To think my Dad was being totally reckless when he took DS upstairs in our local department store via the....

[DollyDaisy]

escalator? DS is 8 months old and was in his pram at the time!

I was furious as thought Dad was following me to the store's lift. But apparently it was quicker to take the direct route and he just wedged the bugaboo onto the escalator and up they went.

Mum was horrified too.....but the DH couldn't see the problem either. Or are all men in my family just totally clueless?

Being jostled would make me hold on all the more tightly

Greythorne - I had a Graco travel system and managed up and down the tube escalators without any mishap . Both my children survived and are well beyond buggy age now.

The OP is NBU, Escalators have been known to eat small children. I read it in the Newspaper.

I wouldn't like it. I've seen 2 accidents when people have done this. One when the wheel of the pushchair got caught at the top and the escalator kept going and people piled up and tipped the pushchair over and another time going down when a toddler with a lap belt on fell out of the pushchair head first.
There are signs on every escalator I've seen with a pushchair and a red line through it.

Why take the risk when there's a lift available? YANBU

I did it alot with umbrella push chairs, was better than waiting ages for a lift. Agree it's safer than trying to lift a push chair up stairs

what am I missing here? Why is this a problem>?

PFB?

Oh x posts, They eat children. Thanks for the heads up!

Whaat? I don't get what is reckless about this?

Unless he took your son up the down escalator or vice versa?

Can people who are worried about this please explain the risk to me. I don't understand

If you live in London, it's just a fact of life

"totally reckless" seems a huge over-reaction. "not following safely guidelines" I can agree with, but alot of H&S guidelines are a pain in the butt. I probably wouldn't take someone else's kids up an escalater in the pushchair though, at least not if they are likely to find out and the type to fuss...

I used to do it with both of mine.

It's just an escalator. Good grief. Unless your Dad has never been on one, he probably knows how to navigate one fairly well, and can probably figure out how to position some wheels on his, whilst simultaneously supporting the weight of the buggy.

What a weird thread.

I'm sure there are warning signs to say not to to take buggies up escalators, so I always found the lifts for fear of being told off by a staff member

Can't seethe problem as when lifts are broken tis the only safe option (shudders at stumbling security guard 'helping' carry pram upstairs)

Safer in the buggy than not, if you ask me. I always did it, DH always did it - it was fine. I hate escalators and travelators now DS is on foot - I still have ishoos from those Public Information ads from years ago where the Raggedy Ann doll got trapped in the teeth at the end, and someone's welly...

Obviously you have to be careful while on the escalator to make sure the child is safe within the buggy, but aside of that, can't see the problem (and the example RomanChristingle gave of the wheels getting stuck would never have applied to us because our wheels were too wide to get stuck in the tracks).

Is the fact it was a Bugaboo relevant? Stealth boast much?

how is there any risk of anything at all going UP?????

Agree when visiting London on the underground I went up and down escalators with push chairs all the time. I feel safer with a toddler in a pushchair on an escalator than with them holding my hand . I have total control of a push chair, it's easy to position it so it's safe.

I don't see the problem. Those ones that are like moving stairs you stand on, once on them they remain straight whilst your going down although if for any reason you did trip on them, I can understand there being quite a major injury, as if you were falling down any stairs.
The ones that are flat, you are at an angle BUT if your child isn't securely strapped in a pushchair to go down an escalator then they're obviously not secure enough for any trip out are they as there are plenty of slopes when out and about walking. Even if you fell on these anyway you're not going to do any more harm than you would falling over on a slope outside.

I've never seen the problem.

There are warning signs because when people are travelling that close to each other. Getting off the escalator needs to be as uncomplicated as possible. Otherwise people pile up. I doubt you could get a wheelchair on an escalator. There are very few places with no lifts.

A wheelchair is not a pushchair. Completely different thing, weightwise, balance wise, and control wise.

It's daft when there is a lift - often unavoidable when there isn't, though. As you can see from this thread, loads of people don't even realise it is dangerous.

Every time i go shopping I see at least 10 people in the deaprtment store doing it. Where's the problem.