to take a pram on the train early in the morning?

[starkadder]

Not really an AIBU, although maybe I am. Have to go on a train journey next week with 4 month old DD, hour and a half journey each way. Leaving at 830am, returning 1630, so not peak peak time but probably busy. Want to take a pram type buggy rather than folding pushchair, although I have both, because DM will be looking after DD for the day for me and she'll be much happier with a pram so she can look at DD's smiley little face. But - am I asking for trouble? Any tips for negotiating busy trains with big bulky prams? Should I just take the Maclaren? AIBU to bother the poor commuters with my big baby-mobile?

Er, 8.30 IS peak peak time! Good luck!

I commute to London and sometimes I have to take DS 18 months with me. I always take the big buggy because it's safer. It's always been totally fine; I'm frequently given secret smiles by other commuters who are clearly Dads (or Mums, though there are fewer of those), and lots of help from that secret club called Other Parents.

I would NOT however take the tube with the buggy. I get busses, taxis and walk instead. Or take DS in the Ergo.

If you are arriving in London at 10am then it won't be totally peak, although the train may still be quite crowded. Your train home at 4.30 on the other hand is quite likely to be packed, as lots of people work staggered hours to try and avoid the worst of the rush hour. I woudl definitely take the smaller buggy that you can fold and stash, and use a sling for the journey. I think it will be a whole lot less stressful. One thing you could do is go to the station where you are planning to get the train from and take a look at the train so you can get an idea of the design (some train companies web sites give an idea of layout too).

The other thing to think about is what is your mum planning to do with your dd, because if she is using public transport then she'll need to think about how she will manage (I'm thinking of tube stations with lots of stairs for example).

When my two were tiny there was very little provision for pushchairs etc, so I used a sling as much as possible. It was much much easier than worrying about stars etc plus of course lovely and snugly :) Would your mum think that was an option at all?

Depends on where the 8:30 departure is from. From where I am it's not a rush hour train, that one leaves over two hours earlier:)

So let us know how you get on OP!

Take the one that has the best wheels for bumping up stairs! Have done train journeys with different kinds of pushchairs and although the two part one I have is two pieces to put away, for the rest of the time the two piece was much easier because of the tyres.

Smaller buggy. Definitely.

Well..! I called the train company and they were lovely. I asked if the wheelchair space had been booked and they said it hadn't, and re-booked me a seat near it (obviously I didn't attempt to book the actual wheelchair space, not being a wheelchair user), plus booked me "assistance" so someone will now meet me on the platform both ends to help me fold the buggy if need be/lift it into the train if better. Yay! Thanks MNers :)

Am thinking...DM will be on the tube, possibly, but never at rush hour, and either buggy (Maclaren or the bigger one) is going to have to be bumped down the stairs/she'll need some help anyway - so I think it will be better still to have the bigger one. It isn't a massive great Silver Cross or anything - it's a fairly normal carrycot/wheels arrangement, but just bigger than a Maclaren. Would be impossible in rush hour but then so would the Maclaren, I think.

nooka - thanks for your suggestion :) I don't think my mum would be too keen on the sling idea...she'll definitely need something where DD can lie down. I'm going to attempt it with the bigger buggy...I will let you all know how I get on!

Does your DM need to get the tube? Prams and tube stations are not great IMO especially escalators.

Well..she probably will get the tube at some point, although she might not. She is basically being a complete hero and taking DD for the day, returning at 3 hour intervals (!) so that I can go to a series of meetings in central London but feed DD in between. DD won't take a bottle.... and for various reasons, I have to work. So DM's plans, variously and depending on the weather, are: Regent's Park, National Gallery, mainline train to west London (10 min journey) where she can visit a friend, maybe Hamley's.

But I am thinking, Maclaren or buggy, either one will be a bit annoying on the tube so if she does get the tube, she'll likely ask a friendly passer by to help her. We all grew up in London although most of our family have since moved away so she knows the score.

If she's done children in London she'll know what to do. And my experience is that often people will offer help and rarely refuse if asked.

tubes are a nightmare with any kind of pushchair. I'd suggest getting on the transport for london site and looking up bus routes. on google maps you can hover over bus stops to find out the route numbers.

I have to say that from where I am the trains are absolutely rammed from 7.30am to around 10! It's usually standing room only too unless you're lucky. Coming home, they start getting busy at around 3.30pm until about 7.30, and there are a lot of people standing in the doors and aisles until you have passed the first two or three stops.

If I were you I'd go to the station one morning before your journey and have a look at just how many people get on the train you are intending to catch.

You may want to revise your plans.

Could your mum not come down to you and stay with the baby while you go to your meeting?

good luck, glad the assistance thing worked out, let us know how you get on :)

I would take the Maclaren for your Mum's sake - I've found people are a lot more happy to help with a maclaren than a bigger buggy. The maclaren is also a million times easier on the bus.

If she is around Oxford Street, the Mamas and Papas cafe on Regent Street is great - nice food and also playmats and bouncers for baby.

I second the bus then, some of the older and deeper tube have a lot of stairs and are probably best avoided. Buses in central London are really pretty good now. Trains are OK so long as you don't have to lug the pram/buggy over the line. Transport for London have really helpful route planers too.

Great to hear that the train company were so helpful!

Great you sorted out the train. Just want to say don't worry much, big buggies are frequently seen on trains and tubes and a kind person will almost always help with stairs.

Hope the assistance thing works out. You probably are asking for trouble, tbh, but what can you do if you've no choice but to be in London for a particular time? Its exceptionally unreasonable for people who don't have to travel in the rush hour to do so, but that doesn't apply to you.

Another idea nobody has mentioned, and I don't know how feasible this is, but have you thought of getting the earliest possible train instead of latest possible? Obviously it depends what time it'll be and what it'll be like. But it might be less traumatic for you all? You'd be in London uber early, but could go to a nice cafe.

OK - report back - it was all fine! Got on train, wheelchair space free, my seat was booked a row back from it, so I took DD to my seat, but with buggy parked ready, and when she got a bit grumpy, got up and put her in and she went off to sleep. And there was a little foldy out seat for me to perch by the buggy. Result! On the way home it was a bit trickier, as it was her most terrible time of day (430-630), so had to stand rocking her for about an hour and a half - but again, the wheelchair space was free, so I didn't have to fold the buggy up, and although the train was busy, everyone was SO nice and smily, and didn't do anything other than offer sympathetic smiles (and a polo from a very nice lady) when DD got a bit fractious.

AND at Paddington, a lovely man from Network Rail spotted me searching for a baby change place, took me to his office where there was a loo with a change table (weirdly) and then escorted me all the way to the train, through the ticket barrier, then lifted the buggy on board AND radioed ahead to my destination station to make sure someone was there to meet me to help get the buggy off again. Which, actually, I didn't need as my fellow passengers were almost literally falling over themselves to help. And DM found the same - lots of people really willing to help her out all day too.

I had a completely exhausting day, but the members of the general public and the commuters on the train were all exceptionally nice - hurrah for the commuters of England!

How lovely! Pleased you had a good day.

nice story. fwiw I get on the early train for commuters with my bike. Some tut-tutters but I am wholey allowed this facility, as are prams. So commute early, commute often!

:) good-o.

So pleased! Please tell this story next time someone spouts off about how vile commuters/Londoners are.