Public transit and strollers

k2k2tog · April 2014

We're a one car family in a city with a transit system that works (even though everyone complains about it). I pretty much exclusively take public transit and plan to continue to do so after the baby arrives. I have no idea how that's going to go.

Those of you who take public transit on a daily basis, do you plan to keep riding the bus/subway/street car/train/etc. after baby arrives?

STMs who take transit - what has your experience with other passengers been like? Are they accommodating or grumpy about your presence?

Are there any points of etiquette when it comes to taking a stroller on transit that might not be immediately obvious? Tricks and tips to make sure everyone stays happy?

momo21 · April 2014

If there's not a lot of walking involved, sometimes it's easier to put baby in a carrier than use a stroller.

The bus (at least in NYC) makes you fold up the stroller.

I've had good experiences with other passengers. Usually they smile at you and like to look at the baby. There's always someone who will help you carry the stroller up or down stairs, if there's no elevator.

k2k2tog · April 2014

momo21 said:

The bus (at least in NYC) makes you fold up the stroller.

Really?!? That definitely doesn't happen here. Sounds like a major pain for everyone...

owlcup · April 2014

Some of the busses here make you fold up strollers too. It depends on the driver. This is what i observed anyway. I stopped taking public transit after I had DD but I took it exclusively before her.

I also never saw negative reactions to babies. Whether they were crying or not.

momo21 · April 2014

sempre_staccato said:

momo21 said:

The bus (at least in NYC) makes you fold up the stroller.

Really?!? That definitely doesn't happen here. Sounds like a major pain for everyone...

Yes! It's very annoying, especially if the baby is sleeping. But like someone said, it may depend on the driver and/or how crowded the bus is. This is why I usually just took the subway, and used the carrier if the bus was necessary.

curlylocks3 · April 2014

I take it a fair amount. Once the babies arrive much less so though unless with H because most of the L stations do not have elevators. I definitely wouldn't take a big bulky stroller either- just an umbrella one. I've not seen people required to collapse them down but I think it's courteous to do so if the train is crowded.
I would likely opt for baby wearing over a stroller with just one baby.

nicolemcm · April 2014

I take public transit regularly now and have not seen any negative reactions to babes on buses where I live. They don't seem to make you fold up the stroller - which would be a huge to-do for me since it's a travel system with the car seat etc.

k2k2tog · April 2014

Thanks everyone! If nothing else, all this advice is making my grateful for the TTC... I've never seen someone fold up their stroller and can't really imagine how you would do that, wrangling baby, diaper bag, and folded stroller onto a crowded bus. I'll definitely be babywearing as much as I possibly can though, at least until she's too heavy for me to carry comfortably for long periods of time.

ElTrain5 · April 2014

Whatever you do, do not 1) park the stroller in the middle of the aisle in the center of the bus. Or 2) park the stroller in the area by the bus door. Other than that, just try and be as small as possible. If people get mad just avoid eye contact. That seems to be the go-to tactic here in chi town.

BMaidPlanner · April 2014

Subway is my primary method of transportation to and from work, etc. We have a car but it doesn't make sense to use daily. I will wear her as much as possible and spent a lot of time looking for easy fold, compact and light options for strollers and car seats.I'm just going to try things and see what works.

I live around the block from my subway entrance so I am going to experiment with wearing her while carrying/ rolling the folded up stroller onto the train and opening it all up when I am at my destination, ready to push her in it. We'll see. Going to be lots of trial and error I'm sure!

becomingmommyagain · April 2014

I lived in Portland for a while last year. Their transit system is one of the best I've ever seen.

I've never seen passengers get irritated over babies or baby gear (bikes is a whole 'nother story though!!).

I can say that riding the train or Buses between 4-6 can be a challenge for even a single rider. The MAX was ALWAYS full and and to push your way on. And if the weather was bad it (which it frequently is in Portland...) it was even worse. I wouldn't want to carry an infant on the MAX during rush hours ever.

coffee89 · April 2014

In DC they make you fold up your stroller on buses for safety and space reasons. In that case wearing the baby would be the easiest option, putting baby in the stroller when you get where you need to go.

If you are taking trains always have a plan in case the escalator/elevator is down. I can't imagine dragging a travel system stroller down or up a huge flight of stairs.

If at all possible avoid rush hours with carseats and big strollers.Baby wearing, carrying etc is a lot easier at those times. People tend to be less accommodating when they are crammed into a hot, full bus or train at the end of the day. The only side eye I've given to anyone with a child is when they are either not paying any attention to their child (thus causing either a serious annoyance or in the case of smaller children causes a safety concern) , or leave them/stollers to sit in the aisle or by the doors.

The best advice is to get everything together before the bus pulls up or you walk up to the train station turnstile. Make sure you have your passes or money in hand (or in the very least not still in your wallet at the bottom of the baby bag) and have a plan on how you are going to be juggling your items through the system.

nlmosley · April 2014

I took public transit for 2 years after mom son was born, and it was difficult at first. Depending on the time of day, people will either be accommodating, or act like they don't see you. I also did so while pregnant and definitely hated when people smoked at the bus stop, hogged all of the seats, touched me, my belly or my baby, or gave me advice that I didn't want. I had a travel system but it was way to big and made my trips much harder. Once I started to wear my baby, things got a lot easier. I didnt have a car so I had to bring the car seat if we were getting a ride later.

ncbelle · April 2014

I'd just in a quality baby carrier and wear baby. I've only ever used a stroller for running so it's definitely doable - and definitely makes public transit MUCH easier!

temursgirl · April 2014

I'm glad to hear so many places are baby/mom-friendly. San Francisco tends not to be, although obviously people take babies and children on the bus and trains all the time. Since we live in the 'burbs I don't really take public transit anymore, and I will probably wait until LO is a little older to take her into the city by train (probably she will enjoy the train ride), just because there's no reason to.

Based on my past experience, I would avoid rush hour if at all possible. It's crowded and people are less happy/accommodating. I've seen people get really annoyed and be rude about strollers. Actually, they're even pretty rude to pregnant women. The only time I've personally felt annoyed by someone else's kid is when the kid is occupying a seat during rush hour and the parent doesn't move them onto their lap, or if they're older, ask them to give up their seat.

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