backpack carriers on vacation in London ?

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:13:29 -0800, "Anne Rogers"
wrote:

check out http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/maps/ there are links to maps as to
what stations are accessible, the only problem is, despite having a mark for
"inaccessible", many stations are not marked either way, which I presume to
be mean inaccessible, but it very much depends on the station, there are
some, e.g. covent garden that use lifts for everyone, but have a small
number of stairs, making them inaccessible for wheelchairs, but fine for
buggies with 2 adults.

Stations without any specific symbol on the map at
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/downloads...ctober2006.pdf
don't have any step-free access: the trouble is that there's no
indication of whether there are five steps or 50. In practice I do
see a fair number of people with buggies on the tube. If you take a
backpack, be aware that the trains on some tube lines are very cramped
and can get very crowded.

Buses in London now all have provision for buggies, apart from two
short 'heritage' routes using traditional Routemaster (open-patform)
buses

I don't know what you plan to
do in London, but plan carefully for the kids, the kind of city break an
adult might do in London is not fun for a toddler, but they are probably too
young to enjoy any of the main children's attractions.

A good point: I'd recommend the science museum as somewhere with good
provision for children of all ages from toddlers upwards, with a range
of child-friendly exhibits in the basement in particular. Also the
Deep Blue café within the museum is a good child-friendly place to eat

Martin

How about this - use whatever carrier you usually use for the infant,
and for the toddler, get a soft carrier (easy to stuff in a regular
backpack) like an Ergo that you can wear front or back and an
inexpensive umbrella stroller. That way you can put the bigger one in
the stroller for long walks and such, but quickly pop her into the
carrier and fold up the stroller if you're facing a long flight of steps
or other difficult conditions. We were in London and other parts of the
UK and Ireland about 10 years ago, and even though we didn't even have
kids yet, I remember noticing how inaccessible many areas would have
been for the disabled. (We had been living near and working in Berkeley
CA for many years, which is probably the most accessible place in the
US, which is why we noticed.)I did use public transport extensively
while living int he Berkeley area, and a combination of sling and
umbrella stroller was the best solution for me for walking to stations
then boarding buses and trains then walking again for shopping,
appointments, etc. A regular backpack for my baby gear and personal
items kept my hands free.

Karen

wrote:
Hi all,

This might not be the right group to post this but I thought I would
give it a shot.

We're headed to London for a week with our 26 and 6 month olds. We
will be using the tube/busses etc. a fair bit to tour around London.
My initial thought was that a stroller would be cumbersome and we were
thinking of using a front carrier for the infant and a backpack carrier
for our 26 month old.

Does anyone have experience moving around London with toddlers and an
opinion on stroller (pushchair) versus backpacks?

Also, any recommendations on backpack carriers that are compact. The
one we have is fairly large (albiet sturdy) and might be a pain to fold
away at restaurants etc.

Thanks!

Kevin

Thanks everyone for your responses!. I haven't used the backpack
carrier a whole lot. A couple of times at the zoo here in Cincinnati
and at some outdoor venues in the US/Canada. Our 2 year old does get
fedup of being in it for too long though and so taking a long an
umbrella would probably be a good thing. Carrying a big backpack
(books, laptop, etc) in college . was fine on subways and buses in
Toronto - it might be OK with a 27lb 2yr old too..

My wife has a fairly firm (soft/padded) carrier she normaly uses for
the 6 month old although in the last couple of days she has tried this
new carrier that looks basically like a twin sheet that wraps around
her, I guess it is known as a "wrap carrier". It's the most ugly thing
I've seen but she's the one who's gonna be wearing it and she seems to
like it better than the other carrier. *shrug*

I liked the "framed" backpack carrier that I used for our 26 month old
but it's got a fairly thick metal frame, sun canopy, buttons, zippers
etc. It's fairly large, can't be compacted down to very much. So it
definitely won't fit in a backpack.

Irene - I will look into some of the soft carriers that you mentioned,
they might work out better, especially to pack away - thanks.

This is slightly off topic but we're going to be in India on vacation
(Goa) for 2 weeks after London and are looking for front carriers for
the 6 month old that would be light, thin etc, because of the heat.
The carrier's we have (other than the wrap) are quite thick and padded
and would probably be extremely hot to use. Something light, thin,
well ventilated would probably work.

Thanks!

Kevin





On Jan 24, 9:21 am, wrote:
Hi all,

This might not be the right group to post this but I thought I would
give it a shot.

We're headed to London for a week with our 26 and 6 month olds. We
will be using the tube/busses etc. a fair bit to tour around London.
My initial thought was that a stroller would be cumbersome and we were
thinking of using a front carrier for the infant and a backpack carrier
for our 26 month old.

Does anyone have experience moving around London with toddlers and an
opinion on stroller (pushchair) versus backpacks?

Also, any recommendations on backpack carriers that are compact. The
one we have is fairly large (albiet sturdy) and might be a pain to fold
away at restaurants etc.

Thanks!

Kevin

wrote:
Hi all,

This might not be the right group to post this but I thought I would
give it a shot.

We're headed to London for a week with our 26 and 6 month olds. We

will be using the tube/busses etc. a fair bit to tour around London.
My initial thought was that a stroller would be cumbersome and we were
thinking of using a front carrier for the infant and a backpack carrier
for our 26 month old.

Does anyone have experience moving around London with toddlers and an
opinion on stroller (pushchair) versus backpacks?

Also, any recommendations on backpack carriers that are compact. The
one we have is fairly large (albiet sturdy) and might be a pain to fold
away at restaurants etc.

We live in London, and we use both a backpack and a buggy to get around
with our 26 month-old son.

On the underground it is almost inevitable that you will have to carry
the buggy up and down stairs some of the time. Many stations have
escalators and lifts, but there are often some steps to negotiate
between the platform and the exit. The only ones where it is guaranteed
that there will be no stairs are those with a disabled sign on the tube
map. Unfortunately, there aren't that many of those.

Almost all buses have a space where you can park your buggy these days.
The main problem with buses is during busy periods, when you have to
fight to get on with a buggy.

If you can get on, I find that it is usually possible to get a seat
simply by asking for one in a tone of voice that suggests that it is
your natural right [this works on the tube as well].

On the whole, I prefer the backpack, which I find more comfortable and
manoeuvrable. You mileage, so to speak, may vary: we typically use
public transport at busy times going to and from work and nursery.

The one drawback of the backpack, at least of the one that we have, is
that it doesn't seem to be designed so that a child can sleep in it. If
we go out when our son is due to have a nap, we always take the buggy
instead.


Regards,

--
Jim Ottaway

In message , Jim Ottaway
writes
wrote:
Hi all,

This might not be the right group to post this but I thought I would
give it a shot.

We're headed to London for a week with our 26 and 6 month olds. We

will be using the tube/busses etc. a fair bit to tour around London.
My initial thought was that a stroller would be cumbersome and we were
thinking of using a front carrier for the infant and a backpack carrier
for our 26 month old.

Does anyone have experience moving around London with toddlers and an
opinion on stroller (pushchair) versus backpacks?

We live in London, and we use both a backpack and a buggy to get around
with our 26 month-old son.


On the whole, I prefer the backpack, which I find more comfortable and
manoeuvrable. You mileage, so to speak, may vary: we typically use
public transport at busy times going to and from work and nursery.


Not done London really with littun's though having lived there I have
some idea what it is like. But we have done other cities with
buggies/backbacks. I think on balance I would go for backback in London.

Though I'd put comfort over size, you'll be wearing it a lot.

The one drawback of the backpack, at least of the one that we have, is
that it doesn't seem to be designed so that a child can sleep in it. If
we go out when our son is due to have a nap, we always take the buggy
instead.

Ours have never had problem sleeping in ours - a Bushbaby, even though
it doesn't look that comfortable

--
Chris French

On 27 Jan 2007, Chris French wrote:

In message , Jim Ottaway
writes
The one drawback of the backpack, at least of the one that we have,
is that it doesn't seem to be designed so that a child can sleep in
it. If we go out when our son is due to have a nap, we always take
the buggy instead.

Ours have never had problem sleeping in ours - a Bushbaby, even though
it doesn't look that comfortable

We have a Bushbaby too. One of the reasons we chose it was that it had
a sort of cushion for the child to rest its head on to sleep. But our
son just sort of lolls around; it does indeed look uncomfortable, and he
never really sleeps much.

Regards,

--
Jim Ottaway

On Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:25:30 +0000, Martin Rich
wrote:

A good point: I'd recommend the science museum as somewhere with good
provision for children of all ages from toddlers upwards, with a range
of child-friendly exhibits in the basement in particular.

Please forgive me following up my own post, but two other particularly
child-friendly museums come to mind: the museum of childhood in
Bethnal Green, and the Horniman near Dulwich, which has a really
varied selection of exhibits and activities. Most of the structured
activities start with slightly older children, but both do provide
something for almost any age. We visited the Horniman last spring:
the youngest child in the group was just two at the time and she
thoroughly enjoyed herself.

Martin

"Jim Ottaway" wrote in message
...
wrote:
Hi all,

This might not be the right group to post this but I thought I would
give it a shot.

We're headed to London for a week with our 26 and 6 month olds. We

will be using the tube/busses etc. a fair bit to tour around London.
My initial thought was that a stroller would be cumbersome and we were
thinking of using a front carrier for the infant and a backpack carrier
for our 26 month old.

Does anyone have experience moving around London with toddlers and an
opinion on stroller (pushchair) versus backpacks?

Also, any recommendations on backpack carriers that are compact. The
one we have is fairly large (albiet sturdy) and might be a pain to fold
away at restaurants etc.

We live in London, and we use both a backpack and a buggy to get around
with our 26 month-old son.

On the underground it is almost inevitable that you will have to carry
the buggy up and down stairs some of the time. Many stations have
escalators and lifts, but there are often some steps to negotiate
between the platform and the exit. The only ones where it is guaranteed
that there will be no stairs are those with a disabled sign on the tube
map. Unfortunately, there aren't that many of those.

Almost all buses have a space where you can park your buggy these days.
The main problem with buses is during busy periods, when you have to
fight to get on with a buggy.

If you can get on, I find that it is usually possible to get a seat
simply by asking for one in a tone of voice that suggests that it is
your natural right [this works on the tube as well].

On the whole, I prefer the backpack, which I find more comfortable and
manoeuvrable. You mileage, so to speak, may vary: we typically use
public transport at busy times going to and from work and nursery.

The one drawback of the backpack, at least of the one that we have, is
that it doesn't seem to be designed so that a child can sleep in it. If
we go out when our son is due to have a nap, we always take the buggy
instead.


Regards,

--
Jim Ottaway


i go to london every five weeks and stay for 2 and all the travling i do is
on the tube. now wht i do is have my 29 month old walk and he loves it. and
have my 21 week old in a tomy freestyle carrier then i just put the change
bag over my should and head. its easy to get on and off by yourself. try
what ever advise for a day see how it goes that might be a way to get advice
help and choose

let me know how it goes if u have the time.
hope everything works out.
tishtash

On Jan 25, 9:56 am, wrote:
Thanks everyone for your responses!. I haven't used the backpackcarriera whole lot. A couple of times at the zoo here in Cincinnati
and at some outdoor venues in the US/Canada. Our 2 year old does get
fedup of being in it for too long though and so taking a long an
umbrella would probably be a good thing. Carrying a big backpack
(books, laptop, etc) in college . was fine on subways and buses in
Toronto - it might be OK with a 27lb 2yr old too..

My wife has a fairly firm (soft/padded)carriershe normaly uses for
the 6 month old although in the last couple of days she has tried this
newcarrierthat looks basically like a twin sheet that wraps around
her, I guess it is known as a "wrapcarrier". It's the most ugly thing
I've seen but she's the one who's gonna be wearing it and she seems to
like it better than the othercarrier. *shrug*

I liked the "framed" backpackcarrierthat I used for our 26 month old
but it's got a fairly thick metal frame, sun canopy, buttons, zippers
etc. It's fairly large, can't be compacted down to very much. So it
definitely won't fit in a backpack.

Irene - I will look into some of the soft carriers that you mentioned,
they might work out better, especially to pack away - thanks.

This is slightly off topic but we're going to be in India on vacation
(Goa) for 2 weeks afterLondonand are looking for front carriers for
the 6 month old that would be light, thin etc, because of the heat.
Thecarrier'swe have (other than the wrap) are quite thick and padded
and would probably be extremely hot to use. Something light, thin,
well ventilated would probably work.

Thanks!

Kevin

On Jan 24, 9:21 am, wrote:



Hi all,

This might not be the right group to post this but I thought I would
give it a shot.

We're headed toLondonfor a week with our 26 and 6 month olds. We
will be using the tube/busses etc. a fair bit to tour aroundLondon.
My initial thought was that a stroller would be cumbersome and we were
thinking of using a frontcarrierfor the infant and a backpackcarrier
for our 26 month old.

Does anyone have experience moving aroundLondonwith toddlers and an
opinion on stroller (pushchair) versus backpacks?

Also, any recommendations on backpack carriers that are compact. The
one we have is fairly large (albiet sturdy) and might be a pain to fold
away at restaurants etc.

Thanks!

Kevin- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Hi all,

Just thought I'd add some of our experiences to this thread. We just
got back from our week in London followed by 2 weeks in India. The
whole trip was awesome. On the topic of strollers and carriers etc:

The tube stations are horribly equipped for stroller. Most and I mean
almost all stations do not have any way of getting a stroller around
without actually carrying up and down the stairs. Even those that did
have an elevator it was so out of the way that it was quicker to just
walk up the stairs, stroller and all.

The buses weren't any better. We took about 6-8 buses in London and
all but 2 had the ability to "lower" and let a stroller on. One of
them, I motioned the driver to lower the bus and he just looked at me
all puzzled. So I just picked up the stroller and stepped in.

We had the same problem around some of the venues downtown. I'm not
really sure how someone in a wheelchair would manage, even with help
since it isn't as light as a stroller with a toddler in it.

Other than the stroller issues, London was a blast! Lots of fun, lots
to see. Even with two little kids it was awesome.

Contrary to popular belief, the M25 is definitely not a parking lot,
we rode on it about 5 times (couple at rush hour) and most times
averaged speeds of about 70 mph. Driving on the wrong side of the
road, shifting with the left hand was an experience too ;-)

Kevin