Things to keep my son occupied on the train?

When ever I travel with kids, I bring a goody bag no matter how long the trip is. It keeps the kids occupied and keeps them from getting into trouble and helps keep me sane.

Make a bag appropriate for the age of the child and one bag per child , that way they can have ownership and be responsible for it(also it avoids them fighting for things). It can be a back pack or a tote just as long its light enough for them to carry it around.

I also change the items every so often to keep them interested.

I usually carry

a stuff animal(big enough to fit in the bag)

coloring books and a doodle pad.

crayons, color pencils, & pencils.

small toys like cars for boys or polly pocket for girls.

a cd player/dvd player

couple of books

portable video games if you have any or portable board games.

cross word puzzles

card games like go fish.

a camera so they can take pictures on a long trip.

light blanket & small pillow

Snacks

Wipes

Cool, you've got an upgrade to a family bedroom!! My 3 1/2 year old and I got to sit up with the rest of the trainload!!! We took his fave books, cars (you can get little tiny car tracks), and the makings for snacks (it kills about an hour to an hour and a half if you let a 3 year old make their own sandwiches or put toppings on saladas)

Books on tape (or I guess cd now) are fantastic. they can listen to the story quietly and read through the books with the characters and music in their headphones. You'll love them for the break they'll provide for you!

I used the time to teach my son to write his name, and to play naughts and crosses. We also played heaps of thumb wars! You can get kid's card decks that are perfect for snap, and if you have some floor space, then there's a card game "memory" that is a terrific challenge.

It won't hurt to pack his favorite cds to listen to, and I have to admit, I'm deadly envious that you have access to a portable dvd player (watch that the batteries don't run out!!)

The best thing we had though, was simply looking out the window. We'd have a scavenger list of things to spot, and had to help each other to spot them. Half the fun was coming up with outlandish things to spot (even funnier when you find them!!)

been there done that but 5 hrs instead of 16 and my daughter was 2 ( i plan on doing it again in a couple months and she will be 3.5 then)

you can take him on the observation deck (my daughter loved it there especially at sunrise)

there's always food and snacks as long as the dining cart and snack bar are open but keep something you know he likes handy (just dont let him know you have it unless the snack bar and dining cart are closed)

definatly portable DVD player

remember your son can run around free with the family room thing and in the observation deck

bring pillow and blanket of his and whatever toys he sleeps with

if he likes trains then get him a new toy train when you start your journey and tell him if he's good he'll get another toy when you arrive (do the same on the trip home)

definatly books and crayons

I would go with the DVD player for sure. Take some of his fave toys and get a small bag of new toys that you only give him when he is bored with his and needs something new to play with. Play I Spy, or a counting/finding game while looking out the window and a few New color books. Good Luck!

yeaaaaaah a DVD player is probably the best thing to keep his attention on something hummm I don't know.. you could bring along some toys or plushies he likes to play with ....... well 16 hours is pretty long indeed..

but yeah I can't really think of anything better than a dvd player :O

get some books that you can read to him...get a etch-a-sketch for him to draw and make pictures. get some plastic letters and play the abc's with him..... get a candyland board game, some construction paper so he can make pictures[ completed art work could be kept in a folder] flash cards of abc's and letters, animals and objects............a throw away camera so he can takes some interesting pictures..........go fish card game...........a cd player with earphones and some kid music..... [some of the above items, coloring books, etc can be found at your local dollar store] look at what they have and you might find some good ideas] i would also make a small box or plastic shoe box with snacks that he likes... juices, water bottles, sugarless gum and candies, boxed or canned foods, like applesauce, fruit, pasta, crackers, chips or fruit rolls... i know that one can eat on the train for regular meals[ expensive for snacks and goodies. ] i would also have on hand ginger ale and other things in case he gets carsick on the train....have a fun and safe trip..........

Look out the window and let him count how many passing objects are red,blue,etc..in colour.

Discuss interesting passing objects.

A portable gameset or puzzles you can both pore over.

Wishing you all the best!

video games, cards, board games.