Taking Amtrak

I have only taken Amtrak once and in business class. There was a small cargo space in the corner of the car (no overhead). If I recall there were several folks with dvd players - they did use headphones though.

I ditto what Sarah K. said. The train is much easier on children as they can get up and walk around and love to sit and look out the window. My son was only 6 months but I was able to put his carrier right in front of me and walk up and down the aisles when he got cranky. Definately bring your own snacks as the food on the train isn't that good and it is expensive! I'm sure we will do it again.

There is a place for luggage in every car that is accessable. This is likely where you'll put the car seat which I doubt you will need or use. I've traveled via train w/ a little one. Our trip was Chicago to Michigan so not in an overnight car or anything so I don't know about that if you're going far away but regardless I would imagine there will be a spot for the car seat near where you sit with your luggage.

I'm not sure about overhead, but there are definitely large luggage racks in each cabin. I've lugged big suitcases onto the Amtrak trains before. You could probably put the car seat there with the rest of your luggage.

Wrt to the DVD player, it will probably be fine if you have earphones. Playing it out loud could be disturbing for other passengers.

Have a fun trip!

I've taken it w/my son who is 2 from the Twin Cities. You can check the carseat no problem.... or they have a bin for strollers or extra luggage right inside the door of most cars. I had no issue bringing my computer which I used on observation deck. He spent most of his time in the observation deck. as people were still sleeping in the cars when we boarded. Hope that helps!

Yes, I have been traveling with my grandkids since they were 1, and yes there is space for the carseat. My grandkids travels with their DVD players all the time, to keep them busy until we get to our destination. There are seats all the way toward the back (or front) of the car that has plenty of floor space for oversized luggage, bikes, or large items such as carseats, and it's near the washrooms. I hope this was helpful. Happy traveling!

I just took the Amtrak this past weekend from Chicago to Detroit with my 2 year old, about 5 1/2 hours. Definitely a lot less stressful than an airplane ride! There was plenty of overhead space to put smaller bags and then a compartment at the front of each car for bigger luggage. There are no seatbelts on the trains so you probably wouldn't use the carseat there anyway.

There were some other families in the train that were using their DVD players with the volume up, but not too loud. I'd bring headphones with a splitter just in case though. Every row of seats had two outlets by the window.

You can bring snacks on the train, so we packed a portable cooler (soft shell). Hope you guys have fun!

I took an amtrak trip for the first time last year. I was alone with my 3 kids (7,5,2) so it was a little stressful, but overall enjoyable. When we boarded there was a "luggage room" just inside the doors, that is where I put my suitcase and car seat. We sat upstairs and the kids seemed to enjoy watching the towns/scenery go by, they played a few games with each other, and we of course had some snacks, but thankfully mine was only a 4 hour trip. I don't think there would be any problem with a dvd player. There was so much more space to move around and explore compared to an airplane, which made it easier for everyone. We visited the snack car and the viewer car which had huge windows all over for some really nice views and sunshine. I believe there is some overhead space but I didn't use it. There was plenty of leg room so my diaper/treat bag sat on the floor next to me. I would definitely take the train again. Hope you enjoy your trip.

My daughter loves taking Amtrak. We are currently planning a trip to see her grandparents. We took her to her grandparents when she was about 2. The trains we take run in the evening, so we get a family car with beds and she loves sleeping on the train. When she was a baby we sat in regular seats and she slept in her infant seat. There is plenty of space for his carseat, but probably not overhead. There are areas as you get on the train for big items and you will probably have to leave your carseat there. We bought a bag for our carseat at Target that we use on the train and on airplanes.

Some seats on Amtrak trains have power outlets. Depending on how full your train is you will get to choose your seat, so try to pick one with an outlet for your DVD player. Is your son okay with wearing headphones?

My daughter loves to sit in the train car that is next to the food car where there are more comfortable seats and lots of windows to look out when there is daylight and I usually bring cards and paper and crayons for her to play with. We also take DVDs but I usually try to hold out as long as possible before popping one in. I have a really old set of headphones that have the padded pieces that go over the ears rather than earbuds and she does okay with those.

Make sure and pack your own food. There aren't a lot of choices in the food car and what they have doesn't seem the healthiest to me and is pretty pricey. Plus, there was a huge downtown fire one time while we were on the train and the fire crews had their hoses stretched across the train tracks, so our 4 hour train ride turned into a 13 hour train ride. The food car ran out of most everything and I was lucky that I had packed a lot of food and water bottles. I am not sure which way you are headed, we head east on the trains. We always get delayed at about South Bend and the train seems to barely move the rest of the way to Chicago. By then my daughter is sick of sitting. I have been very fortunate that the people in our car don't seem to be bothered by my daughter walking (or running) up and down the aisles over and over again. They have always been very pleasant.

Have fun!

D.