Long train journey with toddler and 4mo- any tips?

[Suchanamateur]

Heading to France at the weekend for a holiday with my parents, which I am very much looking forward to. Dreading the train journey (and in denial about the subsequent car journey with car hating baby). Anyone have any tips for occupying toddler especially? Hoping baby will sleep in sling..

The good thing about trains is that there is always something new to see out of the window. :) Try to get table seats so that you've got somewhere to put paper and pencils, colouring books and other activities. Have something on you like a blanket so that the toddler can lie down and take some naps. Are you doing this journey by yourself or will you have a partner with you? If solo, also make friends with any likely looking fellow travellers so that they'll watch children while you go to the loo or do nappy-changes etc.

Not popular with everyone...but i would not board the train without a portable DVD player and lots of peppa pig etc
And books, pens, snacks, toys etc etc

My parents took my brother and I on a train journey from the midlands to Aberdeen when we were perhaps 2 and 4. My grandma packed a bag for us with a little present to unwrap at every station - nothing big, maybe a pack of crayons, or an eye spy book, or a snack (i.e. lots of the stuff that you would probably take anyway).

We had a great time and apparently the other passengers were getting quite into it as well!

I recommend a small pot of playdough and a few cutters - popular with my two.
A small surprise at each station is a fantastic idea.

A DVD player is only a good idea with headphones imo - I don't want to listen to your kids watching tv (and neither do my dc)

Paper and crayons and a couple of books are always fab.

Be sure to have enough snacks and drinks but not so many that they are sick (as once happened to me as a kid!)

Ooh yes, headphones are an absolute must if you don't want everyone to hate you
Loving the idea of a present per station!!
I took my son to Avignon by train when he was 2, about seven hour journey.
It was actually ok, he slept a bit and was quite happy looking out of the windows for a lot of it. Spot the cow, spot the bird etc etc

Yes to the portable DVD player and headphones - about 3 hours in I am usually desperate!

We use loads of stuff like sticker books and cheap cars/toys from the pound shop or charity shop, playdough, balloons and bubbles in the corridor bit, books or let them choose a magazine with a free toy at the station and a ton of snacks and a picnic to distract.

Know what you mean about the car. I have one of those. Would take a train any day over being trapped with a screaming baby while driving

Love the surprise at every station- will do it of I have time tomorrow. Also hadn't thought of playdoh. Sadly we don't have a portable DVD player but do have a phone with downloads so headphones are now on my packing list.

ipanicked sadly we have 2 hours in the car on top of the train journey. I shall need a holiday to recuperate and headphones to block out DDs screaming...

Colouring stuff, book for you to read to toddler, jigsaw puzzle, if you have a laptop then you can play dvd on laptop, plenty of little snacks, water, blanket, calpol/calprofen, spare clothes in case of travel sickness

Spare clothes. Yes.