to not want to take a baby on the underground?

[BarrelOfMonkeys]

I live about 45 mins by train from London, and have had various London friends visit since DD was born 6 weeks ago, and would like to do return visits but while getting on a train with DD seems achievable, the underground fills me with anxiety - the dirt, the pushing people, the steps to navigate - not somewhere I want to expose my baby to! Am I being a bit PFB and AIBU to give up on ever making it south of the river ever again?!

DS and I spent a week in London when he was a (little) baby and we rode on the underground at peak times. He was in a sling, and it was fine.

But if you aren't comfortable, then don't do it....

Ta. Sling sounds best way to go, will bear that in mind! I think I will just have to get on and do it and try not to over-think it in advance...

beanybean I'd like to get to Streatham, and also Lewisham, any tips? I didn't realise the TFL site listed baby changing facilities, that is really useful to know, thanks.

It's utterly doable. Sling with a very young baby. And when they older, a light pram. But there's no hurry.

Where are you travelling from?

When DS1 was little and I lived in London I took him on the tube all the time - people were usually astonishingly helpful re pushchairs and steps etc. Just time it well - i.e. not rush-hour etc.

Hey, I live in Streatham. It's not that difficult to get to without using the tube (nearest convenient tube is Brixton anyway, so you'd have to get a bus at some stage)

Which end of Streatham? Depending on the station you can get direct trains from Victoria, London Bridge or the Thameslink which goes via Kings Cross and Farringdon.

No problem with a sling.

I'd be coming in from Kings X or Liv St - avoiding rush hour should be do-able as the trains are pretty regular. I think it's Streatham Common end I would need to get to, but if Thameslink goes in that general direction I could probably walk it from wherever it gets into.

YANBU - as a sometime regular user of the underground myself, one look at the black sooty secretions on the tissue when blowing your nose after a journey makes me not want my LO breathing in that environment on a regular basis!

sling no problem. when slightly older a light buggy is good too. you can pick up the whole buggy yourself and march up and down the stairs. people were friendly and helpful but i preferred to just lift it up. easier with smaller baby than small child, when they get heavier.

buses also good. but sometimes on popular routes you may find there's already too many buggies on board. if you can pick a bus route, where you're near the beginning of the route for this.

i live in london too and never let baby get in the way of my shopping habit

Lotster Glad it's not just me that looks at the tissue after blowing! The black stuff is just disgusting, yuk.

Ok, here goes with geeky transport advice...

Get the Thames Link from Kings X to Streatham and it's a short walk to Streatham Common but the Thameslink doesn't run on a Sunday

To go to Lewisham, you could take the tube from Kings X to London Bridge (both stations have step free access) and then an overland train to Lewisham. Alternatively, you could take a bus to London Bridge from Kings X.

Thank you beanybean! Both journeys sound manageable, hurrah! You may have saved some friendships, some semblance of my social life, and my sanity.

Thanks to everybody for advice and reassurance - sling: check, avoid rush hour: check, and getting bus: check. London here we come! (In a couple of weeks, anyway.)

I used to take ds1 on the underground when he was a baby, it was a nightmare because of the lack of lifts (welcome to the 21st century hey?) so would have to bump the pushchair, now I have a newborn too and a double pushchair, I get the bus when going into London, it can take about 2 hours, so lots of snacks and toys for ds1 and a good book fior me

I have done this a lot. Can I suggest a sling and a very cheap and light fold up umbrella-style pushchair that lies more or less flat enough for a young baby to be in it. That way you could cope with stairs very easily (although people usually rush to help with prams and pushchairs once you pause near steps looking worried, tbh) and you also have somewhere to put the baby down if you want a break from the sling. It's also possible to change a baby fairly easily in a buggy once you get the hang of it, which means you don't have to chase around looking for special facilities.

Never do it in the rush hour though, because it's mental. And tuck a tenner away in case you feel like chickening out and getting a black cab for a sort hop to speed things along or to get a rest.

Re the buses too - I was pleasantly surprised recently to find that many London buses now tell you what the next stop is so its much easier than it used to be to use them to get to somewhere you don't know.

And when your LO gets to be a toddler buses are much more interesting than tubes anyway, more to see and the front seat of the top deck of a double decker is always a big treat!