Pushchairs on escalators

[Orissiah]

Excuse the stupid question but I am going on the London Underground on Monday for the first time (alone) with my six week old baby in her pram (she faces me in her Bugaboo Bee).

How should I balance the pram on the escalators (this question would apply to a shopping mall with escalators too!)?

Also, I'm expecting to ask a random person to help me carry the buggy down the stairs into the Tube station itself. But how do you negotiate stairs?

Thanks,
O

Hmm I said different to Soupy. Ok Going up I reverse onto it. Going down I would go forwards. So I'm always above it.

I'm only messing

Okay, so going down I would face forwards and place the rear wheels onto the escalator step in front of me.

Going up, could I also face forwards and place the rear wheels on the step in front of me and have the front wheels also suspended - this way I can see that I would be able to push the buggy off at the top easily?

(PS - I know I can work this out on Monday, but I like to visualise new activities ahead of time ;-) )

O

Going down escalotors is easier than going up ime.

If you are going shopping be careful that you don't have too many bags hanging off a pushchair or in the basket. I did that with ds once and could just about balance the weight of child, pram and shopping (goign up that is).

There's usually someone who will help you up and down stairs.

And lastly - mind the gap! (seriously)

I always turn round going up the escalator so you are always above the buggy and can get off the escalator more easily.

JUST BE CAREFUL WITH BUGGIES ON ESCALATORS!!!

just this afternoon dh shattered after working all night popped with me into town s we walk into the mall dh realises there is a problem an older lady going down on the escalator with a buggy had her trousers stuck in the stair my dh [proud] quickly took her buggy and the subsequent 3 that came immediately after with all the mums clutching at them to stop them falling(the escaltor was still going but rumbling as each time it took nother bit of her trouser hem with it ) a lady at the top manged to turn the esclator off as soon as the buggies were off but dh had to literally rip the ladies trousers out of the steps they were all chewed up anyway-the lady was v upset and shocked and couldnt thank dh enough- i for one will never use an escalator with a pram again.

What I used to do was this:

going up, have buggy in front of me, wheel front wheels onto step, lift rear wheels to keep buggy level. I stand behind buggy holding rear wheels into air.

going down, have buggy in front of me, wheel it onto escalator, hold onto it so rear wheels are on the step and I hold onto the handle bar to hold buggy level.

Never had a problem, did this in a variety of buggies (never a bee though, they did not exist back in the old days...)

windies - but that could have happened whether the lady had a buggy or not?

windies - but that could have happened whether the lady had a buggy or not?

oh yes im not disputing that im saying she was hving to hold onto the buggy s she wsnt quite at the bottom nd she couldnt move yet more buggies were building up behind had she been alone she could have squeezed up a bit to allow the buggies past.

i too have always gone up and down escalators with my buggy but this made me think.....

orissiah- now that you mention it- black cabs are the way to go!

have fun on your outing (btw how's the bee? i really like the look of it and my mclaren is looking a bit battered after 2 years of dd1)

when you go up, make sure you stand down a few steps from the buggy as it tips towards you as the esc goes up.

also wait for everyone else to get on first then you won't feel flustered

i'm a londoner too and there aren't many lifts underground.

Wow, lots of great techniques here. BeforeSunrise - the Bee is wonderful - really light and very narrow and easy to turn at a sharp angle. We have the baby nest for our newborn and she fits in it all snug like a swaddle. It has proper straps so she and the nest are completely secure. When she gets bigger I can then take the nest out. I can have the buggy facing me or away and it folds up flat with a single move (though I've never had to fold it except for practice). It's also got ample room for stashing things underneath it. The big oversize hoods makes me feel that the baby is completely protected from the elements (and traffic and people!). I particularly love it because I can fit on all the buses and also it fits down all the narrow aisles of my local shops. My husband likes wheeling it around on the weekends because it looks cool and is great design. The wrist strap is also very useful at traffic lights and, I am guessing now, on escalator ;-)

Yes, I will definitely be using a lot of black cabs now I can wheel her on, but we have two tube stations near us so it would be a shame not to use the underground frequently - particularly as I would go during non-rush hour times (the local buses always seem to be far more packed during non peak hours then the tube - hence me wanting to use the tube more than the buses).

O

i face forwards when going down with buggy in front
on way up i face backwards and get on first with buggies back wheels on step below the one i'm on. (so in similar position to going down except i'm going up IYSWIM)
this is how i did it with ds as he was a chunky monkey and i couldnt have carried him in a sling.
with dd now 2, i use my freedom sling as she is very light. i also then have a hand free to grab ds if needed

Haven't seen the whole thread but I work in a department store and I've seen 2 babies fall out of buggies on escalators, and it wasn't pretty.

I've also seen £4k's worth of damage done to an escalator by a buggies' wheel getting jammed in the side - not your problem I know but it knackered the buggy too.

IMVHO, buggies and escalators don't mix and I would never do it.

I always fold the buggy on escalators,
the other week i took a 1 year old 2 year old and 3 year old on one,
whilst holding a folding buggy .
Got half way up and thought
@what the f**k am i doing !

I have a Techno XT and did this with DS - I found it really quite scary as the tube escalators are really fast and I ended up running off the edge to catch up with buggy! I caught the bus back home instead - much easier. I would definitely not travel on the tube when there is likely to be a lot of people around, and I'd try it out on a slower escalator first (I've been practising in our local M&S since their lift broke!), and I may be tempted to have a sling with you and fold the buggy anyway. I think this is how I will tackle it in future.

One of the worse moments of my life was when my step dad took newborn DD on the esculators on the underground and tipped the 3 in 1 carrycot type pram so upright she was being held in by the pram apron, I thought i'd die on the spot, have never taken a pram on one since.

I take my buggy on the escalators all the time. Follow russelbrussel's advice for how to do it. I was nervous at first but it's fine. Of course babies might fall out if you don't strap them in but of course you are sensible and won't travel with your baby unstrapped will you?

I wouldn't travel in rush hour tbh - only because people are grumpy, it's more crowded and I have had people leaning on the back of the buggy for support (how they think a full grown adult can counter-balance the weight of a baby plus a couple of bags of shopping I don't know) and nearly tipping it over.

If you go at a quiet time when you're not rushed, you'll be fine.

I'm very unsure how you can get the wheels jammed in anything tbh

I used to do it quite a bit, with a forward facing pushchair though so I'm not sure my technique would be best for you, especially going up.

Going down I would push the pushchair on, then when the steps separate I would pull the back weeks agains the back of the step and stand on the next one above and tilt the buggy back slightly so it's just back of level. When the steps come together again at the bottom I kept the front wheels up in the air until they were on solid ground, this stops them getting trapped at the bottom.

Going up I would push the front wheels against the step in front and allow the back weeks to rest on the step too, this meant that ds was tilted backwards. I would stand two steps below the back wheels to stop the handles from digging into me. When the steps levelled at the top I would keep the front wheels up until they were off the escalator.

Get the bus instead. Much easier now they are all wheelchair accessible. (But do fold the darn buggy up if a wheelchair user gets on, thinking of past threads...)

edam - my DS kicks up a right royal fuss on the bus. He won't sit in his chair, won't sit on my lap and just wants to get down and cruise around the bus. He is much, much happier on the tube. Obv he is not a few weeks old though and tbh with a 6 week old I would just take a sling and a changing bag and take the bus if I were the OP.

I lived in London for years. I also have a bugaboo bee. You can do it!
I do exactly as Starlight Mackenzie says for escalators and stairs!
Good Luck, you'll be fine!