Brigala
CPST Instructor
Most people don't travel by train much these days, and I find myself explaining how you bring your car seat on a train a lot. It's really quite simple, but it can seem kind of intimidating --especially if you're used to the relative complexity of taking a car seat on a plane.
Well, I happen to be sitting on a train right now with a sleeping toddler on my lap and no entertainment but the CSO iPhone app, so here goes!
On a train, every child is a lap child, so there are no other options. Rest assured that train accidents are rarely dangerous to train passengers; usually it's the car or the deer or the pedestrian who loses the fight with a train. Derailments are incredibly uncommon, so even though there are no seat belts on a train (and hence no way to install a child restraint) you and your child are much safer than you would be in a car.
Just like on a plane, it's probably a bad idea to check your car seat with your luggage. I suspect there's less to go wrong (typically train luggage gets handled less) but it's still best to carry your car seat with you when you board.
Amtrak does not do gate-checking like on a plane. You will stow your own car seat. This isn't as hard as it sounds. In fact, at the station I boarded at today, there is not even any baggage service at all. All luggage is self-stow. Carry on limitations are not anywhere near as strict as on a plane.
Here's how we did it. We loaded the car seat (a coccoro today, but any car seat will do), on wheels (a stroller frame, but a stroller or luggage cart will work also). We then loaded our bags on/around the car seat and stroller. DH carried the baby, but if I'd been by myself I would have simply worn her in a carrier.
We walked up to the platform and the conductor helped lift the stroller (bags, car seat, and all) onto the train. He lifted the front end and I lifted the handle. Simple! DH proceeded to our seats with the baby and I unloaded the stuff in the baggage area at the front of the train car we were assigned to.
This happens to be on a small commuter train. If you are on a Superliner, the process is the same but the self-serve luggage area is on the lower level by the entrance near the "accessible" seating area. So you don't need to schlup your car seat and stroller up the stairs. In both cases, you have access to your luggage at any time, and you can check on your stuff as often as you want.
I chose to fill up the compartment with the car seat as much as I could to discourage other passengers from adding their things on top of my car seat. That's my husband's bag in the car seat and our stroller folded up next to it. My duffle bag is the bright pink and blue one on the next shelf up. We took the briefcase and diaper bag to our seat to stow in the overhead compartment.
You may have to move luggage from other passengers in order to make room for your car seat it is ok to move things around this is where your hours playing Tetris in your youth might come in handy. On longer trains, I suggest checking on your car seat after every major (large station) stop or maybe even going down during major stops to make sure passengers can load and unload their stuff without messing with your seat too much. This is more important if the train is full and the self-stow baggage areas are pretty full.
As you approach your final destination, give yourself a few minutes to reassemble your wheels/car-seat/luggage setup so you are ready to deboard the train when it stops. If you're traveling by yourself, wearing the baby in a back carrier will probably be your best bet unless the child is old enough to stand next to you and not run off.
I will post the pics in the next post.
Well, I happen to be sitting on a train right now with a sleeping toddler on my lap and no entertainment but the CSO iPhone app, so here goes!
On a train, every child is a lap child, so there are no other options. Rest assured that train accidents are rarely dangerous to train passengers; usually it's the car or the deer or the pedestrian who loses the fight with a train. Derailments are incredibly uncommon, so even though there are no seat belts on a train (and hence no way to install a child restraint) you and your child are much safer than you would be in a car.
Just like on a plane, it's probably a bad idea to check your car seat with your luggage. I suspect there's less to go wrong (typically train luggage gets handled less) but it's still best to carry your car seat with you when you board.
Amtrak does not do gate-checking like on a plane. You will stow your own car seat. This isn't as hard as it sounds. In fact, at the station I boarded at today, there is not even any baggage service at all. All luggage is self-stow. Carry on limitations are not anywhere near as strict as on a plane.
Here's how we did it. We loaded the car seat (a coccoro today, but any car seat will do), on wheels (a stroller frame, but a stroller or luggage cart will work also). We then loaded our bags on/around the car seat and stroller. DH carried the baby, but if I'd been by myself I would have simply worn her in a carrier.
We walked up to the platform and the conductor helped lift the stroller (bags, car seat, and all) onto the train. He lifted the front end and I lifted the handle. Simple! DH proceeded to our seats with the baby and I unloaded the stuff in the baggage area at the front of the train car we were assigned to.
This happens to be on a small commuter train. If you are on a Superliner, the process is the same but the self-serve luggage area is on the lower level by the entrance near the "accessible" seating area. So you don't need to schlup your car seat and stroller up the stairs. In both cases, you have access to your luggage at any time, and you can check on your stuff as often as you want.
I chose to fill up the compartment with the car seat as much as I could to discourage other passengers from adding their things on top of my car seat. That's my husband's bag in the car seat and our stroller folded up next to it. My duffle bag is the bright pink and blue one on the next shelf up. We took the briefcase and diaper bag to our seat to stow in the overhead compartment.
You may have to move luggage from other passengers in order to make room for your car seat it is ok to move things around this is where your hours playing Tetris in your youth might come in handy. On longer trains, I suggest checking on your car seat after every major (large station) stop or maybe even going down during major stops to make sure passengers can load and unload their stuff without messing with your seat too much. This is more important if the train is full and the self-stow baggage areas are pretty full.
As you approach your final destination, give yourself a few minutes to reassemble your wheels/car-seat/luggage setup so you are ready to deboard the train when it stops. If you're traveling by yourself, wearing the baby in a back carrier will probably be your best bet unless the child is old enough to stand next to you and not run off.
I will post the pics in the next post.