When I was in NYC recently, I was in awe of families with babies and toddlers, trudging their way through the unforgiving concrete jungle. It would seem so hard to get around! And those tiny apartments! Maybe I'm a hick... I live in a suburb and drive everywhere, just getting the stroller onto the porch is an inconvenience.
How do city moms do it, navigating the subway, getting groceries, running errands with a baby???
I guess I'm thinking NYC, London which has notoriously cramped housing. Is it tough having a baby in a crowded city?
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Haha, well everytime we travel to a place that isn't walkable or doesn't have good public transportation, I have the exact opposite reaction and think it must be such a pain in the butt to live somewhere where you have to drive everywhere! You just get used to your daily routine, no matter what it is
I do wish our apartment was bigger--dh works from home, and I do too much of the time, so we could definitely use an extra room for an office ---and wish we had a yard for our dogs. But I like being able to walk to get to the grocery store, coffee shop, daycare, park, etc
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I feel the same way about people who have to drive everywhere. walking is so much easier--your stroller is like your car, you just load it up and head out. As for small apartments, you just learn to organize well, and buy things that serve multiple purposes. I could never live in a non-walkable area.
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We basically got rid of all of our belongings when we moved to Chicago. Walking is a lot easier than driving in my opinion. 8 hate trying to get the kids in the car. We get groceries delivered most of the time
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I've been a city mom and am now a suburban mom. I have to sat that although I am happy to have a house and a yard, it was a hell of a lot easier getting around Brooklyn with a baby than it is here. I loathe packing my kids into the car - stroller life is so much easier!
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I agree with the other posters, I wouldn't have it any other way - we don't have a car, love to walk and take public transportation. We even found good carseat solutions for taxis. We live in a neighborhood with lots of parks, and our building and the neighboring buildings all have playrooms, so our son spends a lot of time either outside in the park, playgrounds, or in his or a friend's playroom. I think the key is finding a part of the city you love.
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There's pros and cons to all living situations. We live in NYC (Upper West Side) and I have 3.5 year old twins. Our apartment is 800 sq ft and we don't have a car, so our stroller is our main form of transportation. It is hard- it's expensive, and dirty and wears you down. BUT- we live about 25 yards away from the Manhattan Children's Museum. The Museum of Natural History is 2 blocks away. Restaurants, shops, schools, culture, diversity, just all these amazing things are a stones throw from us. So while our living space is small, where we live is so, so big. And amazing, which makes it all worth it!
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I think it's different when you actually live someplace, as opposed to when you are visiting. When you live in an urban area, you mostly stick to your little neighborhood when you are with your baby. You'll find a daycare/school in that area, and a pediatrician, and your neighborhood grocery and your nearby parks. So you aren't necessarily packing your kids up and going on subways/busses across the whole city every day.
As far as strollers--most (many) walkups let people keep their strollers down on the first floor and people get groceries and big items delivered. You can send laundry out and have it washed and folded fairly cheaply. And of course, some buildings have elevators and washer/dryer in unit.
It's just very different. I was looking for a nanny share last year before we decided to have a nanny just for our family-- I live in a small, urban city/neighborhood. If someone responded to my nanny share posts and said they lived even half a mile away, I would be like...nah, that's too far. Since my husband would be walking in the morning to the nanny share house, we were really looking for someone within a couple of blocks of us.
I do find it easier to leave my house with just 2 kids and my stroller. Also, I do almost all our grocery shopping with my stroller. I can fit about 8-9 bags worth of groceries and my two kids in there, haha. 4 in the bottom basket, and the rest hanging from the 4 stroller hooks I have.
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I live in DC and find it so much easier than when I'm visiting rural, /suburban areas. I rarely use my stroller, but the Tula is used every day. We walk to daycare, bus to the doctor, and have most groceries delivered. If we need groceries, we walk 3 blocks.
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Wow I love threads like these! I have nothing in walking distance, and always pack up the car to go places. I dread it in winter.
So big city people, what do you do in winter with snow on the ground? I can't imagine a stroller would do well in the snow??
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I live on the outskirts of a city but not quite suburbs... love our walkability and wish we could walk more, but I think we're in a happy medium. I just want to chime in that I lived in NYC for several years and I want to second what @Anagram: said about living in a place being very different from being a tourist in a place. When we lived in NYC, I think every person that visited us (and stayed with us in our 350 sq foot apartment) said something along the lines of "I never thought that this city was a place I could live, but now I can see how you live here." When I lived there, I was not visiting Times Square, trying to get into a restaurant every night, or puzzling over the subway map and wondering if the station I needed to get off at would have an elevator for my stroller. I went to and from work, to the playgrounds and dog parks and grocery stores I was familiar with, and just lived my life, much like you do in the suburbs.
As for snow, my experience was that there is often not a lot of snow on the sidewalks since so many people are walking on them every day although that may not be the case in some areas. And it helps to have a good stroller that steers well.
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@MrsBrewer: I was in Boston when we had record breaking snow. I wore my then 1.5 year old on my back the whole winter. Even my beefy ub vista was no match for that snow. I don't know what I'd do with two kids though. Now we just moved to the suburbs and I am absolutely dreading having to drive in the snow.
Also I found it way easier to do grocery shopping in the city because I would walk with the double stroller and put the groceries underneath. It's much more difficult getting the two kids in and out of the car and the shopping cart and baby carrier... I have groceries delivered more now than I did in the city!
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I have the same sentiments as the city dwellers! We lived in Brooklyn the first year of my son's life and we've always lived in big cities since. You do just get used to it and adapt. Like @hilsy85: said, your stroller is your car for carting kids and groceries. When we visit my family, they live in a small town and you have to drive everywhere, we never even needed a stroller when visiting, even when my son was very small.. I couldn't imagine having to drive every day. Where we live now, we are in an extremely central location and like @Trailmix: said, the world is right there. We have 2 parks less than two minutes away, at least 5 grocery stores within a 10 minute walk, museums, doctors, services, etc. I truly wouldn't want to trade for the opposite lifestyle!
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I have the best of both. I live in one of the largest cities in a rural county. We are 1.5 blocks from the main drag. We have several restaurants, bars, banks, winery tasting rooms as well as a grocery store and post office. I would have a different time living outside of a walkable community. Sometimes I don't drive for days in a row especially during summer, I love going in the stroller everywhere and putting the babe in the car seat feels like a chore. But thanks to our COL we have a way bigger place then when we lived in the big city.
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i vastly prefer walking everywhere and feel so trapped when we visit my parents in the suburbs and have to drive everywhere. we can't walk a block without running into someone we know in the city -- there is a real sense of community even in a bustling metropolis. i absolutely loved it.
the main downside for me is the cost. otherwise i prefer city life in most ways!
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Honestly, I go back and forth between loving and hating it. I'd say I love it about 75% of the time. I dislike driving in general, and I love that we can just walk most places. We walk to daycare, to work (DH takes the train), to restaurants, museums, even a full size mall. We also live close to 2 train stations so we can easily get around that way as well. We specifically have strollers that are small and light enough to fit through tight spaces and fold up quickly. We are pretty used to traveling light. You also figure out pretty quickly as a local where and when you can go where it won't be too crowded (for ex. there are certain restaurants and museums that we only visit very early in the morning).
I find it hard when it rains or is extremely cold or when there is tons of snow (like @Foodnerd81 mentioned, it was impossible to use a stroller during the crazy snows in Boston 2 years ago). We do own a car but we don't have off-street parking at our house, and I also don't have a spot at work, so I can't just drive when the weather is bad. We need to just suck it up. It's also been tough while pregnant (my 3 miles of walking commute each day is starting to really wear me down).
All in all though, I prefer this to suburbia (where I grew up). It's just different in certain ways, and you get used to it or figure out how to work around it.
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We lived in the city for the first 3 years of our eldest's life and about 6 months with our second kiddo. The hardest part of city life with kids for us was our stroller. We lived in a walk up condo, so the stroller resided in the car for most of the time we were in the city. If the car was in use and the other parent was home with the baby, the stroller was on the deck or in the condo. Such a pain to bring it down, etc.
We live in a suburb now. It's great having a garage to put the stroller in. Our subdivision is super walkable too with parks as part of it. We get the city feel without the hassle.
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I hate buckling and unbuckling my kids. I cannot imagine having to drive everywhere. I took my three on an errand in the burbs and two fell asleep even though it was no where near naptime and then wouldn't nap the rest of the day and were awful.
With a stroller I can get anything we need and don't have to wake people up if they happen to fall asleep.
Winter coats are such a pain in the car. In the stroller they are bundled well and don't have to get dressed/undressed/dressed to go anywhere.@MrsBrewer: with the right stroller, snow is not a problem. We're in Canada. My city is excellent at snow removal and I've never had an issue using my strollers even during heavy snowfall.
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When my son was born, we technically lived in a village, but it was extremely well connected by public transportation. My son and I walked everywhere those first 2 years.
The most difficult part of dealing with the stroller was the fact that stroller parking was always overflowing and people would get their strollers stolen (especially the high end ones) so you'd have to go through the extra precaution of locking the wheels together with a bike lock and emptying the contents if you left it anywhere.
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@MrsBrewer: LO #1 was walking when snow hit. We would just bundle him up and go to parks and a nearby parking lot to play in the snow. I remember we took a stroller out once in the snow and played at park. It was messy and cold, but we did it anyway. LO #2 wasn't walking when we moved last October, so he watched his brother play in the snow from the back porch. This year, we'll get him out in the snow more.
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We live in the city and 90% of the time it is great. We walk everywhere, and it is really only when the weather is miserable that I hate it and wish I lived somewhere where I drove! When it snows, LO is bundled up and in his bunting on the stroller with a wind cover on so he's comfy as can me, mommy not so much. We use a Bob for when the snow is really bad and in the record breaking year, we actually had to drive LO to school, drop him off, park the car back at the house and then do it all again in the evenings. It was a nightmare but only was an issue for a few weeks when the sidewalks were impassible. We have definitely gotten our moneys worth out of our strollers!
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@MrsBrewer: I often baby wear. We will see what happens with two this winter. But I can get to everything I really need in about 5 blocks. Music class, doctor, food, friends.
We have lots of parks where we are and LO is outside as much as possible. In the winter, it's bundling up, playrooms and the library.
I can't imagine driving everywhere... But now that we have a car sometimes it's great to be able to get out of the city for a little breath of fresh air.
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i love city living, especially with a baby! my stroller is my car, we walk everywhere (take the bus/trolley with the stroller when we have to). we spend most of the time on our neighborhood, and love running into friends and neighbors everywhere we go. if i had to get in the car to go everywhere, i'd never leave the house! also, i love apartment living, the square footage seems so much bigger on one floor than chopped up into 2 or 3, and i don't have to worry about DS on the stairs.
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@MrsBrewer: Like some of the other bees said, babywearing is great for the city. Also, I have never encountered a problem with snow here in Manhattan - the snow gets plowed immediately.
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Echoing what people have said about snow--I've used my baby carrier on really bad days when the snow is too deep or the path that's been shoveled is too narrow for my stroller, but in NYC at least that's very few days a year. Everything gets plowed/shoveled very quickly, and also the city itself generates heat so it melts much more quickly than in the suburbs (and then you just have annoyingly huge puddles at every street corner...). Good boots are a must, haha!
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Agree with the above commenters, I feel so free living in a walkable city, being able to just stroll out my front door and go almost anywhere I could ever want in just a few minutes. The idea of having to get into a car for every single outing and errand feels like a prison when I think about it.
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@nana87: @PawPrints: Ditto your recent two comments!
I think that the walking and not driving is a major plus. I can't imagine driving and buckling a car seat every errand. In and out of a car. Yikes!
We actually had a vacation home for a year and I found the city way easier! We were only there on the weekends and occasionally a week at a time so it was a nice break but I couldn't imagine it indefinitely.
As far as the subway, we generally don't use it and if we do we avoid peak times. When he couldn't walk I just never did it because the stroller was a pain. Now that he can walk its way easier to use and we're increasing the frequency but it's still no more than once a month (like to see a friend or something that just isn't walkable).
We also have a car so that helps with really far treks where subway and walking aren't ideal.Snow can be a slight pain but not as bad as you'd think. Rain is actually worse, in my opinion.
Small living space is by far the hardest part. We are lucky to have a spare room and our whole apt is probably a little bigger than most. But the storage is a joke. And I feel bad on rainy or super hot/cold days that he's locked up in a small space.
But the benefits are an indoor pool and a playroom where all the kids in the building go. Or to play with other kids in the building you don't have to go outside. So again, for every con I feel there are many pros. -
I love never having to put my daughter in a car. Sometimes she just likes riding the subway for fun. Everything we do for her is within walking distance (doctors, pre-school, activities) or a very short subway or bus ride, and we don’t even use the stroller much at this point (she’s 3.5). We invested in carriers and lighter strollers when she was younger.
The small space keeps you honest about acquiring things, especially toys, and I find I either am very critical about what I buy or I give things away pretty regularly. -
I loved city life. We invested in good strollers so we could load up on groceries and cope with snow and walked everywhere all year round, it was fantastic. Now we live in the sticks and it is such a pain in the butt getting us all in and out of the car and transit here is ridiculously bad and slow. I also loved having so many museums, attractions and baby groups on my doorstep. Being a mum was a lot easier in the city.
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Here's a photo of me wearing my twins when there was too much snow for the stroller, lol!
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I could dig city life although I am the suburbs. . Love the subway and walkability. I am somewhat a minimalist.
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Also, it's important to note, you can get everything picked up/delivered for you. Laundry, dry cleaning, booze, groceries, any type of cuisine you desire at any time of day, basically any item you desire can be to your door in an hour. That cannot be understated. Smaller errands that would require multiple trips in a car can be skipped, eliminated or consolidated. I can run almost all of my random errands within a 10 block radius
Take this upcoming Wednesday. Need to get a set of keys made (2 blocks walk) post office (3 blocks), ups (1 block), dry cleaner (50 ft), storytime (4 blocks), NAPTIME (yaaaaaas), quick shop at grocery store (6 blocks), playtime at 1st park (3 blocks), hit another park on way home (2 blocks). Then my wine delivery arrives after I'm home. I can walk about a block per minute. So that's about 25 min of walking with the stroller and I accomplished that entire listDownsides: snow. If a walk doesn't get shoveled it gets tough to get out of the house. Everyone is in small spaces so it's not like on nasty days all of the kids can pile into the giant house down the block with the massive playroom. Maybe they exist in NYC but I'm not friends with them
Being a pedestrian sucks sometimes. I lose my crap daily at drivers who nearly run me over (while pushing our stroller). -
@MrsBrewer: We bought a jogging stroller to navigate the unshoveled and snowy sidewalks of Chicago in order to get my son to and from daycare. It does pretty well in the average snowfall.
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This is fascinating! I didn't realize so much could get delivered.
@Trailmix: you are literally dripping with kids!!
I do wish our apartment was bigger--dh works from home, and I do too much of the time, so we could definitely use an extra room for an office ---and wish we had a yard for our dogs. But I like being able to walk to get to the grocery store, coffee shop, daycare, park, etc
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