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Original poster

London visit with 12 week baby- any tips

67 replies

ManderleyFan · 13/02/2024 11:04

I am thinking of going into London to visit a gallery with my baby who will be 12 weeks. I would be going in on the train and then options are tube or bus. Looking at the step free access tube map is pretty confusing and it does seem like the bus might be simpler? I’ve never used public transport with a baby before. Does anyone have any tips or experience on navigating London travel with a pram? I do also have a carrier for him but I’d want the pram so I can lay him down and transport all the baby gear… I’m wondering if doing this trip on my own might be more trouble than it’s worth but I really fancy some culture!

OP posts:
Original poster
ManderleyFan · 13/02/2024 16:38

@Sophist I agree that I think it’s going to be super tiring if I only have the sling and nowhere to put him down for a rest. It definitely would be so much easier though but it might spoil the day if I have an aching back from carrying him

OP posts:
nighttimeforgenerals88 · 13/02/2024 16:43

Travelling around with a pram is relatively easy. As long as you stay away from the District line getting from platform to ground level is fairly easy. Worst case scenario, people are happy to help you carry your baby up and down stairs, at least that's what I found with my babies (and I lived on the District line!).

I've never thought a mum and pram was annoying on the tube or the bus. Enjoy London and its galleries!

Needmorelego · 13/02/2024 16:44

@BuffaloCauliflower you've been lucky. I have witnessed many aggressive arguments between people on public transport about the space a pram takes up.
Thankfully never addressed to me personally - but I see it regularly.
It's not nice.

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Original poster
ManderleyFan · 13/02/2024 16:44

Thank you everyone, lots to consider, I am finding my baby pretty heavy when I take him for a walk in the carrier as he’s nearly a stone now so I think I’d have to have the pram. It sounds like walking would be the best plan but it is encouraging that people have managed the bus with a pram too. There’s so much to consider now with a baby, no such thing as spontaneously popping into London!

OP posts:
londonmummy1966 · 13/02/2024 16:45

I used to take my two all over in a McLaren double buggy when they were little so it is doable. I just got very good at bumping it up and down steps and balancing it on the escalator. Although Marylebone Tube is not step free it should be possible to bump the pram down the steps and it is then direct to Charing Cross.

A more expensive but hassle free option is a black cab.

KThnxBye · 13/02/2024 16:50

I would get your fit checked with the carrier as it is hurting you. It shouldn’t hurt, especially as dc is so little. I only used the carrier for my dc especially for holidays and big trips. I’d take the carrier but you need to make sure it actually fits or it can wreck a day out just like a dodgy pram wheel or the wrong size shoes can.

id also consider just walking round london it’s a great place to just walk and you see so much more.

BuffaloCauliflower · 13/02/2024 17:07

What carrier are you using? I still carry my 13 month old with no issues, you just need a well fitted properly supportive sling

Applesandpears23 · 13/02/2024 17:09

If you end up using the tube go right to the end of the platform and if a train is busy let it go. The next one will probably be practically empty.

averythinline · 13/02/2024 17:09

Take your pram ... It'll be fine outside of rush hour .... Arrive after 10 .. if nice walk a but or jump on bus if not... Lovely idea... Treat yourself to nice lunch maybe at the gallery then head home 2ish... Rush hour not quite what it was but still busy.. Fridays are much quieter in general...

Original poster
ManderleyFan · 13/02/2024 17:34

@BuffaloCauliflower I have a baby bjorn carrier, I find my shoulders getting tired after a couple of hours of wearing it. I do also have a Gaia baby sling which I haven’t tried wearing for longer periods

OP posts:
BuffaloCauliflower · 13/02/2024 17:42

@ManderleyFan yeh the Baby Bjorn ones are crap. Not very supportive for mum or baby. Id consider getting a better carrier, it’ll make your life so much easier. I use an Integra which I’m a big fan of, light and easy to use, Tula are great too. Important to get a good, firm fit in both though, lots of YouTube videos that can help.

Garman · 13/02/2024 17:49

If your back aches wearing him you either have a bad non ergonomic carrier or it’s not fitting right.

Writerscompanion · 13/02/2024 18:29

Sorry to go against the grain, I live in London and I had some really difficult experiences early on when I blithely thought I could hop on and off public transport with a young baby and my big travel system pram - the worst was an inconsolable baby on a bus in a traffic jam with a very judgemental fellow passenger berating me, but also getting the wrong train and having to get on a rush hour tube to get home, being told off by a bus driver for getting on the 'wrong' entrance with the pram (I've been told both are wrong by different drivers), broken lifts meaning I had to take the pram up escalators, and being stuck twice with an increasingly hungry baby when there were no buses coming owing to disruption (and then when they turn up they are rammed). With a few lovely exceptions people have not been kind or helpful! The crying incident really took me by surprise as at first the motion of the bus sent her to sleep the first few journeys but after that she was much more unpredictable and she had a period where she screamed any time the bus stopped or slowed down. I found it very stressful to be too far away to walk home if the transport was eg severe delays and not knowing the nearby breastfeeding friendly places with a crying baby and had to do some emergency feeds in very inhospitable places. I started using the sling solely while she was so small so at least she was safely on me if she cried and I've since bought a smaller second hand transport friendly pram.

Now at six months we've got our confidence up and I'd happily go eg to a gallery like you're doing. I have baby ear defenders which she wears on the tube as our line is deafening. I travel by overground and walking wherever possible followed by non-rush hour tube and bus only for short journeys. I sometimes look up ahead of time where I could get off to feed if needed. At six months baby mostly takes it in her stride but if she cries in the pram I pick her up straight away and only put her back in to get off - the awkwardness of the wobbly holding is less bad than the crying escalating but I'd be nervous to do this with a newborn.

I'm saying this because your day out sounds fab and I hope thinking of these things means you can go and explore without a hitch! Enjoy!

mondaytosunday · 13/02/2024 18:33

You'd have to plan carefully- lifts have an annoying way off being out of order, and most central London ones still have stairs from station to street. My experience is few will help you with the pram up the stairs.

bettynutkins · 13/02/2024 18:42

ManderleyFan · 13/02/2024 17:34

@BuffaloCauliflower I have a baby bjorn carrier, I find my shoulders getting tired after a couple of hours of wearing it. I do also have a Gaia baby sling which I haven’t tried wearing for longer periods

We had a baby Bjorn, lasted about 3 months. I absolutely hated it. We got an ergobaby and it's brilliant. I carried my then 97th centile 11 month old round London all day on my own with a backpack. I did have aching back by the end but she was around 25 pounds!

Original poster
ManderleyFan · 13/02/2024 19:04

@Writerscompanion Thank you for sharing your experiences, it’s helpful to know what I could be letting myself in for! I wonder whether it might be best for me to just have going into London and having a walk about as my first goal and see how my baby gets on. If it’s going well, I can head for the gallery. The less expectation the better! Good point about the noise of the tube as well, I hadn’t considered that

OP posts:
reluctantbrit · 13/02/2024 19:25

ManderleyFan · 13/02/2024 17:34

@BuffaloCauliflower I have a baby bjorn carrier, I find my shoulders getting tired after a couple of hours of wearing it. I do also have a Gaia baby sling which I haven’t tried wearing for longer periods

We only used the BabyBjörn for around 4 months, DD hated being restricted and I found the carrier awful.

If you go by public transport than do research and definitely don‘t go via rush hour.

I travel on the tube and train for work and hate school holidays. Always parents who have no idea that the carriages are getting crowded at 5pm, no idea where they are going and making everyone miserable.

I took DD from 9.30-4pm or we stayed for dinner and came home after 6pm.

arlequin · 13/02/2024 19:34

If you can, I'd definitely recommend just the carrier with a backpack changing bag. It's sooo much easier. I don't know which carrier you have but I have the Harmony and it's brilliant. I carry my 5 month old in it all day no problem.

I travel a lot on the tube and it's just so much easier avoiding the lifts etc .

Needmorelego · 13/02/2024 20:36

@ManderleyFan by the way...... when are you going?
It's half term this week in (most of) London so public transport is busier.

Original poster
ManderleyFan · 13/02/2024 20:53

@Needmorelego Definitely not this week!

OP posts:
wfcats · 13/02/2024 21:00

It seems like you've got some great advice - I just wanted to jump in and say don't wait until your baby is bigger and in the smaller buggy, go now! My confidence was so low when I first had my baby that I talked myself out of doing all sorts of things for logistical reasons, and I think it's so much better if you can just get stuck in. Worst case scenario, someone huffs at you briefly on the tube. You're still entitled to use public transport.

2in13 · 13/02/2024 21:00

We regularly used the pram on the tube as it was easier than driving through London. If it's a busy bus, it can actually be more difficult for you if the wheelchair/accessible area is full.

People aren't that bothered about prams on the tube especially if you aren't ramming their ankles with one 😄

At some stations there can be a larger gap between the train and platform but there's usually an indication of where to get on if you're a wheelchair user. Otherwise I recommend using carriages closer to the end as the middle ones are often quite full. And definitely bring the carrier.

Have a nice trip

Harrysmummy246 · 13/02/2024 21:03

Carrier for baby and any rucksack for the crap they need.

sunflowersd · 13/02/2024 21:10

I’d walk or if you get tired hop in a black cab. Plenty of room for a pram, easy journey and stress free. The national gallery is great with babies. Good changing facilities.

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