Overnight train journey with baby in regular carriage - help!

[blondepinhead]

Couldn't decide whether to put this in Sleep or Travel - hope someone can help!

I'm due to go on a ski-holiday with my DH, DD and parents in March. DD will be only just 1yr old then. We're travelling overnight by Eurostar almost all the way to the resort, which is pretty amazing and I'm really pleased it will be so simple to get there. However...

There are no sleeper carriages. It's just normal carriages and we have to get whatever sleep we can on reclining seats. DD has her 'own' seat, but I doubt this means anything special. She's a tricky sleeper anyway and I'm pretty sure will be a bit screamy quite often.

I'm getting more and more nervous about how we're going to cope, and also how all the other passengers in the carriage will get any sleep. In fact I'm losing sleep over it already :(

Does anyone have any suggestions of what what can do to make the journey easier for everyone (DD, us, passengers) and any ideas for stuff to make DD go to sleep/stay asleep for more than a few minutes at a time? Know I'm being neurotic about it, but could do with a few suggestions so I can actually relax a little. Thanks!

No suggestions, but maybe the rocking/ movement of the train will help to relax her ang keep her asleep?

can you make her a nest on the floor in front of her seat (seen that many time on long haul flights, so maybe that works on a train as well)
you probably will be fine :)

I think the motion of the train will help a lot. The more light you can obscure, the better. Take something to support her head and body like one of those v-shaped pillows perhaps because trains can jolt occasionally - although Eurostar is very smooth. And I think if you are relaxed and chatting quietly to your family as she's nodding off she'll find that quite comforting. Try not to pass on your anxiety?

Two months makes a big difference in sleep behaviour. I'm sure she'll rise to the occasion. :)

Thanks for the responses! I really like the idea of making her a nest, she's quite big for her age but I'm sure she'll fit quite comfortably at our feet. She sleeps curled up in a ball on her front though, don't think a pillow will help! We're taking a sheepskin she had as a baby, so maybe that will help as a comforter too.

I think I do really need to relax about this. My biggest problem is that I do worry far too much about what other people think, and I'm working myself into a tizzy about it already! Stupid as there's two months to go and she's not always a bad sleeper. She might surprise us all.

I would start having her sleep with the sheepskin now, to try and make a sleep association with it. Would letting her listen to some gentle lullabys with sime headphones relax her or stimulate her too much do you think?

Giddyup - I suspect she'd get over-exited with lullabies, tbh. She's that type of gal! Because we live in quite a noisy area we have low-level white noise in her room (and ours), and I think the noise of the train will do the job. I have an app that may help if not.

She loves the sheepskin, only sleeps on it in the travel cot but often enough to create association, I think?

Could you explain to DH and DParents that you are anxious about what others will think and agree that if anyone on the carriage complains/tuts/mutters that either DH or DParents will deal with it? Then you can just focus on your DD and not worry about the others on the train, knowing if a problem develops that the issue isn't yours IYSWIM.

Ooh, I thought my thread had died! Thanks AnotherGreenDay, yes I've had a chat with DH about it. He thinks I'm over-thinking it, tbh he's completely right. We'll all just cope as best we can. And if anyone gets narky with us, my mum has a death-stare that could fell an ox!

Have had a couple of decent nights sleep now so am a lot less worried. DH slept in DD's room so I had 8 hours sleep on Friday night, woo-hoo! He's such a star.