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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

Ideas for what to do on a train for 14 hours with 3 children please

25 replies

bensmum3 · 21/03/2005 14:15

Hi, in a few weeks we will be doing a return trip to Cornwall on the train,down and back within 5 days, each journey will take 14 hours, can anyone help with ideas of things to pass the time,
children are 21 months, 7 and 10 years,
thankyou

OP posts:

ggglimpopo · 21/03/2005 14:17

Message withdrawn

KathH · 21/03/2005 14:42

valium?

vict17 · 21/03/2005 14:43

could you fly some of the way?!!

giraffeski · 21/03/2005 14:58

Message withdrawn

crunchie · 21/03/2005 15:00

For the 7 and 10 yrs make them pack their own bag with walkman/gameboy/cards/books/colouring book (new one)/pens etc. Also you could prepare a treasure hunt of things they might see from the window (easy stuff like cars/houses and hard stuff like windmills and goats!! I am sure you could probably get a book of 'travel games' from Wh Smiths or somewhere. What about travel Monopoly etc. Have you booked a seat and made sure you have a table?? Get there EXTRA early to make sure of it.

The 21 month old will be the hardest, again their own bag with age suitable travel stuff. You could wrap up little toys and get out one per hour or teo. Also wrap up snacks like Raisin boxes etc to make a treat of them.

How come it will take 14 hrs? Are you going to Scotland??

suzywong · 21/03/2005 15:01

hellfire where are you starting from?

gameboy for the 10 year old surely, could you borrow one or look on ebay?
Walkman with stories on it for the 7 year?

Marina · 21/03/2005 15:01

No chance at all you could follow Vict's advice? Doesn't someone fly to Newquay?
I think the big ones will be fine but the 21 monther a major challenge. Best of luck...

suzywong · 21/03/2005 15:03

very good point, you'll be up and down the aisles with the 21mo, for a lot of the time, they just can't sit still for more than 20 minutes when they're awake, unless your child is a very placid girl...or boy...but I've never come across a boy like that

giraffeski · 21/03/2005 15:05

Message withdrawn

clary · 21/03/2005 15:13

bensmum I used to take the train down to London quite a lot (have b/fed on train many times!) but once I had no 3 I decided it was a logistical nightmare and easier to drive. I last did it when ds1 was 3-ish and dd 1-ish, but it was only 2 hrs. Agree with others that yr 21mo old is the challenge.
Recall one trip with DS1 aged maybe 2+ when I had to read the same Apple Tree Farm book about 15 times! (I had others, but no, it had to be that one).
I assume the little one will sleep at least part of that time but yes, you may well find yourself walking endlessly up and down the train (but then I guess you could leave a 10 and 7 yo sitting happily at the table while you did so, couldn?t you?)
Otherwise, have you got any games he/she really loves, like flashcards or something similar? If I were taking a train trip with ds2 (23mo) I would pack a couple of fave jigsaws, half a dozen fave books, endless boxes of healthy snacks (grapes, cherry toms, carrot sticks, raisins). I do that for a half-hour session watching DS1?s swim lesson tho. Oh heck , good luck.

Original poster

bensmum3 · 21/03/2005 19:27

This site is so Good! That's me ordering valium and vodka ,I like the idea of wrapping things up and I have a little bag ds2 can use and dd & ds1 could use their school bags,will definately make sure we have plenty of snacks, maybe I should add a new pair of trainers for myself !
Yes, we live in the west coast of Scotland and are going to my brother-in laws wedding in Cornwall. Dh will be with us too, so we can share the walking up and down.
We have done the same journey in a car, and I found story cassettes were great,I will look into getting some personal players.
Thankyou all so much !
I've never seen a gameboy, but maybe it would be a good idea, any recommendations as I've no idea what to look for ?

OP posts:

helsi · 21/03/2005 19:36

eyespy

2. give them a list of things that they have to look out of the window and tick off the list e.g. another train, a tunnel, a sheep/cow etc, a red tractor (not blue etc), a canal etc etc.... 3. drawing/colouring 4. making up poems/rhymes 5. schoolwork (boo I hear you all say) 6. writing stories 7. snap

giraffeski · 21/03/2005 19:43

Message withdrawn

Original poster

bensmum3 · 21/03/2005 20:55

School work will definately be on the agenda for the older two, I was disgusted with my b-i-l for getting married during term time !I've already asked their teacher for some work for them to do.

OP posts:

milward · 21/03/2005 21:01

Did a 12hr train trip last summer when dds were 6,3 & 1. Bf smallest often. The others had magazines, thin books, cards, a small electronic toy that made quite noises, crayons, drawing books,the greatest item was a huge disney sticker sheet I'd saved from a magazine. Took water & sandwiches plus packet of biscits - also some loo paper. Trip was fine - I was exhausted afterwards but the little ones really enjoyed it & still talk about it now.

bluesky · 24/03/2005 08:55

Harry Potter on their headphones, lasts for hours, my eldest barely noticed the journey to the Lake District last year!

There are some great books for the eldest two, puzzle ocean, puzzle planet etc. by usborne books I think, there is a story with pictures, and you have to find clues and solve puzzles to continue, they are brilliant.

Little electronic games, I found some at Christmas from Boots, (Woolworths too) we have solitaire, pinball, they have a button to make it silent so as not to disturb other people!

Good luck!

Miaou · 24/03/2005 08:57

bensmum if I can get you anything from FW and send it over, please let me know - eg puzzle books, tapes, library books etc.

Also you are welcome to stay with us if that's any help!

Original poster

bensmum3 · 03/04/2005 23:17

Thankyou Miaou, I'm trying to get a dentist app't for next thur/fri but if i dont get off I might take you up on that offer ! I've lost your phone no again !
Anyone know where I can get harry potter on tape at a good price ?

OP posts:

jampots · 03/04/2005 23:20

we may have some storytapes to lend you if its any good?

Remind me, do you have girls, or boys?

JanH · 03/04/2005 23:21

Have a troll through amazon , bensmum - they are not cheap - best price I could see was c £15 for the first one.

Might you be able to get to a library?

FIMAC1 · 04/04/2005 07:17

The Libary do story tapes which is where we go and stockpile up on if we have got a long journey

lapsedrunner · 04/04/2005 08:10

Borrow a portable DVD player (with headphones!).

treacletart · 04/04/2005 09:04

Ive just come back from France with a 21m old by train - 7hrs each way and he was an angel - did have my dh with me too though. I took lots of little cheapo toys, sticker-books, comics, trains etc - the most succesful was a magic slate we got in a party bag, I spent ages drawing little pictures for him to "guess" and then he would wipe them away. Also took lots of raisins, apricots, carrot sticks etc. He slept well too because our connections allowed me to tell him in advance that the next train was the train to go to sleep on. French trains are a dream compared to UK ones though - not least because they're on time, really clean, have great changing facilities and are half empty. Good Luck.

JoolsToo · 04/04/2005 09:06

gags and handcuffs?

Miaou · 05/04/2005 15:25

bensmum I could get you some storytapes on the library if you would like - don't think they've got HP but could find some appropriate ones.

I will email you my phone number again!!!

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