Newborn on a Train

Having a baby is a big change. It’s a new form of spontaneity by throwing out the random outings with friends and sudden invitations to coffee, and instead adopting “possible” plans while being open to constantly canceling or being late from a poopy diaper. It’s realizing one’s obsessive compulsive tendencies for cleanliness are impossible to maintain. It’s running errands and realizing you remembered the baby bag, but you forgot your wallet. And though this is only a few minor examples of the changes one will face, wait till you try to travel.

When we first had our son, we thought it is going to be impossible to take road trips. He was not amused with his car seat, and even quick trips to the grocery store would turn heads to my car like a child was being tortured within its thin aluminum walls. We have the sweetest baby in most circumstances, but throw in a car seat and he turns into a gremlin who was fed too little after midnight. In many ways we are blessed that he is quite easy in comparison to most. However, that car seat was his nemesis from day one. It turned my dream for family road trips into a possible nightmare scenario. Our family living spread out across the west coast, road trips were supposed to be a somewhat regular thing, but I’m too young to die and too sensitive to deal with the tears of the innocent. My parents having used car rides as a soothing technique for me as a baby, I thought for sure my son would be in the same boat. But alas, he is not.

So here we are with a 6 month old, and we wanted to make a nice trip down to California from Oregon to visit his grandparents. The dilemma, how do we get there without dealing with a screaming baby the entire way? We didn’t want to fly with COVID being rampant and the idea of taking a newborn onto a flight is not always the most pleasant for everyone else on board. Then the idea of taking the train came to me. Why not? We can get up and move around if need be, and the baby won’t be forced into a car seat for the ride. We won’t have to stop so I can feed him every couples hours, and we can just sit back and relax all the way there. We also looked at getting a sleeper car, also known as a roomette, so that we could isolate from the other passengers. It was cheaper than a flight, but only a little more than it would have been to drive. The sleeper cars also come with a complimentary meal and drink, even multiple meals depending on how long you stay. The idea seemed worth a shot, and also kind of fun.

Now came the next step, packing for the three of us. My fiance and I have always been pretty against checking bags when flying, but this is a train. Less chance for our bags to go amiss, and a much quicker baggage claim since it doesn’t have to travel far. However, having an infant does require a lot more baggage, and we are allowed three bags each before we would have to pay for any additional. Between packing your own clothing and toiletries, to packing his, my usual one bag turned into three, plus a stroller, and my fiance still had his two bags since he had to bring his work laptop with him. Depending on the circumstances, you may also have to consider a car seat. Fortunately for us, my parents-in-law were able to find a used car seat and a bassinet for out stay. This kept us within the minimum of bags allowed for the two of us (because the baby doesn’t count since he is a free passenger) before we would have had to pay for additional baggage. We were even able to carry on a lunch box filled with snacks for the ride.

Once on the train, we found ourselves in our little sleeper room. And by little, I mean little. There was exactly enough room for the two of us to sit with the baby on my lap and a lap top between us on the fold down table. The floor space was able to house the diaper bag, but this did make for a bit of maneuvering whenever one of us wanted to step out to use the restroom. We had to keep the bag of snack on the steps that help you get to the upper bunk when it gets pulled down to sleep. When it does get pulled down, I ended up keeping the food bag on the foot of the bed so there wasn’t any obstacles for the upper bunk person if they needed to get down at any point. Fortunately, the bed was more than long enough that this didn’t really bother me. Keep in mind that I am only five foot six inches. The bed itself is less wide than a twin, but was super comfortable for what it is. I was able to sleep quite well with the baby tucked in by my side.

I know that discussing the room being such a small space may make it sound less desirable. But when comparing it to coach seating or sitting in a car for over 8 hours, it is actually still quite nice. There are also other more spacious rooms available, but the price jumps quite steeply. The other nice perk is that you aren’t confined to your room, though we did choose to spend most of our time there.

There is also a dining car where you can enjoy your complimentary meal if you don’t want to have it brought to your room, and there is an observation car that is spacious and full of windows. The rooms also provide you with the option to use the trains showers (the bigger rooms can come with their own), and there is also some bigger dressing rooms and a women’s lounge for doing makeup or any kind of primping.

After our week stay visiting family, our trip back was a bit different. The cost of the sleeper car was quite a bit more expensive for the trip back, so we opted to instead bid on some seats in business class. We originally had seats in coach, which would have been doable, though more uncomfortable. The seats in coach are okay for a single person, but not great when hoisting around a 20 pound 6 month old. Since the seats don’t recline much, I would have had to sleep with him strapped to my body and it would have more than likely been quite a restless night. Fortunately for us, we won our bid and were moved up to business class for an additional sixty bucks.

The seats were much more spacious and recline quite far with a leg and foot extension rest. We also got lucky that the business class section was quite empty, so the attendant for the business car that assigns the seats was gracious enough to give us an entire section of 4 seats. This allowed myself and the baby to actually lay down in two seats, while Patrick was able to utilize the other two. By extending out the leg rest, it was perfectly wide enough for the baby and I to lay side by side. The only discomfort was that I had to sleep with my legs bent all night, which made for some sore knees the next morning. This was still preferable to the alternative.

Business class also has the option to dine in the dining car. The train has limited space, so the amount of meals brought on to the train is limited to the sleeper cars and the business class. This does not mean that there is no food for any coach riders. There is still a nice snack car that has plenty of options from chips and muffins, to microwavable tamales and sandwiches. They also sell drinks from soda pops and juice, to beer, wine, and spirits.

Overall, I think that taking a train is a great way to travel more comfortably with a baby. Now, that being said, the plane ride for us would have only been a couple of hours, and the train took 12 hours. But the idea of taking a baby onto a plane without knowing how he would handle the pressure change had a barrage of scenarios running through my head of angry passengers and my child screaming to no end. I also thought it would be a fun experience to take the train. I did have this idea that my son would be more interested, but he is not yet at the age where he even really noticed it yet. Maybe when he is a bit older, though by then we may just fly. We are also lucky that our son is generally very easy. Taking a train may not be as successful if your baby has colic or is very fussy. At least, it may not be as pleasant for the other passengers. So, in that instance you have the dilemma of two hours on a plane with a screaming baby, or 12 hours on a train…

Now that we are home, I reflect on the trip and I can truly say that I found it quite enjoyable. I would do it again just for the experience. In fact, I have already spent quite some time researching how extensive traveling by train can be through the states, and I can see why people choose to travel this way. The scenery, the comfort, and even the people you meet on the train can be an amazing experience. If you haven’t taken the train before, maybe give it a try. Even if only for a few hours on a scenic route, or the next time you need to travel a couple towns over (if you have a means to getting around once there of course.) Happy travels!