Stupid Question: How do you get around the city with toddlers (New York: home, neighborhood)

[Serving Christ]

Hello again, I was just wondering how do you get around the city with a toddler? Sorry for such a stupid question, I'm sure there is a very easy answer, but I've lived in suburban america for the past 12 years and a very very small town before that and so life without a car is intriguing but also strange for me to think about. I have a 17 month old and so still needs a car seat when we travel and will for at least a few more years. I read that in new york it is legal for a toddler to just sit on your lap if you take a cab anywhere but how safe is this? are there any products that can strap your kid to your seatbelt while riding in the cab. As far as the subway goes I just get nervous thinking about taking my little girl on it. she would do ok in a stroller but I can't imagine that would be easy to maneuver around and in a subway car. but if I let her just walk I would be freaking out worried that she might run right into an oncoming train or fall off the platform onto the train tracks. I haven't thought about a bus, but I guess that would be in the same category as taking a cab. anybody got any suggestions. anybody else worried about their kids getting hit by a subway train or is it just me? Would we look like total idiots if we used one of those leashes for kids?

[emcallis]

Originally Posted by Serving Christ

Hello again, I was just wondering how do you get around the city with a toddler? Sorry for such a stupid question, I'm sure there is a very easy answer, but I've lived in suburban america for the past 12 years and a very very small town before that and so life without a car is intriguing but also strange for me to think about. I have a 17 month old and so still needs a car seat when we travel and will for at least a few more years. I read that in new york it is legal for a toddler to just sit on your lap if you take a cab anywhere but how safe is this? are there any products that can strap your kid to your seatbelt while riding in the cab. As far as the subway goes I just get nervous thinking about taking my little girl on it. she would do ok in a stroller but I can't imagine that would be easy to maneuver around and in a subway car. but if I let her just walk I would be freaking out worried that she might run right into an oncoming train or fall off the platform onto the train tracks. I haven't thought about a bus, but I guess that would be in the same category as taking a cab. anybody got any suggestions. anybody else worried about their kids getting hit by a subway train or is it just me? Would we look like total idiots if we used one of those leashes for kids?

You should be nervous!! You're trying something new with your precious loved one. I don't believe they need a car seat in the cab. Call the cab company in advance and see what they require. If it's a car seat, get the stroller that has the car seat attached. I don't like the subway's or buses because your on someone else's schedule. You can't get right home when need be. But, I am not from NY but I've been several times and it's very busy!! Good luck at whatever you do and enjoy!!

[yodel]

My kids are out of strollers now, but when they were smaller I got around with a relatively small and light stroller--not the ones with the attached car seat. I used the subway frequently. There was almost always someone to help me carry the stroller up and down the stairs, and when there wasn't anyone, I just did it myself. When the kids got a little bigger I would have them get out and walk up/down the stairs, and then sit back down when we got to the street or the platform.

I almost never took cabs or the bus with them. I think it's permitted to ride without car seats in cabs, but it doesn't seem safe. Buses are difficult because you have to fold up the stroller, which is hard if you tend to carry stuff underneath.

Really the subway's not that bad with kids. Riders seem to be used to strollers. Again, just be sure to get a small and light one, and avoid the trains at rush hours and you'll be fine.

[jacktravern]

Originally Posted by Serving Christ

Hello again, I was just wondering how do you get around the city with a toddler? Sorry for such a stupid question, I'm sure there is a very easy answer, but I've lived in suburban america for the past 12 years and a very very small town before that and so life without a car is intriguing but also strange for me to think about. I have a 17 month old and so still needs a car seat when we travel and will for at least a few more years. I read that in new york it is legal for a toddler to just sit on your lap if you take a cab anywhere but how safe is this? are there any products that can strap your kid to your seatbelt while riding in the cab. As far as the subway goes I just get nervous thinking about taking my little girl on it. she would do ok in a stroller but I can't imagine that would be easy to maneuver around and in a subway car. but if I let her just walk I would be freaking out worried that she might run right into an oncoming train or fall off the platform onto the train tracks. I haven't thought about a bus, but I guess that would be in the same category as taking a cab. anybody got any suggestions. anybody else worried about their kids getting hit by a subway train or is it just me? Would we look like total idiots if we used one of those leashes for kids?

Like u said, for those with a car, yeah just use the car seat. But when I see moms taking strollers on the subway and then usually expecting helps to get up several levels of subway steps, well lets just say Its not a good look. Its hard enough to negotiate urself safely on and off a subway but when u bring a small child into the mix, its tough.

[bmwguydc]

You can bring your own car/booster seat and a cab has to allow it to be installed, but there is a loophole that exempts TLC vehicles from the requirement to keep children restrained. There are, however, car services that cater to children, such as Kid Car.

One thing to do is to pay the cabbie for the downtime when you are installing the seat. The law does not say that you have to do this, but if you offer, they may take you up on it, and the extra fare is well worth protecting a child. A convertible stroller/seat combination can be good for this purpose.

Don't ever use a cab without seat belts with children. Check the back of the cab before you close the door, and if they are not functioning, tell the driver. It could be that the buckle has slipped beneath the seat, and he can pull it out, but if it cannot be easily fixed, it's not worth the risk.

Public transportation is safer than an unrestrained child, or improperly restrained child, in a cab. Get a good collapsible stroller that you can handle with one hand easily, and you can use the bus/subway. The bus is actually safer than the cab, since they don't go as quickly, and you are better able to hold your child. Modern buses actually have higher back seats as well, that help to protect passengers. For an older child, a booster seat works in cabs, just get a compact model that you can carry underneath the stroller.

As for the safety harness, that's an idividual decision, and you know your child best. You can get one that's camoflauged as a backpack/stuffed animal -- monkey, lion, dog, etc. And, if you see the need, you are the child's parent, so who cares what other people think? As your child ages, of course you would not need it in NYC, but for those situations where it gives an extra piece of mind, I don't think it's a bad thing, since there are places in public where a child need not be exploring on their own. Even the most attentive parent can become momentarily distracted, so it's a personal decision, but I don't have an issue with someone who is striving to protect their child by using one.

[lynn79os]

Originally Posted by bmwguydc

And, if you see the need, you are the child's parent, so who cares what other people think? As your child ages, of course you would not need it in NYC, but for those situations where it gives an extra piece of mind, I don't think it's a bad thing, since there are places in public where a child need not be exploring on their own. Even the most attentive parent can become momentarily distracted, so it's a personal decision, but I don't have an issue with someone who is striving to protect their child by using one.

I completely agree. Don't worry about what others think...in NYC no one cares, truly. You can leash your child if you want and you probably won't get a second look.

As someone with a toddler moving to the City soon, I have done a lot of research on this very topic. Having lived there previously, and having had visited when my little man was 8 months old, I do have some experience as well.

Get a lightweight stroller, skip the Travel System monstrosities. Recommended to me on this forum, and also by a friend in NYC is the Maclearn Volo. It's less than $200, lightweight and a workhorse. You will see others on the subway with strollers - just don't go on during rush hours and you'll be fine. Some stations have elevators or escalators too. Just leave your daughter in her stroller and try to keep the stroller out of the way as much as possible. This won't be hard during regular hours. If you are alone, almost always someone offers to help, which is typical of the very kind New Yorkers! Otherwise you on one end, your mate on the other and carry the stroller with the child in it for ease. Again, if it's not rush hour, it won't be bad. If it is rush hour it can get hairy with so many people (and them glaring at you for being slow...! lol)

You do not need a car seat in the cabs according the law. It's horribly frightening. I will admit I did it once...so I wouldn't miss a flight. I was literally praying the entire cab ride. Ugh. Makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it. Stupid move on my part.

I do feel comfortable with my son on a bus, we've done that quite a bit. Buses move pretty slowly and are generally safe. Folding up the stroller is a pain.

And generally you can walk to wherever you need to go in your neighborhood for normal life stuff-like groceries, dinner out, etc.

If it rains, you can purchase a rain cover for your stroller. This made me laugh the first time I saw it...kids basically riding around in plastic bags!!! (there are air vents...it's totally safe, just funny when you've never seen it)

I actually think it will be EASIER to get around with the public transit than hoisting my child into the car every time we have to go somewhere, buckling/unbuckling, etc. Drives me bonkers. Then again, I don't like driving/owning a car...so...anything to do with it I generally don't like!

Hope that helps.