[TusharK]

Northern Railway has introduced separate seats for newborn children. The 'Baby Berth' was launched on the occasion of Mother's Day on May 8.



These seats, designed especially for infants, have been placed next to the lower berths that are reserved for women. The Railways will not charge any extra fare for Baby Berths.

Baby berths have been installed in the Lucknow Mail that connects the capital city of Uttar Pradesh to New Delhi. According to the Railways, two berths will be available in the three-tier AC coach.

Passengers will have to mention the names of the children aged below 5 years at the time of booking to avail of this service.

Source: Business Standard

Link to Team-BHP News

[dr.aviansh]

I don't have kids or even married for that matter, but I'm not sure about making my infant sleep on the outer corner with that slippery Rexine. Maybe stuffing that bar with a pillow could make it safer or even some more fencing at the north and south edges would render it a 100% safe.

That said, it's a very thoughtful initiative by IR and in no way I intend to mock their effort.

[ABHI_1512]

Whoever designed this child/ infant berth doesn’t have any iota about kids. I am surprised that this even made into production. This is the problem with bureaucracy, they are far removed from the reality. While the intention is good, the implementation is pathetic and downright dangerous !!

I wouldn’t be surprised if this too will be junked just as the idea of turning coaches into Covid wards which found no takers and was such a wasteful expenditure.

[raksrules]

If I had an infant, there is absolutely no way I would want him / her to sleep on that berth. First issue is that it is outside and if you will ever see a mother holding their baby, it will always be inside. Even at home, if you ever have a mattress which is touched to the wall, you will always see infant sleeping near wall and no on other side.

Also, at the edge, the put this bar and instead there should be a fully covered thing on side and window side.

I am sure this idea will not take off as no one will use it.

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Northern Railway has introduced separate seats for newborn children. The 'Baby Berth' was launched on the occasion of Mother's Day on May 8.
...
These seats, designed especially for infants, have been placed next to the lower berths that are reserved for women. The Railways will not charge any extra fare for Baby Berths.
...

Good and thoughtfull effort. But the railing has got too big a gap, not safe for an infant. They could have provided a finer grill (ie. closely spaced grill) that ran along its entire open boundary, similar to bassinets in flights.

[srini1785]

Our once upon a time railway minister had the brilliant idea of increasing berths in Sleeper class and the engineers came up with this :




Only question was : how to get into it?.

While we are good at making jugaads work. This is taking it a bit far. We should just carry on with the time honored tradition of making the baby sleep on the normal berth while the parent just sits next to it and sleeps.

[gunin]

I have been regularly traveling by train for the last 3 years (Jonai to Guwahati) with my wife and now 5 year old son. Our son sleeps with his mother and the narrow seat width is definitely an issue- especially in Sleeper Class and 3rd AC. While 2nd AC is a little wider, the best is the 1st AC which is the widest. I believe the simplest solution would have been to make whole seat wider instead of making a small extension which mothers will be wary of putting their babies in. Although I think a 5 year old will be excited to sleep there

[nishsingh]

I agree with the implementation being poor; however, being a father of a 5-year-old kid, I will take any space that can be offered.

My last train journey had me trying to get enough space to somehow manage to remain on the berth on the three-tier AC coach (my son didn't want to sleep alone on his own seat.)

I believe mothers and fathers of infants will be half-sleeping on these beds rather than the other way around.

[sandeepmohan]

They should have extended it for the entire length of the birth, instead of adding a short bit like this. This will cause some problems in terms of the person trying to access luggage under the birth. Some compromise will be there.

If they spent more thought on the design, they could have executed this as a slide out birth from the main birth. This way, you pull out the extension at night, slide it back in the AM. You can hinge the birth too, though that will cause issues if there is luggage below.

With a child occupying a birth with the parent, it is impossible to sleep flat on your back. You always end up on either shoulder and you need to keep moving all night else you end up with a sore arm.

[mvadg]

I wish they'd just asked the world for a free design. This guy definitely would have done a better job.
https://www.instagram.com/unnecessaryinventions/

All joking aside, this seems like a horrendous design. A slide out tray would work better.

https://youtu.be/pNbtC8T25Fo

[adisan]

A good way to make use of this arrangement might be to put the infant safely on the inner side, and the parent uses the extra width to support their upper body by lying at an angle.

[svsantosh]

Wish they could have improved upon this. At the least the baby would not roll over!




Copyright - Respective photographer on internet.

[sunnysideup_]

Not only is the bar exposed metal and thus super unsafe for a baby, the chances of a baby rolling over and through the bar is too high for this to be of any merit. Not to mention the fact that if it weren't in use, it would be folded down to near one's feet, thus making it extremely dirty and unhygienic for any parent to consider using. It is a great initiative, but unfortunately of no avail. Was not a single mother, or even a parent, consulted before, during, or after the design and ideation phase? One simple consultation and they would have told you why they would never consider using it. Such a shame, because the initiative in itself should deserve praise, but I find it difficult to give it.

[aashishnb]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Whoever designed this child/ infant berth doesn’t have any iota about kids. I am surprised that this even made into production. This is the problem with bureaucracy, they are far removed from the reality. While the intention is good, the implementation is pathetic and downright dangerous !!

Originally Posted by raksrules

If I had an infant, there is absolutely no way I would want him / her to sleep on that berth. First issue is that it is outside and if you will ever see a mother holding their baby, it will always be inside. Even at home, if you ever have a mattress which is touched to the wall, you will always see infant sleeping near wall and no on other side.

Also, at the edge, the put this bar and instead there should be a fully covered thing on side and window side.

I am sure this idea will not take off as no one will use it.

Originally Posted by sunnysideup_

Not only is the bar exposed metal and thus super unsafe for a baby, the chances of a baby rolling over and through the bar is too high for this to be of any merit. Not to mention the fact that if it weren't in use, it would be folded down to near one's feet, thus making it extremely dirty and unhygienic for any parent to consider using. It is a great initiative, but unfortunately of no avail. Was not a single mother, or even a parent, consulted before, during, or after the design and ideation phase? One simple consultation and they would have told you why they would never consider using it. Such a shame, because the initiative in itself should deserve praise, but I find it difficult to give it.

There is a size constraint in the coach & therefore width of seat (in the 3rd AC coach). 1AC seats are (marginally) wider than 2AC seats which are marginally wider than 3AC seats. The seat width in 3AC cannot be increased much - else the luggage may not go in between the seats.

Even here, luggage storage space below the seat is almost nil, when in folded/stowed position, jugaad solution would be to keep the seat open & sit on it with folded legs or semi-reclined / lying down position.

Originally Posted by adisan

A good way to make use of this arrangement might be to put the infant safely on the inner side, and the parent uses the extra width to support their upper body by lying at an angle.

Exactly my thought. This is what happens now - parent sleeps on outside & child on the inside - therefore sometimes parent is partly hanging (kind of like narrow seats in cars resulting in low under-thigh support in cars !!). This arrangement atleast provides some support to the hanging part of the parent's body.

In any case, looks like a trial where only a few seats in the entire coach of 72 seats will have this facility.

May come handy for some heavier adults as well.

[adisan]

Originally Posted by aashishnb

May come handy for some heavier adults as well.

But won't Indian Railways plan for some means by which such berths will be allotted only to people with infants?