Overnight with a Toddler in Coach?

[Kitty]

Hello,

My husband and I are planning a cross-country trip from Chicago to Los Angeles in the fall, and we'd like to take the train (our first train trip). However, we have a two-year old (who is still using a crib at home). As I understand it, there are no seat belts, so is there anyway he can sleep in coach without us worrying that he will fall out of his seat? Any suggestions?

 

[Ryan]

We did it when my stepson was 4 (or 3?) - he curled up on the floor and had plenty of space, and we didn't have any issues or worries.

 

[abcnews]

When we had small children - we would bring their car seat, and also a lot of children's books to read to them, and small toys. But we kept them in the car seat while they were on the train, since they were kind of trained at an early age to ride on trips in a car seat. That also required purchasing a child's ticket (1/2 price).

I would really recommend that you upgrade to a Roomette. The cost is reasonable and it also includes all meals (nice), use of a shower, free bottled spring water, juice, coffee, hot water for tea, pillows linens, etc... It's a good deal. The roomette fee would cover meals for both of you. They might even throw in something for the little guy too.

Sometimes when you compare the difference, and take out the actual cost of meals - it's not too much difference.

 

[amamba]

I would definitely consider bringing a car seat with a 5 point harness for a 2 year old. Just put the car seat in the coach seat in the window. You won't be able to strap it in, though, so I am not sure how much of a concern that would be.

 

[FunNut]

I would never, ever take a long train trip, with a toddler, in coach. Do get a roomette. Your child will be much safer and more comfortable in a roomette, as will you.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I would really recommend that you upgrade to a Roomette. The cost is reasonable and it also includes all meals (nice), use of a shower, free bottled spring water, juice, coffee, hot water for tea, pillows linens, etc... It's a good deal. The roomette fee would cover meals for both of you. Sometimes when you compare the difference, and take out the actual cost of meals - it's not too much difference.

Too bad the standard Amtrak menu is virtually devoid of fresh and nutritious foods but chock full of heavily refined preprocessed frozen junk food. The kids menu is even worse than the regular menu in this regard. Seems like a major oversight to me on the part of Amtrak.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I would never, ever take a long train trip, with a toddler, in coach. Do get a roomette. Your child will be much safer and more comfortable in a roomette, as will you.

And the sanity of other pax in the Coach will be preserved as well.

 

[dlynbid]

On a recent trip, I observed a mom secure the carseat to the coach seat some bungee type cords. Wasn't firmly secured, but it kept the carseat attached to the seat.

HOWEVER, if you can, go for the roomette. You will have a much more enjoyable ride.

 

[dlagrua]

The trip from Chicago to Los Angeles takes three days and two nights. I would not want to travel with a toddler in coach for that long of a trip. Bite the bullet and go for a bedroom. There will be enough room for your husband, yourself and your small child or try to get the family bedroom that has even more room. I know that it will add cost to the trip but using our kind members Amsnag website you can check prices, dates and get the lowest price. When considering a sleeper remember that three days of meals are included for all of you .

 

[Ryan]

I agree that a sleeper would be better if you can afford it, but if you can't don't worry about taking coach. It isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

 

[ThayerATM]

I agree that a sleeper would be better if you can afford it, but if you can't don't worry about taking coach. It isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

:lol: Ryan,

No, it's not that bad. :unsure: But with a two-year-old, for me, a three day two night trip would be unbearable in coach. I'd rather walk.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

After seeing a hundred completely unrelated coach topics twisted into a hundred unsolicited pro-sleeper pep rallies I've come to wonder if we should create a coach-only area that would cater to coach class passengers without perpetually lobbying them into becoming thin skinned sleeper-only tenderfoots. In an era of scarce jobs and dwindling paychecks this sort of hard-sell patronizing is especially unattractive in my view. Not everyone who comes to AU is sitting on a large retirement account. Not everyone who visits will be willing to give up half of their future trips just so that they can travel exclusively in sleeper compartments. Not everyone who asks about coach class accommodations is secretly longing to be sold on buying a sleeper compartment for double or triple the cost. If the OP asks about sleepers vs. coach then by all means lobby them as hard as you want, but if they inquire exclusively about coach issues then perhaps we could put the sleeper rally on hold until such time as they actually inquire about them?

 

[dlagrua]

After seeing a hundred completely unrelated coach topics twisted into a hundred unsolicited pro-sleeper pep rallies I've come to wonder if we should create a coach-only area that would cater to coach class passengers without perpetually lobbying them into becoming thin skinned sleeper-only tenderfoots. In an era of scarce jobs and dwindling paychecks this sort of hard-sell patronizing is especially unattractive in my view. Not everyone who comes to AU is sitting on a large retirement account. Not everyone who visits will be willing to give up half of their future trips just so that they can travel exclusively in sleeper compartments. Not everyone who asks about coach class accommodations is secretly longing to be sold on buying a sleeper compartment for double or triple the cost. If the OP asks about sleepers vs. coach then by all means lobby them as hard as you want, but if they inquire exclusively about coach issues then perhaps we could put the sleeper rally on hold until such time as they actually inquire about them?

Relax. We are here to be helpful not lobby for everyone to take sleepers. We are in no way demeaning people who chose the coach route and we have nothing to gain by suggesting sleepers. In this case a couple with a 2 yr old will be taking a cross country trip. There are those here than believe that under these circumstance a sleeper might be easier and more convenient for them.

There is certainly nothing wrong with Amtrak coach for adults and children on a day trip but it could be a long hard trip with a toddler to LOS. It does cost roughly 3x the price so if it is not in their budget so be it. All we are saying is that if you can afford a sleeper it might end up being a better solution. I would not take more than an overnight trip in coach with a toddler. IMO it would be torture.

Perhaps this discussion might connvince them that driving is the better option but whatever they choose we certainly wish them a great trip.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Relax. We are here to be helpful not lobby for everyone to take sleepers.

Hey, all I can do is point out how this looks from outside AU's echo chamber. Choosing to believe it or not is entirely up to you.

 

[Ryan]

We are in no way demeaning people who chose the coach route

That's particularly rich, considering your posting history.

 

[dlagrua]

We are in no way demeaning people who chose the coach route

That's particularly rich, considering your posting history.

A preference for sleepers and pointing out what I view as an advantage makes no judgement on the quality of coach travel or those that prefer it. I take coach all the time on the NE corridor to D.C. or for day trips on the Pennsylvanian.

If you can get a good nights sleep in a chair on the LD trains then its an easy and economical way to go. The majority of people on the train do it this way.

 

[George Harris]

I will say that in coach the toddler age kids usually do better than the adults. curl up on the floor at your feet and they are fine. Also, a little more wiggle room in the daytime. I am assuming that the kid is not a whiner and screamed, because that makes a problem for everybody else.

 

[Dan O]

I agree that a sleeper would be better if you can afford it, but if you can't don't worry about taking coach. It isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

:lol: Ryan,

No, it's not that bad. :unsure: But with a two-year-old, for me, a three day two night trip would be unbearable in coach. I'd rather walk.

I thought it was under 48 hours..more like 43 or so. How does that become three days/two nights? It's more like a day and half and two nights.

To original poster--go for it. You should do just fine.

Dan

 

[oldtimer]

Kitty

Just to let you know if you need a changing table you will find them in the restrooms of the Superliner cars (the two level cars) but as having worked for Amtrak for 35 years and on the Superliner waste system since the cars came out.

I need to alert you that you MUST NOT dispose of any diapers into the toilets. They are not built to handle any thing but human waste and the supplied toilet paper. I have had the fortunate opportunity to unplug hundreds of these systems. If the system plugs up with anything it can have serious consequences, failure of the toilets in the whole car and even overflowing waste on the lower level with the stench causing the whole car to not be fit for use.

I like the idea of using bungee cords to secure a car seat.

Enjoy your trip, I was probably 3 when I took my first train trip(in coach) and still remember some of it! Please heed my words regarding the toilets.

Thanks

 

[LucindaH]

Relax. We are here to be helpful not lobby for everyone to take sleepers.

Hey, all I can do is point out how this looks from outside AU's echo chamber. Choosing to believe it or not is entirely up to you.

Actually as a newbie, I agree with you , after being here only a week, if you read only this site, unless you can travel with a sleeper, you are going to have a miserable time... I would suggest a coach only section. We have decided to drive as it became pretty apparent from reading here that traveling with kids is discouraged unless you have a sleeper.

 

[George Harris]

Relax. We are here to be helpful not lobby for everyone to take sleepers.

Hey, all I can do is point out how this looks from outside AU's echo chamber. Choosing to believe it or not is entirely up to you.

Actually as a newbie, I agree with you , after being here only a week, if you read only this site, unless you can travel with a sleeper, you are going to have a miserable time... I would suggest a coach only section. We have decided to drive as it became pretty apparent from reading here that traveling with kids is discouraged unless you have a sleeper.

I, for one, really hate to see you do that. We made a few long distance trips by car with toddlers, and would not have if trains had been reasonable for the to/from. Being able to work the wiggles out from time to time can be done on the train, but you have to stop the car and get out to do it with the kid. I have, when considerably younger done the coast to coast by myself in coach. Not that bad. In fact, felt quite relaxed at the end of the trip. Wife made a one night plus half day coach trip with two kids, 1 and 3, by coach quite a while back, of course, and went fine. Have done a couple overnights on the Crescent, seen quite a few families, or women alone with kids doing it. No real problems. (Have also been on some 13 hour flights where people had little ones. If you work in another country and have you family with you, how do you think you and family travel?)

 

[Ryan]

As someone who has done it before, I wholeheartedly agree with George.

Don't let the naysayers (who in many cases probably have very little experience in Coach) dissuade you from doing something that thousands of people do every day.

 

[Ryan]

We are in no way demeaning people who chose the coach route

That's particularly rich, considering your posting history.

A preference for sleepers and pointing out what I view as an advantage makes no judgement on the quality of coach travel or those that prefer it. I take coach all the time on the NE corridor to D.C. or for day trips on the Pennsylvanian.

If you can get a good nights sleep in a chair on the LD trains then its an easy and economical way to go. The majority of people on the train do it this way.

Right. Calling them "little people" and "lower classes" is a term of endearment, I'm sure.

Why would you want to sit in coach with all the little people when you paid a premium for your own private sleeper that has a chair and couch/bed and you are in a first class setting where all the aristocrats are!!!!!!

Earlier this year we rode the NE regional coach to DC and returned "business class" We really didn't see that much of an advantage except that you don't find many of the lower classes there. You already have a good amount of room on any train. On an airlime flight they cram you in like an animal.

Not to sound like a snob but why would you want to be in coach when you have a nice first class room to sit in that's quiet (Ok relatively quiet) and a private toilet. Personally if I have the opportunity on LD trains I always make sure I have a room where I can work on my computer or listen to my iTunes.

Thats true. Why would anyone want to sit in coach with all the "little people" when you can have the privacy of sitting or even relaxing on a couch where the elite hang out When we buy and pay for private accomodations we use and enjoy them.

I'd no more take your advice on a LD trip in coach than I would take swimming advice from someone that grew up in a desert and has never seen water.

 

[George Harris]

I'd no more take your advice on a LD trip in coach than I would take swimming advice from someone that grew up in a desert and has never seen water.

I love it, I love it, I love it.

My favorite life experience of this sort of disconnect was a particular psychologist who wanted to tell us how to deal with marriage and child raising issues. He was divorced and childless. How about, do it and then talk about it. There is a lot about the subject that does not come out of a book.

 

[dan72]

A lot of it depends on the personality of your child. How is he with long car rides? I've found in my own personal experience that's a pretty good indication, but every child is different. My oldest son is currently 11, high functioning autistic, and deals with ADHD. His brother, who is 7 is a typical energetic child. Who is the easier traveler - my 11 year old! Like me, he loves staring out the window and watching the world go by. Our 7-year old gets bored with it quickly and he's the one we need to keep busy and make sure he's sleeping well and taking naps. Our trip from St. Paul to Flagstaff last year was a hybrid of coach and sleeper. While my oldest was ready to take the trip for several years, we waited for a couple extra so our youngest could handle it. Again, just personalities at play. I've never seen anyone attempt using a car seat in a coach seat. I've just watched them bring them on and stow them. Your child might like being able to better see out the window if you use one.

If your child likes to travel, that will be a big help for you. If you happen to deal with a meltdown, there are bathrooms in the lower level you can take him to if you do need a little privacy to get things calmed down.

And while I have no desire to get involved with the coach vs. sleeper bantering that this topic seems to have degraded into, one poster made a valid point to check your costs. If you plan on going to the dining car, or even the lounge car for every meal, it will add up very quickly - especially for 2 adults and one child. You MIGHT come out paying for a sleeper and getting the meals included. Then again if it a peak time, you might just be paying a lot of extra money you don't wish to spend. Either way, it might not hurt to research it.

Also, you MAY be able to upgrade during the trip if you change your mind. You can check with the conductor and if you have a willing one, you might be able to score a room at the lowest bucket. Again, just throwing that out there as something to keep in as an option. I personally have not attempted it, but I know others on this board have. In my travels, I have seen a lot of young ones sleeping overnight in coach with parents and overall, they seem to handle it pretty well. Of course, there are always exceptions.

If you decide to make the trip, have a great time and I'm sure your little boy will never forget it! Be sure to let us know how it went.

Dan