[blparent] on public transportation with a baby

Sat Sep 29 00:15:02 UTC 2012

It's quite a balancing act to get on a bus with a baby, a diaper bag, a cane 
or a dog, a stroller, a purse, and any shopping packages or whatever else 
you might be carrying.  The best way for me was to have the stroller folded 
up before the bus arrived at the stop in case the driver happened to be 
behind schedule or just plain impatient.  When my daughter was small, I 
sometimes wore a hip bag or carried a backpack, so a purse was one less 
thing I had to juggle.  I could put stuff that I was carrying into the 
backpack or the diaper bag, then what I did even though it was a bit 
unconventional was to let my dog go up the bus steps while only holding her 
leash instead of the harness handle.  Then I tucked the folded stroller 
under one arm and held the baby with the other, or used a carrier, although 
I never did like either of my carriers because they were too much for my 
back and shoulders.  I had a fairly light stroller, so if you have a heavy 
one, you might have to adjust how you position everything a little.  Often 
if there were other people waiting at the stop, someone would offer to carry 
the stroller, and I always said thank you and let him or her do it.  I know 
some would see that as a sign of not being independent, but I was eager to 
get on the bus with the least hassle and grateful for the help.  I've never 
seen a stroller strapped down in the spot where people in wheelchairs sit.

To tell the truth, maybe I'm obsessive, but I practiced my bus stop routine 
in my living room, with a doll and an empty stroller, and timed myself till 
I could get ready to board as quickly as possible.  I was glad I had 
practiced once I did the real thing because I didn't get quite as 
overwhelmed with only having two hands when I needed five or six.  Adding a 
squirming and perhaps crying baby was a lot different than working with a 
doll, but still, I had some idea of what to do first, next, and last.

I found that I really had to want or need to get somewhere before I was 
willing to travel on public transportation with my baby.  It's a lot of 
work.  If I wanted to do something fun like going to the zoo or the water 
park, it was often easier and less stressful for me to hire a driver or ask 
a friend to go with me and offer to pay for her children's admission.  Or 
sometimes a friend would want to go anyway, so we would pay separately and I 
would spring for lunch or pack a picnic.  Many local moms' groups organize 
monthly trips, even more in the summer, to local places of interest, so you 
could join in on a car pool and pay your share of the gas and road tolls. 
Some churches have driving services, and you can also take a baby on 
Paratransit, although you might have to pay extra.  So by all means use the 
bus, but look for more creative options as well instead of staying home, 
which will be a temptation you'll probably have to resist at times because 
of the energy needed to travel with your caravan--and yes, you'll feel 
loaded down like a camel.

Jo Elizabeth

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may 
kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at 
evening.--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
-----Original Message----- 
From: Tatyana
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2012 5:17 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] on public transportation with a baby

Erin and Bran, thank you.  Of course, It's all depends on situation, most
likely I'll be having  the baby in carrier, but just in case I needed to
know where and how  I can put a stroller on a bus . I just thought there may
be some place on a bus where   wheelchairs are strapped or buckled- I don't
know how exactly it works. I just saw how a driver helpt a guy in a
wheelchair to do it. Would it be same thing with a stroller? Folding might
not work, since my both  arms wouldn't  be free. I don't use a bus too
often, and when I see parents with kids, usually they are older ones, not
babies, so I'm trying to guess.

Thank you.
Tatyana.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brandy Wojcik" <ballstobooks at gmail.com>
To: "'Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2012 5:11 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] on public transportation with a baby

> Yes you can bring a stroller on the bus, but will most often have to hold
> the baby and they will want you to fold the stroller.
>
> No you don't have to inform a cab that you have a baby unless your cab
> charges per person and counts children. Again you will need to fold the
> stroller and put it in the trunk.
>
> Shopping for baby gear is no easy task.
>
> Bran
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Tatyana
> Sent: Friday, September 28, 2012 3:49 PM
> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: [blparent] on public transportation with a baby
>
> Hello,
> First of all, I would  like to thank all who responded to my questions. 
> I've
> read carefully  your stroller recommendations, did our own research and we
> finely purchased our first baby thing. It's a pricy stroller but it has 
> all
> features that we were looking for. I don't remember the name right now,
> it's a stroller that I'm going to pool behind me, it has adjustable 
> handle,
> it converts to flat surface   which is good for a newborn, a carseat may 
> be
> attached with additionally bought adapter, and that's a jogger.
>
> So, can I bring a stroller on a public bus? I believe I can, but will it 
> be
> attached by a driver, so it don't move, or I will need  to do it myself? 
> In
> case of taxi, do I need to inform them that I'm going travel with a baby 
> in
> a carseat?
>
> Tatyana.
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