[blparent] on public transportation with a baby

Sat Sep 29 12:00:06 UTC 2012

Yes, yes, yes!  This is all so true.  I took public transportation all the
time when I was living in Portland, Oregon but that's because they have
excellent transit.  When my son was a new born and I was living in Tucson
Arizona the transit there stunk and it was often-times way too hot to do
long trips using public transit with a little baby and black guide dog so I
often took para-transit there and it worked great.  I'd check with what your
para-transit rules are but from my experience most cities do not charge
extra for a child under a certain age.  Usually this is around 5 or 6 years
old and then after they do reach that age you can add them to your
information with the para-transit company as a PCA or Personal Care
Attendant so they can continue riding for free.  You can only do this with
one child however so if you have a second child over a certain age then
you'll have to pay extra.  Before living in Tucson I hardly ever had taken
para-transit but with a new baby in a stroller and car seat it was a really
nice way to travel because I was able to use the lift on the bus to get the
stroller on board and they'd just strap the stroller into a wheelchair spot
without me having to fold it.  Now remember that this was para-transit and
not the public bus so they have different rules and each company has their
own rules as well.  I then would either take my son up the stairs in his car
seat or let him have a ride on the lift.  In Tucson the bus stops are rarely
covered which is insane for a city that has almost 365 days of son and 6
months of intense heat each year.  The bus stops are also a mile or two
apart and only in certain areas.  This was not an accessible city by any
means so getting rides with friends or taking para-transit was best for us.

Now that we live in San Diego we've never taken para-transit as of yet
because the public transit is very good.  It's not quite up to Portland
standards but it's a close second.  I have a bus stop right outside my house
and the trolley is only 2 blocks away so it doesn't get better than that.
The drivers have been very helpful here and I often times just ask the
driver if they can run me over to my next bus bae if I'm at a transit
station and need to catch a connection.  I know where to go to get my next
bus but it has proven so much more helpful to have the driver or another
passenger who's willing to aid me in finding the next bus stop quickly so
that I'm not trying to lug everything I have with a baby and guide dog while
trying to find the signs.

Erin

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Brandy Wojcik
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2012 6:01 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] on public transportation with a baby

I couldn't agree with this more. In order to go to my bible study on Tuesday
mornings I Load up 2 children ages 6 months and 2 and a half, all their
things along with my things such as Braille note phone, keys and water
bottle, into a back pack. For the first leg of the trip we are on a bus and
I don't actually need the car seats so I where the baby in a my tie spelling
is probably wrong, but a wrap type front carrier and hold the older one's
hand. Then We get off at the mall where the roul shuttle meats the next bus.
This can be the other roul rout bus, or the special transit bus depending on
availability, and depending on the mode of transportation I have to install
the car seats and buckle the kids in. We get to the church have our study
and do it in reverse for the ride home. I cannot imagine adding a stroller
to the mix. The 2 year old either wares her monkey harness or her squeaky
shoes and can walk the short distances involved and the baby just stays
strapped.

Now the reason for strollers not going in the wheel chair places is because
they don't have safe approved places for the straps to go that are crash
tested. Wheel chairs are built with the proper breaks, weight and places to
restrain the chair.

Bran

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2012 8:15 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] on public transportation with a baby

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.
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blparent:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/ballstobooks%40gmail.c
> om
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> blparent:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/tagriru%40gmail.com

_______________________________________________
blparent mailing list
blparent at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
blparent:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/jopinto%40msn.com 

_______________________________________________
blparent mailing list
blparent at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blparent:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/ballstobooks%40gmail.c
om

_______________________________________________
blparent mailing list
blparent at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blparent:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/erinrumer%40gmail.com