’re probably not well enough to travel?

I should add context that I am mildly emetophobic so this is not an ideal situation for me but I doubt other passengers want to be subject to this?

Poor kid and poor passengers.....yanbu OP

Depends on the reason for travel really. Could be on way to hospital

Could it be travel sickness? I get terribly travel sick on trains even as an adult, I was even worse as a child.

You really don't know the family situation so I wouldn't be so quick to judge. Could have been staying away from home, child got sick and they need to be taken home on the train (as that's how they got there?!) I can't imagineany parent taking their sick child on a train for fun! So I think YABU

Doubt parent wants to be in that position. Probably just trying to get home.

Could be on the way to hospital or to the person who will be looking after them whilst ill. It's likely their only option to get the train, I definitely wouldn't be getting a train with a sick child for the fun of it.

Yabu to judge unless you know why they are travelling. They could have been out somewhere then child got sick and had to take train home, travel sick, travelling to doctors. If they are on the way out to go shopping or something then yanbu but if they’ve been someone and child got unwell they have to get home somehow

I doubt they're travelling for the fun of it. I'm sorry your trip is probably going to be not much fun; if it's any consolation, it's probably going to be worse for them. Maybe ask the parent if they need anything, like a bottle of water.

Yes unpleasant for all, but I doubt they're travelling if they had no choice.

I think they could have waited until either the child was a little better, or indeed expect trains later in the day might be quieter. More chance of the toilet being available on a quieter train.

If they booked a ticket in advance they might have to take this train now.
It’s awful for them and everyone else but as others have said, I’m sure they wouldn’t do it if they could avoid it.

Not fair on the child and not fair on other passengers who might catch whatever it is that's making the child ill. However, we don't know the circumstances - it might be an emergency - so can't say for certain they are BU.

Sometimes travelling isn’t optional. They are doing what they can to manage it.

I’m sorry that you are emetophobic (although isn’t everyone ‘mildly’?). Sometimes we are exposed to things that aren’t nice; we just have to get on with it.

Nobody would take a sick child on the train for nothing. My guess is they are going home, child has taken ill while they've been away.

Could be a child under oncology treatment going home. They throw up (sometimes anti-emetics don’t really do much with some of the treatments). How would you know the situation? I’d let it go presuming they are not choosing that as a jolly.

not everybody drives a car, they obviously need to go somewhere

That poor child. How awful for them. No excuse for that imho.
I dont drive (so travel by train/bus a lot) but would never take a puking child on a train.

Could be fools poisoning- or as PPs have said could be post chemo and therefore not something contagious. Unlikely the parent would have taken them on the train if it was.

I had food poisoning on the plane home from Australia once. Started about 1 hr in and I threw up every 20 mins for the 10 hr or so flight to Thailand for refuelling and then was just really unwell for the flight back to the uk. Absolutely horrendous so I'm feeling for the child.

Presumably they aren't on the train for fun. Nobody would do that if they didn't have to.

So how would you get home from a hospital appointment for example if the child was sick. My daughter had some teeth out under GA when she was about 7 and had to have a sick bucket to get home. 3 of my DC were travel sick and always had bags to catch it in.

Could be any reason, I doubt they're there for shits and giggles. Pun not intended.

My GC has a bowel condition. When we were changing her meds, it could cause sickness. Her bowel condition wasn't catching. I doubt that they are going on a day out and it's essential travel.
@LlynTegid I would imagine that on a Saturday morning the 9sm train would be the quietest.

Maybe can't afford a taxi? Just keep away from them if you can

My child once had an asthma attack that caused him to be sick. We were on holiday in a place that does not have cars/taxis. We had to get him to an hospital urgently he was being sick on public transport (in a bag). It was awful for us all.
I'm sure the parents did it because they had to.

No one voluntarily takes a sick child on a train so YABU for that alone.