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Kids on Trains?

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somethingshiny

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JT will be turning 4 in a couple weeks. All he has asked for is to see the Dinosaur Fossils (First trip to the Field Museum in Chicago). He''s obsessed with trains and I thought it could be fun to take the train up to Chicago for the day (his first train ride). The train ride would be a bit over 2 hours (car ride would be slightly longer). He''s never been on a car ride longer than around an hour and I''m wondering if he''ll get bored or overwhelmed on the train. I don''t want him to not enjoy the museum because he''s gotten overwhelmed with the train. Also, if we do the train ride, should we do business class? This was suggested by a friend who has had bad train experiences in coach.

Any of your train experiences are welcome!
 
I would just take some games, puzzles, or coloring books that he can do while you are riding, if he gets bored.

I went on a couple train rides when I was younger, but they were only around an hour.

What a fun birthday trip! I hope you all have a blast!

FWIW, I would def do the train over driving. In a train you can point out all the cool things, whereas in a car, he is stiing by himself. Trains allow you to be pretty interactive
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I live in the NYC metro area and there are kids on the trains all the time. I think generally the same rules apply to trains as they would to most public forms of transportation:

- Don''t assume that the train ride itself will especially occupy the child''s attention for the duration of the ride. They''ll probably be interested for 5-10 minutes tops. Bring items to distract the kid and let them play. Little toys, books, etc. Bring your own snacks.
- Keep the noise level manageable. Indoor voices, and explain that some people want to read quietly. (And the commuters on the train will silently thank you!
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- Try to get one of the 4 seater sections so that you can let the child wander a bit in that small area without running up and down the aisles.I''m thinking with Amtrak you could book the ticket this way.
- Let the child give the ticket to the conductor. Kids love this part!
- Go to the dining car to get a snack if you feel the need to move around a little.

Have fun--Sounds like a great day out!
 
I also see kids on trains all the time, I don''t think it should be a problem. Is the train you''re thinking of taking a regional transit line or Amtrak? If it''s Amtrak, I wouldn''t bother doing business class, I''ve always gotten a regular coach ticket and it''s plenty comfortable. As zipzapgirl mentioned, they do have 4-seater areas with tables in some of the cars and you could try to get one of these, but you can''t actually get a ticket specifically for those seats so you''d just have to hope one is open when you get on. Make sure you don''t get into the quiet car by mistake (usually the last car in the coach section, but ask the conductor to be safe). Also, maybe bring a small pillow along so he can take a little nap? I''m sure he''ll be exhausted on the way home, even if he doesn''t want to sleep on the way there.
 
I can''t imagine that your 4 year old will be bored on the train. Whenever I take my 3 year old into the District on the Metro, it is the highlight of his life. The trip usually just takes about 30 minutes, but he is rapt the whole time.

For a longer trip, I would bring a coloring book or some other small, portable toy that he enjoys just in case. However, I think that he will probably be so excited by the ride that he''ll just be happy to look out the window and ask questions about the train.

Sounds like a great trip!
 
I ride the train in chicago, and I see kids a lot, and most of the time they are well-behaved and no problem at all. The only time i have issues is when the child gets way too rowdy and starts disrupting the other passengers and the parents just assume that because the kid isn''t throwing a tantrum that it''s ok. As long as you have some activities - I''ve seen game books, coloring books, game boys, portable dvd players and snacks, I think you should be good to go.

To be honest, most of the kids I experience are more well-mannered than a lot of adults riding the train.

Hope he has a wonderful birthday!
 
I have a nephew who is 4 who is obsessed with "choo choos" He went on about a 2 hour ride a couple times and LOVED it! But ditto on bringing a few things to do as well
 
James went on his first big train journey in November. It was around 3 hours. He loved it! He had great fun looking out of the windows and pointing out sheep and cows. He took his nintendo DS with him but hardly used it. The novelty of being on the train was enough to keep him amused for the whole trip.
 
I hate to fly and travel by train all the time. My family did so when I was small also -- we went from philadelphia to south florida (around 26 hours) when my younger sister was around the same age as your son. as other posters mentioned, the biggest benefit to a train is that you can do lots of things you can't in a car -- especially if you are travelling alone with a child. We were well entertained by books, coloring, cards, toys, audio tapes, snacks, etc...and we even made friends with other kids on the train. No need for business class unless you are travelling during rush hour (then that may be the only way to guarantee a seat). The only time I've had issues with kids on trains is infants crying or one kid whose parents thought it was an appropriate time for him to practice on his fiddle
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. Two hours is really not a long time for a four year old. He doesn't have to sit still the whole time like he would in the car. Also, ask the conductor or the folks at the station for some souveniers -- they often have paper conductor's hats or other amtrak related gear that they can give you for free. Some kids like to get the conductors and other train workers to sign an autograph book or their hats. Look up the route guide for your train on amtrak's website and identify things that you can point out along the way (landmarks, etc.). You'd also be amazed at how intrigued kids are about silly things, like how there is a toilet on the train and how the engine works and how the train stays on the tracks and how the seats lean back and where the conductors live -- just be ready for lots of questions and enjoy!

ETA -- if you're staying over in chicago, be sure to check out the train exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry on the south side -- he will love it!
 
I think you''ll be fine and he''ll have a blast, just bring coloring books, toys, snacks, a pillow (whatever you''d bring on a plane) to keep him occupied.

I went to school at Wheaton outside Chicago and little kids rode the Metra all the time.
 
Does JT have any problems with car sickness? Two hours for a 4-year old seems fine. . .it''s just that when my kids were that age, they *always* ended up car sick and throwing up. We took a lot of long road trips and made sure to bring extra clothes and wipes to clean up any mess.
 
I think it would be very fun for your son to get to ride on the train. I am not a parent, so I cannot predict how the experience will go, but I did want to suggest that you not sit in business class. Travelers there are going to be less understanding in the instance that he does behave less than perfectly. I believe that they have the right to, since the purpose of business class is to make the travel comfortable enough that they can either get work done or arrive ready to get work done.

Sounds like a really fun trip, though!
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A couple years ago we took all four grandchildren from Detroit to Chicago on the traiin. At the time the youngest was 5 and they did fine. One of them, however, did get lost at the Shedd Aquarium, but it''s just a funny story now.
 
Thanks for all the responses! I''m glad to hear that lots of kids are seen regularly on the train and that it doesn''t generally bother the other passengers. It''s a definite go! The train leaves out hometown at 8:30 am and arrives in Chicago around 10:30 am and our homebound train will leave around 6pm. So, I think we''ll avoid rush hour on the way there but may end up with a different experience on the way home (although it will be a Saturday). I always have a coloring book and snacks, think I''ll pack a couple small toys and a train book and he should be good. (he''s never gotten car sick) The dining car and restroom will also be worth the visit. I had no idea there was a "quiet" car so I''ll ask the conductor which car we should sit in. The 4 seats sound good too. He''s gone on visits to the station so I know the hats and other items keep him entertained for a while.!


Are there any other no-nos besides the obvious being loud and obnoxious??
 
Whoa. Can a 4 year old handle 6 hours in a museum? You know your son better than anyone but if it were my son I''d feel like both of us needed a place to rest during the day. Still it sounds like great fun.
 
We will not be spending 6 hours in the Museum, at least not straight. We will have lunch somewhere and if it''s decent weather, we''ll probably go for a walk or something. He could handle 6 hours in the Museum, it''s me with the problem!

And, if the day turns out to be WAY too long, there''s another train that departs around 3:30.
 
I am sure JT will love the whole day. I cannot believe he has never been on a car ride longer than an hour!
 
Tacori~ LOL. There''s no where to go!! The BIG mall is around an hour or so away and that''s as far as he''s traveled. All of our family lives within 30 minutes of our house. The basic rule of the Midwest, "if it''s not within a half hour, you don''t want to go anyway..."
 
Date: 2/9/2010 10:58:13 PM
Author: somethingshiny
Tacori~ LOL. There''s no where to go!! The BIG mall is around an hour or so away and that''s as far as he''s traveled. All of our family lives within 30 minutes of our house. The basic rule of the Midwest, ''if it''s not within a half hour, you don''t want to go anyway...''
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Ha! My parents used to take us for Sunday drives to different sightseeing locations and I think the trips probably were around an hour or so, just so we could get in a good amount of activity at our actual destination.

My niece is turning 2 this month (finally...she looks and acts like a 3 y/o though, even thinks she''s 3 and holds up 3 fingers when you ask how old she''ll be) and she''s been on 14 hr. car rides to Texas, the Carolinas, Florida, etc. She stays awake for a few hours but falls asleep for most of the duration. Your son should be fine. If anything, I wonder if he''ll take a short nap and be excited to wake up and be in Chicago? Or, there are always 5 hour energy drinks. Just kidding.
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Monnie~ Are the 5 hour drinks for me or him?? Oh, I know, they''re for DH!! That way he can carry JT and I can piggy back!

We''ve invited my in-laws to go. My MIL is obsessively concerned about what bathrooms she''ll use.
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Now I''m afraid if they DO go, I''m going to spend half of my day making sure the potties are clean. As a preggo, cleanliness has slid down on my potty list. More important is location!!

btw-There is a diamond exhibit at the museum. Think I can drag a 4 yr old through that??
 
Your MIL is going to have to scope out her own clean potties. Since she''s all phobic about it tell her you''ll handle the transportation and events and she can be on clean restroom duty.
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You just tell her that she needs to make sure the locations are frequent and plentiful because really your needs are more important than hers right now since you are growing her next grandchild. LOL

Also, don''t drink the 5 hr. energy drink, it will just make you have to go 10x worse.
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lol. Thanks for the heads-up Monnie! And, great suggestion for MIL!
 
I dad took me on a train from CA to CO when I was 4. 5. and 6. I really enjoyed it every time. The first year we were in coach, and I didn''t sleep at all, so we got the sleeper on the next trips. My parents did talk to me about the fact it would be a long ride, and packed games for me as well as toys. I don''t remember too much more, but I could not have been that bad if they did it 3 times!
 
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