Wednesday 1 June 2016

Entertaining little ones on the Eurostar

As you may know we recently went to Disneyland Paris and travelled there on the Eurostar. We live in Wales so we had a 2.5 hour car journey to London and then about a 2.5 hour train journey to Disney. Luckily we have travelled via the Eurostar before when Eva was 2 so we knew what to expect. However, this time we were travelling with a 3 year old and a 5 month old. We knew we would have to be prepared and organised with how to entertain both of them on the train journey in order to keep them occupied and all the other passengers happy. 


As a family we love to travel and I always think that the same rules apply for entertaining little one's whether it be by car, plane, boat or train. All are fairly confined spaces for such adventurous beings. Forward planning is always key and I do love the element of surprise. By that I mean buying them things and hiding them away. Don't let them see what you've got until you are on your journey. I also strongly believe that less is more. You don't want to be carrying loads of extra things, you just need enough stuff that will stimulate their minds for the journey. 

On the Eurostar you get a tray table that drops down from the seat infront of you and there is space overhead to store 'hand luggage' type bags.

Here's what we decided to take for entertainment for the girls.

Eva - 

1) Colouring books and crayons
Colouring is such an easy activity which can take up quite a bit of time. Colouring books are normally lightweight which is great. We were sent some lovely Disney themed ones from Poundstretcher. We were also sent some fab Disney themed crayons and pens. These went down a treat with Eva. She is very into anything Disney princess themed so these were right up her street. Normally Disney products are expensive but if you go to Poundstretcher they have a great range of products that are very cheap.

2) iPad
I know seeing a young child with an iPad is quite controversial for some people but I think it's a lifesaver at times. We loaded ours up with lots of her favourite films and tv programmes along with various educational games. She also has her own speakers which have a safety level on them. Seeing as we were off to Disney everything that was on there was Disney themed, which she loved.

3) Small Toys
Eva loves anything Disney related so we popped into the Disney Store to pick up some small hand held toys. One's that don't take up too much room. She is very into imaginative play at the moment so we thought little figures were ideal. We bought her a Lion Guard figurine set and a new Lightening McQueen car.
4) Sticker Books
Sticker books seem to provide lots of entertainment for Eva. She spends ages using them and it was a great way to pass the time. Again we were sent some lovely Disney themed ones from Poundstretcher. She really enjoyed the Disney princess 1000 stickers book which is available for £1.99.




5) Puzzle Books
Eva loves to read books. We decided to take a puzzle book that we knew would keep her busy. She was sent a great one from Parragon which was 'Disney Junior I Can See'. Its got lots of different puzzles which involve finding her favourite Disney Junior characters. This kept her occupied for ages. Even though she has used this book many times since we went away she still absolutely loves to complete the puzzles. It's one of her favourite books. 

Ophelia - 

1) LapBaby
We were lucky enough to be sent this amazing product which arrived the day we were leaving. The LapBaby is a belt which allows you to strap your baby to you so that you are left hands free. This was so useful to use on the train. Ophelia was able to sit on our laps without restricting us to having to hold her. There will be a full review of this coming on my blog very soon as it's now a product that we are using every day. 

2) Teether
As you probably know Ophelia is teething and has cut 4 teeth. We thought a teether toy was a good thing to take to entertain her for the journey as it acts as a healer and a toy. We took the Comotomo one which we have reviewed here, Review.




3) Toy 
We only took one toy for Ophelia but it was one that had multiple functions. It was a Lamaze toy which we love in this house. We've used them with Eva and now with Ophelia. They are fantastic toys for little one's. We took one of the buggy toys so it was also able to attach to the buggy or a chair which enabled us to use it all the time.


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25 comments

  1. I'll be taking note of this for when we go on holiday! Never been in Eurostar before! x

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  2. I'd love to travel on Eurostar. These are some great tips for keeping your little ones entertained. Ipads and tablets are amazing! I always use to carry a notebook and pen with me when my son was small so he could draw or we could play games like noughts and crosses

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  3. Great tips I'd love to travel on eurostar. These tips will come in handy for me when we go away later this year for on our plane ride.

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  4. Wonderful tips, thanks for sharing! Sticker books, walks up and down the train and crayons were our saviours when we went on the Eurostar to Disneyland! We hit horrendous delays and we were stranded in France for hours so the journey took a million times longer.... it was quite the experience haha! x

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  5. Fantastic tips here lovely - i'm not ashamed to admit that the iPads are my 'best friends' when travelling with the boys! Although colouring books and crayons are equally as much fun! xxx

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  6. Oh gosh, I find it hard enough to keep myself entertained for a journey yet alone having to worry about little ones. Great tips though, I'm sure many parents will find it useful :) x

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  7. stickers and the iPad are always a life saver for us on planes or trains. Keeps the kids entertained for ages. We also have a couple of travel games, guess who and downfall.

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  8. What great tips that will work on any form of transport! We haven't done a long train journey with our two year old yet but we've done plane and car journeys and have used a lot of these things. You're right, it's all about the forward planning! :)

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  9. great tips for travelling, we love the Eurostar! x

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  10. Never been on the eurostar before but will be early next year. Great tips Kerry!!

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  11. OOh the sticker book is a genius idea, well done you and my niece would love it x

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  12. Ohh I bet it is great going on the Eurostar! I've never been before..

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  13. We also use lots of colouring books, crayons, pens, pencils and drawing pads for long trips.. and yes, the Ipad :)

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  14. Sticker books are definitely a godsend, I use them all the time when I am looking after kids on a long trip x

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  15. I wish these kinds of things would entertain my three year old too. I think the only thing that'd keep him entertained is the tablet computer to watch YouTube videos. I used to love stickers as a child so that's a fab idea!

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  16. Colouring books, stickers and toys sounds like the perfect sort of entertainment. You're prepared for sure - a true mum who know her kids :)

    Alina from The Fairytale Pretty Picture

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  17. I am always surprised by how quick the eurostar gets to its destination. We are the same and take activities and ipads to amuse the kids

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  18. Free wifi and the USB charging point makes it an easier ride too! Kept my phone going on a recent Eurostar trip :)

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  19. well planned with some excellent products for the girls. great post

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  20. Oh my gosh Eva and Ophelia are just so precious. It's so cute that Ophelia only needs her teether while Eva needs a lot more to keep her entertained. I miss those days and trips with my children :)

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  21. Great tips, I shall be taking notes for our next big adventure.

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  22. I am taking the Eurostar to Paris in a few days too and I am excited, I hope to spend the time catching up on my posts until I get there.

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  23. I'll be popping back to remind myself of these tips when i get round to taking the toddler in a couple of years! We travel by train a lot so they'll come in hand then too.

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  24. Great tips here, it can be so difficult to entertain children when travelling but with the right preparation it all becomes so much easier for everyone.

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  25. I've never actually been on the Eurostar as we've flown - but flying with a toddler seems so much more daunting! I love the sticker book idea, less chance of dropping / losing bits and even as adult there is just something so weirdly satisfying about sticking stuff in place. :)

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