Children having their own seat on a packed train.

[user1493559472]

I am on a packed train. A child who is about 3 years old is sat in their own seat and not on the parents lap, would you ask to sit down and the child sits on parents lap? People were standing.
Thank you

More than one of us has said we do just that. I dont do it on the local train where you can't reserve seats but a longer journey yes I pay for him and reserve a seat.

If that wasn’t the implication of your post then what was the relevance of it?

Lots of us are petite and have big tall heavy children under 5 wearing clothes 2+ years above their actual age. My kid is wearing an age 8-9 top and trousers right now. She's 5. Her on my lap has always been a real struggle.

I think people make way too many assumptions about how old children are just by looking at them. I actually have a photo of her birth certificate on my phone now so I don't get refused when we go to stuff for kids 5 and below.

Children's train tickets are only £2 on the day of travel on most railway networks (most people have no idea!) so I would never assume a child doesn't have a ticket. Lots of families get a ticket on purpose to use the family Railcard.

Many people have more than one small child. According to people on this forum, a mum is expected to balance 3 children under 5 and her luggage all on her knee and not inconvenience others whilst her children all quietly sit and do as their are told, all on a packed train.

Oh yes because that happens so regularly.

Not

Why bother with safety at all. What does the odd child here or there matter?

Trains do stop suddenly more than you might think.
Regardless, an able bodied adult isn't entitled to a child's seat. 🫣

The tube certainly does - I went flying a month or so ago when they did an emergency stop. We all ended up crashing into each other like dominos. Lots of British terribly sorry, sorry,sorry going on. No harm done could have definitely hurt a small child

Who knew people felt so angry about who gets to sit on a train seat! 🤣

I catch trains all of the time with my kids and have never encountered any hostility, ever. People either sit or stand and get on with it, unless of course there is a person with a bag on a seat on a packed train . . . Now that’s a different story!

Adults on the tube regularly give up their seat for younger children. The children often look tired and travel weary. They are also more likely to get squashed or bumped.

Someone earlier on the thread accused me of lying when I said I did this. They had never seen an adult do this apparently. I see it all the time with very small children.

No they aren't standard size. Some trains I have plenty of legroom some less so, on some my husband, over 6' needs the aisle seat or his knees are touching the seat In front. If I'm visiting my son I will be on three trains, three different companies and the train layouts are all different. The only way you could have a child on each leg would be to have one facing the aisle and one facing the person sitting next to you and they probably wouldn't appreciate the child's feet being on their leg.

I don't go to London very often but I've seen this.

You don't know how healthy and safety works do you.

When we went to London when my kids were little loads of people gave up seats for them, even at rush hour.

My son has a disabled person's railcard too but he's 9. Is he still less deserving of a seat on a packed train than you just because he happens to be younger?

You don't know whether the child has a paid-for ticket or reservation, whether the child or parent has disabilities, or even whether the child's parent is seated or standing. So the answer is no, you should not tell a three-year old to give you their seat. Look around for a fit looking young man and demand his seat: he will be much safer standing than a three-year old would be.

Posters seem to parrot "but the child can sit on the parent's knee" over and over again. As if the parent's comfort doesn't matter in the least, because they have to do penance for the fact they had the termerity to have a child. As if the moment you have a child you have signed a contract to be a self-sacrificing mule so some able bodied stranger can feel comfortable. Again, I reiterate that I would move my child and have done so many times, But the the absolute entitlement of some adults who expect the kid to jump out of their seats out of reverence for the stranger no matter how tired the mother and child may be is fascinating.

If your child can’t fit on your lap then they don’t buy a free child ticket: simple. Children that need their own seats either get their parent’s seat or their parents buy them one. It’s not rocket science

Free child tickets are for children who can sit on their grown up’s laps. Every t&c for every transport company clearly says if your child can’t sit on your lap you need to pay for their ticket.

Lots of entitled behavior here. It’s not the paying passengers’ problem to accomodate your child’s freebie ticket.

Lots of people do buy tickets for their children but many people on here are insisting that good manners suggest that the child has to give up their seat anyway because that is respectful to able bodied strangers.

Children under a certain age yes. But posters here seem to think children of any age they deem suitable for laps should move. Also the OP has no idea if this child had a ticket or not. And a child over the age of 5 or whatever is on the terms of carriage that requires a ticket has no obligation to move at all.

"When objectively as an under 5 you need it more? "

NOT objectively because a small child can sit in a parent's lap. An adult can't so needs the seat more.

we have already established that no mum can’t easily get a 5 year old and a 3year old onto to her lap at the same time along with her bags- what is she supposed to do?!!

as an abled bodied adult I am more than capable of standing

Absolutely not. Anyone unable to stand safely, and comfortably, especially with a disabled railcard, or bus pass, should have priority for a seat.