Traveling on train/tube with 3 kids... Advice please!

[Mumof2boyseb]

Hello,

Myself, hubby and our 3 children will be travelling to London Zoo in about 3 weeks. We're travelling via train and tube.

I'm trying to work out the best way to have our kids travel on the train/tube. 4 year old we're putting a wrist link on himself and myself or dad to keep him near us at all times.

The problem is, we have a 2 and a half year old who only started walking a couple months ago so he definitely can't be trusted to be attached via wrist link like his older brother - we've tried this walking to school etc and he just wants to do his own thing and gets very annoyed if you lead him different ways, he also doesn't talk or understand much so it's not as simple as telling him he must stay with us. We also have a 6 month old. We currently have a double travel system type thing (icandy something or other, can't remember the exact model) which I suppose would be fine, but I'm sitting here, looking at it, I've just now realised how big and bulky it is and now second guessing whether it's a good idea to bring that on the train and tube with us.

Another option I just thought of would be to buy a new compact pushchair for our 2 year old and have the baby in a carrier. Only issue with this is, I already have a kinda bad back, I'm just worried if my back starts hurting that we'll have nowhere to put the baby, and walking around a zoo all day, this is likely to happen.

Any other ideas or would you just go with the double travel system? I'm just worried about getting in people's way! I also figured if we did buy a quick fold up/fold down pushchair for the 2 year old, if the tube was busy we could at least quickly pop that down and hold the 2 year old on our laps.

Thanks for the help!

Can you get reins? I remember using the back-pack type version when the DC were smaller

Having 2 buggies on the tube would be a PITA for you I think especially up and down the stairs

I would assume the 4 yo should be fine tbh without the wrist thing but perhaps that’s from the pov of parenting in London

What time of day and day of the week will you be travelling? Which tube stops will you need?

When I went to London zoo I use to take the bus, took ages mind but I also had a double buggy so didn’t fancy getting the tube

Or just remembered you can hire pushchairs at London zoo, they have single and doubles, so could take the baby in the sling your husband could carry it and then hire a double when you get there. I would do that personally.

Look on marketplace etc for a cheap umbrella double that can be used by both baby and toddler and toddler and 4yo.

I can't see why you'd need a wrist link for the 4yo. Mine have been on and off public transport walking since age 2 and never needed anything like that.

There's two of you so you can share the burden of the younger two. I would have a sling for the baby and a lightweight buggy for the older one which can be folded when walking down steps, or just slings/carriers for both of them so the 2yo can go on your H's back as needed.

I'd not recommend a double buggy on the tube so I'd get a cheap fold up and then have the others on close supervision/reins etc. I never needed reins for my two but I always made them stand against the wall till the train came in and I avoided rush hour as it's very pressured and not fun with little ones.

But you can play games with them whilst on the tube counting down the number of stations or guessing which side the doors will open,

Buses would be loads easier.

Download CityMapper app for options.

I live in London but only two kids. I have a Yo-yo which I always use on the tube etc and then I'd stick the baby in a little life backpack thing. 4 year old can hold one of your hands. I've never had one of those wrist things and my 3 year old is fine on public transport but then probably more used to it than yours

How long are you on the train for, which London station are you getting into? A bulky travel system is probably ok on the train if there’s somewhere to put it - if your train is stopping every 20 mins and you have to keep getting up to check on it, that’d be annoying, but if it’s a direct train for 2 hours with no stops, you’d be fine to just leave it in the end luggage area and have your kids with you of course.
Then a big heavy buggy would be pretty awful on the tube - if we know your route could perhaps advise on more buggy friendly routes?
If you could get a good folding pushchair for the 2 year old, sling the baby (your h could do this if you have a bad back?) and then hire another pushchair at the zoo for the baby, that might work?

In contrast to other advice on here, I’ve travelled with a double buggy in the tube and it’s been fine. I always avoid rush hours though! You can plan your journey so it’s step free (the zoo is not ideal for this) but I found strangers more than willing to help me with a buggy upstairs (even a double one!). Then you can have all your stuff for the day in the buggy basket and the kids can fall asleep on the way home!

when you travel with kids it also means you can secure yourselves a table, hopefully in a carriage not too far away from the buffet car. You might find that your train has a child-friendly carriage or that you pass some really interesting landmarks. As always, travel with a change of clothes, a basic medical pack, a few snacks, and a spare charger.

You might struggle with a heavy buggy on the tube as getting it up and down the escalator would be tough. Bus would be fine. Which station ate you arriving at? Reins for the zoo for the little one might a be good. I don't think a wrist strap is needed for the 4yr old and it is probably easier without if you are juggling prams, bags etc.

Double umbrella pushchair and 2 baby carriers? DH wears 2 year old in the tube + carriers the double stroller. You carry the baby and hold the 4year old’s hand. Once you’re out of the underground put the kids in the pushchair.

I’d take the big double and once you arrive in London do the bus rather than the tube. I have a 4YO and live in London and have never seen anyone use a wrist link, but each to their own…

You can plan "step-free" journeys here tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/ only 30% of the Tube is accessible. Buses are more accessible but journeys are much longer.

I can tell you about my experience traveling with two children. Our oldest son is now 7 years old, so we can ask him to watch his little sister, who is only 1 year old. However, our son is a restless child. He likes to play with his phone or take pictures of plants, small details on trains, insects on windows. My husband installed a parental control program with GPS tracking on his phone. I carry our little girl in a kangaroo bag on my chest or don't let her out of my hands on the trains. Our last trip was thanks to the family travel program at DB auskunft. The main thing is not to forget that the child needs to turn on the geolocation on the phone. If your kids are too young, you can wear very bright clothes to be seen from afar and use kangaroo bags as I did.

You’d need to be prepared to make space for a wheelchair on a bus, but London buses are frequent enough that even if you needed to get off you wouldn’t be waiting long. They’re also a lot more interesting.

If you do get the tube, then definitely avoid the rush hour! It’s still not as busy as it used to be but the stations will still be full of commuters charging along on autopilot.

There’s a step free tube map here: content.tfl.gov.uk/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf