Traveling by train with children?
I really don’t want to (travelling on a train with children is a special kind of torture for both adults and children themselves), but sometimes it’s inevitable.

What to stock up on and how to avoid special problems?

Let's start by purchasing tickets.
1) When purchasing tickets, we try to find out how much a flight to the same region costs? It happens that a plane ticket (without the right of exchange or return - at a reduced rate or at a promotion) costs the same or even cheaper than a train ticket. If you can’t fly or there are no cheap plane tickets, then we buy train tickets.
2) If possible, try to travel in the company of people you know with children. That is, if it is not important to you when to go to the sea, and your friends are going on the 7th, go with them on the 7th, and not alone on the 5th. Children on the road will be captivated by playing with each other and this will remove most of the “I’m bored” problems.
3) If you are traveling in a compartment with your whole family - dad, mom and child, then it is better to buy another ticket with your grandmother’s passport (if the price is reasonable) and travel without neighbors. This will give you additional comfort. Grandma doesn't have to go...

What to take with you?
1) Everything that is necessary to ensure hygiene on the train: dry wipes, paper towels, wet towels, antibacterial wipes (or gel) - for cleaning the table and everything that children come into contact with most (handles, ladder, shelf hooks). You need to process it immediately as soon as you sit down. For the youngest (up to three years old), be sure to take a potty. Older children (from 2 to 5-6-7 years old) must be accompanied to the toilet.
2) Drinking water - several bottles. It will never be redundant. Do not take “juices” in packages and lemonades! They make you want to drink even more!
3) A book (1-2), toys (each child has his own small “set”), crayons or pencils and coloring books (according to age, of course), just notebooks or small albums, you can also have a “magic” screen - a toy, on which you can draw and immediately erase and draw again.
4) If the road is very long, then just in case you can download cartoons or films to your tablet. But this is if the children are already 4-5 years old or older. Kids can be distracted without this - just by walking along the corridor. But you must definitely follow the kids’ heels. Three-year-olds can easily walk along the corridor on their own. You just need to tell them that you don’t need to go into strangers’ compartments. Well, you definitely need to hold on to the walls in the corridor.

Food:
1) Fruits that do not spoil immediately (apples, oranges), but not those that will instantly leak and fall apart. Nobody will eat them.
2) Buckwheat (not instant, but regular) and a liter jar or a convenient thermos for second courses. Buckwheat is “cooked” by simply pouring boiling water over it and wrapping it up for a while.
3) Cereal crispbreads, sliced ​​bread, flatbreads.
4) Other food that is convenient for you and does not spoil. You can take dry food, or canned food.
5) Salt in a tiny jar with a convenient lid (usually for medicine or the like), several tea bags and lumps of sugar, a little instant coffee (if you use it at all) - also in a small jar. The conductor also has all this, but usually the tea and coffee is of dubious quality. So, take it with you, you won’t go wrong.
6) Disposable tableware, cutlery, drinking straws. Be sure to have one convenient folding knife. You can give each person a personal mug (tin or plastic). I always take another kitchen towel to cover the table with when everyone sits down to eat - this is a tablecloth. And when we’ve eaten, I clean up and draw and play without a “tablecloth.”

What to do if your child wants to sleep upstairs, but you are afraid?
Of course, there is no need to ban it. Sleeping upstairs is the fun part of the train. It is better to protect the child and allow it. The child must be tied to the shelf. Moreover, together with the mattress... Use long scarf or a sheet. Pass the fabric under the mattress and tie it to the metal “pieces” on the wall above the shelf.

By train - with a child

You can move around with small children different ways- by car, by plane, by train, by bus. But if you don’t drive a car, and planes don’t fly to your destination, then it’s better to choose a train over a bus. Especially if the trip is planned for more than 5-6 hours or you have to spend the night on the train. How to take into account all the nuances of such a trip, especially if you are traveling with a baby for the first time?

We take tickets

The ideal option is when a mother travels with her child plus an assistant (father, sister, aunt, grandmother) in a compartment, and the entire compartment is purchased so that there are no strangers. If the baby is very small, then you can take the SV, and the child can take a ticket without a seat. It all depends on how comfortable the mother and baby will feel on the same shelf.

remember, that Children under 5 years old can travel on trains for free if they do not occupy a separate seat. When purchasing a ticket with a seat, children under 10 years of age are entitled to a discount. The size of the discount depends on the category of accommodation on the train. However, if you are buying out all the compartments, but there are less than 4 of you, then you buy empty shelves at the adult, that is, standard, rate.

You should also know that an adult has the right to bring with him only one child under 5 years of age free of charge. If you have two kids, but you are traveling alone with them, then for one of them you will have to take a child ticket with a seat.

If there are more than two passengers, then the most comfortable accommodation in the carriage is a compartment. Firstly, less people claims to have a toilet compared to a reserved seat. Secondly, strangers do not bother you, and your baby’s crying does not bother them. This way, everyone travels in comfort and peace of mind.

Infants and preschool children, if they are traveling with a seat, should take only the lower shelves. If you are afraid for your fidgety little one, then place a large suitcase under the table next to his shelf to make a kind of side. If your luggage is small, tuck one end of the sheet under the child's mattress and the other under the mattress in the top bunk above him. This will help avoid falling while the train is moving.

Neighbors in the carriage

If you are traveling for a long time, and your baby can already walk, then you cannot avoid communicating with your neighbors in the compartment. If the train is heading towards the sea at summer time, then most likely you will not be alone in the carriage with your child. Keep an eye on your baby so that he does not enter someone else’s compartment without permission and without your accompaniment, so that no one treats him with various candies and sandwiches. Resign yourself to the fact that he will rush around the carriage, hang on the handrails and wipe all the walls and floor with himself - the baby is bored in a confined space. Under no circumstances leave him alone - the child should always be in your sight or hearing.

If you are traveling in a reserved seat carriage, then your vigilance should be significantly higher. Firstly, there are one and a half times more people traveling here; secondly, the territory is all open, and you are always in sight of everyone; and thirdly, due to large crowds of people and closed, unventilated spaces, there is a high probability of contracting a viral infection.

Be patient - if other children are traveling in the carriage, they will come to you too. You also risk listening to a thousand and one lectures on the topic of raising a child from those who consider themselves smarter. Don't be annoyed - smile and let it pass. You don’t have to communicate with them all your life, but it’s better to get to the place in a calm environment.

How to entertain

If the trip is long, then just running around the carriage and looking out the window will not be enough for the baby. He will demand other entertainment.

New books and toys go well on the road. Construction sets and mosaics are ideal, allowing you to keep your baby occupied in one place for a long time. For older children, you can take pencils, markers and coloring books, preferably new ones.

If you are bringing an iPad or laptop with you, download cartoons there - those that your child loves and something else new. They should not be overused; it is better to use them as a last resort. - Children, as a rule, really like to press buttons to make words.

Food

If your baby is breastfed, then there is no problem. With artificial, everything is also simple - there is always hot water in the carriage to dilute the mixture. Milk can be heated in a container with hot water. If the child already eats adult food, then you should pay more attention to the food.

Do not take perishable foods with you- cottage cheese, sausages, meat products. The only way to use it is to eat it when boarding the train. Do not take liquid products into soft packages - you accidentally pierce and flood the entire bag.

You can and should take hard vegetables and fruits (cucumbers, radishes, apples, bananas, oranges) with you. The most convenient type of tomato is cherry; they are usually sold immediately in plastic boxes. Take boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, you can fry chicken, but it must be fresh and not stored for longer than 12 hours. Bread and cheese will perfectly complement your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Children love to nibble on something between meals - take unsweetened crackers, crackers, crackers, nuts.

Take with you a sufficient supply of wet wipes and disposable diapers (or diapers) so that you do not have to be on duty at the toilet several times an hour. And the most important thing - Prepare in advance that you will have to entertain your child 24 hours a day, then you won’t be irritated that you can’t relax and just read a book.

Have a nice trip!

List of things to take with you on the train: food, clothing, hygiene products, entertainment, medicine. Additionally, what should your child take with him on the train?

If the train trip is going to be long - a day or more, the question naturally arises of what to take with you on the train: what hygiene products will be needed, what kind of food to choose for the trip, what to take for entertainment, and so on. And if a child is traveling with you, you need to think through his leisure time with special care, because not all passengers are pleased with the sonorous children’s voices echoing throughout the carriage. Having an impressive list, we have compiled a list of what to take with you on the train. We separately discuss what food to take on the train - including for the child.

Documents and money

We recommend putting documents, tickets, phone and money in a small handbag, which will always be with you, in order to avoid theft and loss. It’s better to take only as much cash as you need for food and travel (with a small reserve for unexpected expenses), store the rest on the card.

Technique

It is difficult to imagine a modern person without gadgets - everyone uses at least a mobile phone. Well, on the train you can use technology to pass the time perfectly.

List of what you can take with you on the train:

  • mobile phone - it is better not to completely waste the battery charge if you need to call or inform about your arrival upon arrival;
  • player - sometimes you really want to disconnect from the people around you: from noise, din, conversations, crying children, etc.;
  • laptop - for work, games or watching movies;
  • a tablet is an alternative to a bulky laptop;
  • reader for reading e-books - lightweight, long battery life;
  • camera.

Don't forget to bring all chargers!

Hygiene products

Hygiene products should be pre-packed in a small plastic bag or cosmetic bag.

List of what you need to take with you on the train:

  • toothbrush and toothpaste;
  • antibacterial wet wipes;
  • paper napkins;
  • toilet paper;
  • a piece of soap;
  • comb;
  • mirror;
  • deodorant;
  • for women - makeup remover, cotton pads and cotton swabs.

(Photo © vi4kin / flickr.com / License CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Clothes and shoes

Everything is simple here - have comfortable change of clothes that do not restrict movement, so that you can sleep comfortably in them. The choice of clothing depends on the time of year and the temperature in the carriage: it can be shorts, breeches, trousers or jeans, topped with a T-shirt, shirt, turtleneck or jacket. In the summer, dress lightly, as non-branded trains do not have air conditioning and are very stuffy, and in the cold season, wear warm clothes so as not to catch a cold - it can be very blowing from the windows. True, it can be hot on branded trains even in winter.

On the train, give preference to shoes that are easy to take off (slippers, flip-flops, sandals). Have a change of socks.

First aid kit

Wherever you go, a mini first aid kit should always be with you. You don’t know how your stomach will accept unfamiliar food and water and whether you will be allergic to new plants, so always have with you when traveling:

  • painkillers;
  • remedies for diarrhea and to improve digestion;
  • antipyretics;
  • medications that relieve cold symptoms;
  • antihistamines;
  • individual medications for chronic diseases.

Entertainment

What to take with you on the train is up to you. In addition to a tablet with movies and a player, we can recommend taking a notebook with pencils if you like to draw, and books if you like to read. Well, where would we be without traditional crossword puzzles (scanword puzzles, Japanese crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and so on)! You can take small chess, cards, board games.

(photo © Yuriy Kuzin / flickr.com)

What to take your child on the train

When going on a trip with a child, take more entertainment with you on the train - your favorite toys, an album with markers and pencils, coloring books, books with pictures or stickers, educational and logic games, puzzles - in general, something that will occupy him seriously and for a long time. If the child is small, then diapers, diapers and baby food, pacifier.

What food should my child take on the train? Take what he likes. Stock up on sweets - sweets, cookies, gingerbread, chocolate. In general, there shouldn’t be any problems with what to take your child on the train - take the same thing as you take for yourself.

What food should you take on the train?

The train and food are already inseparable things in our minds. As soon as the train starts moving, passengers begin rustling bags, and the smells of chicken, boiled eggs, Rollton and sausage spread throughout the carriage. Do you remember? Now let's figure out what food to take on the train if you don't plan to eat in the restaurant car, where lunch costs about 1,000 rubles.

When buying food for the train, you should first of all be guided by how long it can be stored without refrigeration. Then - how nutritious the food is and whether it will be tasty when cold.

List of what you can take on the train from food:

  • chicken;
  • boiled eggs;
  • baked potatoes in their jackets;
  • hard cheese (wrap in foil) or processed cheese;
  • sliced ​​bread;
  • fried or boiled meat;
  • raw smoked sausage;
  • fruits (apples, pears, bananas, oranges, tangerines, etc.);
  • vegetables (cucumbers, carrots);
  • sweets (cookies, gingerbreads, sweets, lollipops, crackers);
  • dried fruits and nuts;
  • instant cereals;
  • tea and coffee in bags;
  • sugar and salt;
  • bottled water and juice.

You can prepare sandwiches in advance at home. It is better not to take dairy products unless you eat and drink them immediately. Also, all products can be packed in a thermal bag - they can be stored in it for about 7 hours. As for all sorts of “doshirak” and “rollton”, don’t feed your stomach with chemicals - it’s better to order soup in the dining car.

Dishes

Take a set of disposable tableware on the train - plates, forks, spoons. A plastic mug will also come in handy - it happens that the guides do not have enough glasses (you can take them along with a teaspoon for free). Also don't forget about a folding knife.

If you are planning to travel by train to Crimea, then it will be useful for you to read.

(photo © vasilv_spb / flickr.com)

Introductory image source: © Roubicek / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

A child under five years of age travels on the train for free with an adult in the same seat. To do this, you just need to issue a child ticket at the station ticket office or go through electronic registration via the Internet. Of course, if you want to travel in comfort and want your child to have a separate seat, you can buy a ticket, even if the child is not yet five years old.

But after five years, a child’s ticket is already required. It’s difficult to say how much a child’s train ticket costs in your particular case. The price depends on several factors, for example, the type of carriage (reserved seat, compartment, SV) and the category of the train (branded or not). In general, the cost of a child ticket is 35-50% of the cost of an adult.

If the child is already 10 years old, he needs to buy a train ticket at full price. Like this…

And one more thing... when boarding a train, a child, like an adult, must present a document confirming his identity, that is, a birth certificate.

How to travel with a child on the train? Should you choose a reserved seat or a coupe? I won’t give a definite answer: there are pros and cons everywhere. Much depends on the child, on the mother’s mood, on how long you have to travel and whether you are traveling alone or with someone.

It’s psychologically calmer in a compartment, at least for me personally. Especially if you are traveling for the first time, if the child is very small and if the entire compartment is for you. And this often happens. You don’t stress if the baby cries at night or is capricious during the day, you don’t catch sidelong glances, and you won’t stress yourself out before the trip.

But the reserved seat is more fun, and the child has more impressions, especially if he is 2-3 years old. I remember that Tanya at that age loved to walk around the carriage and get to know everyone. And when she returned to me, she most often already had candy in one hand, and a cookie or an apple in the other. So it’s up to you to choose a compartment or reserved seat with your child!

I’ll tell you about my experience and a little about what I found on the Internet. At first, when my daughters were little, nutritional issues didn’t worry me at all, because they always had warm mother’s milk. We started traveling like this when we were 4 months old, and Lenchik had the most useful table. We traveled with Tanya in this way even for a year, and GV was enough for her. For variety and even for fun, they took a little dry, not too sweet cookie, an apple or some other fruit.

Then, when the girls grew up, they ate the same thing as us on the road: nothing terrible happened for half a day. Thinking about what to feed the child on the train, we took with us bread, cheese, sausages, eggs, fruits and vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, bananas), dried goods and cookies. Sometimes I added baby curds to this, which we ate as soon as we got on the train, some baby juice and plain water. I often dilute the juice on the train with bottled water: many pediatricians say that even children’s juice is too concentrated for children, but on the train it lasts longer.

We have a different story with water: my eldest daughter drinks it very well, so sometimes it happened that my supplies were not enough. Then I used the same boiling water that is always available on the train, but I poured it into mugs in advance so that it had time to cool. On various Internet portals where mothers discuss the topic “how to travel with a child on a train,” I came across the opinion that the water on trains is very, very bad and the child will definitely have diarrhea and vomiting. Nothing like this happened to us, but if you are not sure, take more regular bottled water or prepare the water you always drink at home.

I’ll share a little more of what I found interesting on the Internet: maybe it will come in handy someday. For kids who eat formula, cereals and purees, meals on the train are also easy to organize. Boiling water is at hand, and you can brew anything with it. And it’s easy to warm up jars of puree by placing them in hot water. You can also scald the bottle for disinfection.

For older people, the table on the train can be more varied: a lot depends on your views and principles. Answering the question: “what to feed a child on a train,” some mothers on forums write that, in principle, they feed their children only in the dining car. And everything always goes off with a bang! Others, on the contrary, argue that everything is not fresh there, and it is easy to catch some kind of food infection or simply get poisoned. This, of course, is a matter of your responsibility, but personally, I feel safer preparing something at home than relying on the dining car. I would also not buy the various pies and chicken that are sold on the platform during stops. Again due to the issue of safety of these products.

What should you stock up on at home? Moms on the forums recommend boiled chicken wrapped in foil, boiled potatoes in their skins, baby milk with some cereal (such UHT milk does not turn sour even in a couple of days), chicken soup or buckwheat porridge (they will not have time to spoil in 8-10 hours) )… Someone, discussing how to travel with a child on a train and what to feed him, recommends a cooler bag. Maybe this is an option for you too.

I also liked the way of brewing buckwheat porridge in a thermos with regular boiling water. If you are lazy about taking a thermos, you can “make” one on the train from blankets (fortunately, there are often more of them than needed). Pour boiling water over the buckwheat in the evening, wrap it well and let it sit until the morning - then it will cook without “cooking”. I tried this method myself at home and it turned out quite edible.

And, of course, focus on the child. Some children may become so carried away on the train by the process itself, new sounds and impressions, that they will not have time to eat. And some, on the contrary, will perceive food as entertainment and can very quickly erode all your reserves. Think about this too.

The children are sleeping on the train. I have been convinced of this more than once. The movement of the train can cause motion sickness. But strong impressions of a new place can be so exciting that it is difficult for them to relax and rest.

I remember that Tanya, when she was one and a half to two years old, during train trips, loved to walk around the carriage: to the conductor, and then to the toilet at the other end. Such walks could continue until 12 and even until one in the morning. “How do children sleep on the train with other parents? Do they fall asleep at nine in the evening? - I thought at that time... But I didn’t feel any guilt, realizing that all children are different, and each child has their own perception of the world and their own ways of understanding it - maybe even so strange, unusual for us adults. It’s good that my daughter soon “outgrew” this habit, and I felt better at night. But Lena didn’t think of such walks, and we drove calmly.

In 6 years I only had one severe sleepless night. It was winter, and the conductor made the car so hot that it became incredibly stuffy. My daughter could not sleep in such heat: she was capricious, cried, rubbed her eyes - but did not sleep. All night my husband and I (fortunately, I wasn’t traveling alone that time) rocked her in our arms. In the morning, wrapped in a blanket, they rocked us to sleep in the vestibule. But my daughter fell asleep around seven o’clock, literally half an hour before leaving. I remember that after that night I was terribly afraid every time before a trip: “How to travel with a child on the train? Suddenly it will be stuffy in the carriage again...” But time passed, and, thank God, there were no repetitions.

And one more point on the topic “how do children sleep on the train”: to prevent my daughter from falling off the shelf at night when she sleeps alone, I use a very simple, but effective way– there have never been any mistakes, although Tanya loves to toss and turn and throws her arms in all directions. I take a blanket, of which there is always plenty in the carriage, roll it up and put it under the mattress on the edge to make a trench, as in the photo. Try it too: it’s better than watching your child all night, sitting on the edge of the bed.

On the train with a child: toilet and hygiene issues

First of all, two points are “interesting” here: how to go to the toilet on the train for a child and how to leave for a minute if you are traveling together.

Toilet issues with a child can be resolved in several ways, it all depends on the age...

  • 1. Diaper if the child is small. Take only powder and diaper rash cream. And for some, it may be more comfortable to have absorbent diapers to lay out the baby “for airing.” For example, we went this way in the summer, when Lena was 3 months old.
  • 2. On a train with a child, you can “organize” the toilet yourself using a potty, if the child is “friends” with it. I placed the pot directly on the shelf, because sometimes there is quite a bit of drag on the floor, especially in winter. And if you're worried about someone looking at it, hang a sheet over the shelf.
  • 3. Take the child to the toilet in the carriage. Much, of course, depends on what train you are traveling on - some are sometimes scary to drive. But in an ordinary toilet there is an ordinary toilet on which a child can be placed with his feet. But I also had to hold my 6-year-old daughter over the dry closet, because I wouldn’t risk putting her on the seat, even with a hygienic pad, in such places. The main thing is to explain to your child not to touch anything with his hands or take mittens/gloves for such cases.

How to go to the toilet yourself if you are traveling alone with a child? There are also several options.

    • 1. If the child is large enough and/or calmly left alone with unfamiliar people, then everything is simple and no questions arise.
    • 2. If the child is not left alone:

– take it with you (if the baby can stand on his own),
– you can go to the toilet when he is sleeping, and someone (for example, a conductor) can look after him,
– you limit yourself in liquid when traveling on a train with a child. In such cases, you may simply not need a toilet (it is clear that this option is not for long trips). Personally, I have had this experience – more than once.

Remember that there is a toilet at the station in the city of departure and in the city of destination - those accompanying you or meeting you will help you here. Of course, this is not the most pleasant option, but, you see, it may not work with fellow travelers (and no one is obligated to keep an eye on your child).

Of course, you should always expect the best, because your condition is passed on to your child, but knowing about emergency exits is also useful.

The girls and I always solve the issue of hand cleanliness on the train with the help of antibacterial wipes and hand disinfection liquid.

How to transport a baby stroller on a train

You can travel on the train with a stroller. Even with a very big one, like a transformer. We checked twice. But... in one case providence helped us, and in the second it did the same, plus Dima had to “play with the constructor” for a little less than an hour.

The fact is that we naively believed that the stroller could be safely left in the vestibule - that’s all. But this is not so: the vestibules should not be blocked while the train is moving, this is a fire safety measure. That's what the conductor told us. But that time, for some unknown reason, she allowed me to break the rule, warning, however, that if the train manager came, the stroller would still have to be removed. We were lucky: during the trip no authorities came into the carriage, and we unloaded in another city with our “limousine”, thinking about how to transport the baby stroller on the train when we returned home.

We rode back in the compartment, and the conductor “gotcha” was more correct. Dima had to unscrew the wheels from the stroller and press it down from all sides where it was pressed down. In the end, we still got a decent structure that creakedly fit into the aisle of the carriage and barely crawled into our compartment. Thanks to the Universe for the fact that the top two shelves were free (that’s where we placed our dump truck) - otherwise there would simply be nowhere to put the stroller. Therefore, we no longer tempt fate...

However, if you have an umbrella stroller or any other small sitting stroller that can be folded in a couple of minutes, there should be no difficulties.

P.S. We didn’t pay extra for the stroller and didn’t buy a baggage ticket.

Buying tickets

A child under 5 years old accompanied by an adult can travel for free. True, in this case he is not provided with a separate shelf.

Car type and seats

Buy tickets in advance. This way, you will have the opportunity to choose the type of carriage and the most comfortable seats for your trip without haste. Of course, it is preferable to travel in a compartment with a small child - a calm and quiet environment will allow the baby to feel at home. However, reserved seating also has its undeniable advantages. For example, tickets for this type of carriage will cost you much less. In addition, many children love open spaces where they can watch people, communicate with other guests, and make new acquaintances.

It is better to choose places not on the side, on the lower shelves.

Documentation

To travel with a child (under 14 years of age) within the territory of the Russian Federation, you will need the following documents:

    Russian Federation passports for parents.

    Insert confirming citizenship.

Additional documents:

    Railway tickets.

To travel abroad with a child (under 14 years of age) to the Russian Federation, you will need the following documents:

    International passport for a child. Required if both parents have biometric passports.

    Foreign passports for parents.

    Visa for child and parents. On demand.

    Original birth certificate for the child.

Additional documents:

    Power of attorney or permission to travel outside the Russian Federation. This is necessary if one of the child’s parents has filed a statement of disagreement with the child’s departure from Russia to the border authorities.

    Certificate of change of last name/first name/patronymic or birth certificate. If the child and the accompanying parent have different surnames, then one of the above documents will be required to confirm the relationship.

    Documents confirming guardianship of the child. The certificate is issued by the guardianship and trusteeship authorities. You can also present a court decision to confirm guardianship.

    Health insurance policy.