Traveling on the Train: Ideas?
So, we are taking ds to see his grandma in Minneapolis this weekend. We're taking the train because:
1) We don't want to add to the whole global warming problem by flying on a plane,
2) I am scared to fly on planes,
3) We thought it would be beautiful to see the country, without all the pain of driving and this way ds can wander around,
and so we're pretty excited.
Anyway, we tried to get a regular family room, which they advertise for but rarely offer. Instead, we had to book a roomette, which is made for two adults...though dh booked it for ds and I, and then he's going to try and sneak back. There are showers in that car, and we get all meals for two people that way too, so it should be good.
Anyway, we will be on the train for 48 hours. I am wondering if any of you mamas have some great ideas about what to bring? Coloring books have been suggested, ad I will throw a few of those in my bag, but he's never so into them. (By the way, ds just turned 3). I will bring a couple of his favorite reading books. Anything else to keep a kid entertained so that the trip will go smoothly?
"Fundamentally the markswoman aims at herself" DT Suzuki
- Strange Quark's blog
- Login or register to post comments
That solves a ton of potential drama, especially with meal planning & bringing a blanket/pillow. Here are some fun things i have brought in the past:
crayons & paper, glue stick, scissors, a ziplock baggie filled with my home made playdough, a portable dvd player ( I always borrow form my neices) and a nice selection of movies or better yet, if you have an ipod. A set of nice watercolors so both Rhythm & I could enjoy painting with them, a small bag with a few of his books & some inexpensive tiny toys. Last trip we had a few playmobil guys, a few monster trucks but what really got the most use was a dollar store set of teeny farm animals.
This winter on my way to PDX I spent a great deal of time doing my needlepoint as I chatted with an amish family while Rhythm and a pack of other small children watched a movie on the DVD player & the amish man tried to ever so slightly peek over at it without drawing attention to his young wife & MIL. It was a fun trip. The kids painted & I read them all books. Everyone had a blast/
Always, always bring snacks & suitable drinks ( I like my own tea).Remember that you both can bring a crry on & two pieces of luggage. A carseat will count as a piece of your child's luggage.
Have a great ride. I just LOVE the train!! I'll be thinking of you as you meander through ND.
i love trains and i've always wanted to get one of those rooms. can't wait to hear how it goes.
my recommendation -snacks and stickers. you can never have too many of either of them! we also bring along crayons, coloring books, a bag of little animals, and, of course, the DVD player!
We spent a couple of weeks riding the train through France & Spain with DD earlier this year and it was GREAT! Admittedly she's a little younger, but it worked out great. Getting to walk around a check out stuff actually occupied a lot of time. Finger puppets were also a huge hit (I got a whole pack for a couple of bucks at IKEA). They took up very little room could be made to do all sorts of things, and allowed her to recruit other passengers to play with her (amazing how the grumpiest looking business types were willing put a tiny tiger on anr index finger and make funny voices when asked by an unknown toddler). Bon Voyage!
I always sneak play-d0h or the equivalent for the girls when we travel. DH HATES it. Hates the mess (I personally don't think it is that messy). I bring a couple of small travel-sized jars. Also, I know you are a no-TV household, but some well chosen DVDs might be useful. DH has a video-ip0d that can hold several movies or downloaded shows - much more portable than a lap-top.
The train sounds great! We took our oldest to Denmark way back when & did lots of train travel (not overnight though) and they had the best nooks for kids to romp in, full of toys - it was awesome.
We only ride it for about 10 hours at a time, tops, though, and it's usually coach. I bring my laptop to play DVD's, plenty of books for him to read (or me to read to him), and my son likes to do workboooks, so we bring those along as well. Not to mention the magna doodle and a couple of hot wheels! I don't suppose you have any of those travel board games, like the checkers with magnets?
I think you'll be surprised at how entertained they will be, though. There's an observation car and a cafe, and there will likely be other kids as well. Good luck and have a great time!
http://startswithvee.wordpress.com
"Overcome the angry by non-anger; overcome the wicked by goodness; overcome the miser by generosity; overcome the liar by truth." -Buddha
Navigation
Who's online
Online users
- Bee
Who's New
- BeachBunny
- gayle.mallinger
- Mamapocket
- mjcwriter
- addie smith
We went to the store today and got a couple of things. Lace boards, which I had totally forgotten about. They had a bunch of different kinds - we ended up getting five sea creature ones.
They didn't have etch a sketch or those cool carbon boards, but we did find a book that you can draw on with wipe off pens.
We got stickers and a sticker book and homeade playing dough from a town a little south of us, in four colors, including glow in the dark.
We also got this cool book that has scissors that are childsafe enough for him to use with all kinds of great cutting activities, so hopefully these and some books will be enough to tide him over!
"Fundamentally the markswoman aims at herself" DT Suzuki