https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 06 May 2026 22:35:53 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2570074 Sat, 18 Jun 2016 17:07:24 +0000 Pollywog 2570074@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have street parking. The closest spots are 50 yards away. It has never been a problem, mainly because I normally carry him and he's almost never in the car (we walk to daycare, the store, the pool...) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2570040 Sat, 18 Jun 2016 12:43:47 +0000 LovelyPlum 2570040@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Goldengirl: the wagon was my savior, for real. We have this one: <a href="http://m.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=55704446&#038;camp=CSE:GooglePLA:55704446:20331218-DSG:LIFESTYLE-CAMPING_BACKYARD_FURNITURE" rel="nofollow">http://m.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=55704446&#038;camp=CSE:GooglePLA:55704446:20331218-DSG:LIFESTYLE-CAMPING_BACKYARD_FURNITURE</a> </p> [attach=3423/16/o8zap7.275x279.pDSP1-20331224p275w.jpg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2570038 Sat, 18 Jun 2016 12:27:47 +0000 Coffee-lover 2570038@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I only have street parking and sometines have to park 1/2 a mile away. During the newborn phase i had a bucket car seat and a frame stroller it would snap into similar to this. Its lightweight and does not take up much room, and you dont have to wake your newborn up to get them out of the car seat.</p> <p>After a few monts when my daughter stopped sleeping in her carseat and the car we switched to a perrmenant car seat and I just used a carrier to wear her back. The carrier is the most convienent way for me, and I still wear her to the car daily and she is a year old. I have a little cart on wheels that I fill with my grocery bags while I wear her.</p> <p>[attach=5703/16/o8z9uc.450x600.image.png]</p> <p>[attach=5703/16/o8z9ud.250x250.image.jpeg] </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2569314 Fri, 17 Jun 2016 02:31:03 +0000 theRoo 2569314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I felt uniquely cursed in a similar situation but now that I live where I have to drive everywhere the grass is looking greener on the other side! It really encouraged me to do errands with the stroller in all weather.<br /> Re: groceries in particular: With a baby I wore her and put the groceries in the stroller...with the elevator and a big sturdy Bob I could roll them all the way to the kitchen. (Other strollers have more underneath carrying space for groceries though.) When she was walking I would hold her hand and push the stroller with the other (again a good point to consider when stroller shopping). Or I would double park and unload groceries fast into the vestibule with kid in car, and then go park and walk back together. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2569288 Thu, 16 Jun 2016 22:10:01 +0000 Goldengirl 2569288@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LovelyPlum: Yes, cold climate :( I read about the collapsable wagon somewhere else, seems like a smart idea!</p> <p>@PinkElephant: Oh noooo, that sucks! Boo :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2569199 Thu, 16 Jun 2016 18:51:07 +0000 PinkElephant 2569199@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Goldengirl: Soooooo, after I made my first post, my SUV (street parked in front of my house) got sideswiped in a hit and run by a FedEx truck. Know what I'm thinking? It's worth every penny to pay for a parking spot....not that it couldn't get hit in a garage too, but ugh! Just spent an hour and a half ducking my head outside every 3 minutes waiting for the police to come take a report (so FedEx will cover the damage - the guy left a FedEx missed delivery slip , but nothing else) while trying to feed my kids dinner and get them ready for bed. EEEK. Street parking is such a headache! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2569144 Thu, 16 Jun 2016 17:06:30 +0000 LovelyPlum 2569144@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did it for about 1.5 years. I won't lie-sometimes, it was a PITA. But, it's doable. Our two keys to success were a stroller to walk to the car and a collapsible wagon for bringing the "stuff"- groceries,extra bags, etc. Sometimes, we used both and looked like quite the parade walking to the car, especially in the winter. But now it's better. </p> <p>Are you in a cold climate? Warming up the car is a pain, but we still have that issue, even with a dedicated parking spot. I'd say you get used to it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568653 Thu, 16 Jun 2016 08:27:29 +0000 PinkElephant 2568653@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Goldengirl: Why have you decided you want a car? Honestly, if the parking situation stinks, and its just for weekend trips/big grocery hauls, it might be worth waiting til baby is here, seeing how it goes the first six months renting zipcars as you need them, and reassessing in the spring/summer when you'll have the "lay of the land" with your new place and new baby a bit better.</p> <p>we have a car in Brooklyn, in a situation similar to @LCTBQE: I really don't drive during the week for the most part. We take it out on weekends and on long vacations. I only move it during the week for street cleaning (another annoying aspect of street parking in most cities you may want to consider). I order most of our big groceries online, and walk or take the subway during the week, because finding parking during the morning/evening change over, or school pick up/drop off, or street cleaning hours, is a HUGE PITA.</p> <p>But if you've decided to bite the bullet - then yes; like other people have said - double park in front of your house with your hazards on, unload the car (just toss stuff in your lobby/front door), then go with the baby still in the car with you to find a spot, and keep a stroller/snap and go/ergo in the trunk of your car, always.</p> <p>ETA: As far as the spot goes...maybe wait and see how stressful it ends up being. I've figured out how to manage moving the car for street cleaning with two kids, but the level of stress may just be worth throwing $$$ at it and getting a paid spot once baby #3 arrives - it's hard to move quickly enough to snag spots when you're bundling up/buckling in two little munchkins, let alone three! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568640 Thu, 16 Jun 2016 08:14:21 +0000 Mama Bird 2568640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Depends on the neighborhood. The street parking itself is easy, if we park far from home I can usually put baby in the stroller, all the stuff under the stroller, and walk home. But... in my neighborhood finding parking at all is not guaranteed, and sometimes I circle around for 40 minutes or just give up and leave the car at my parents' an hour away. That bit is awful and means I can never go places with the kids unless DH is there to help me wrestle the stroller onto the subway, or it's walking distance. My car usually lives in my parents' driveway, and keeping it at home is not realistic except once in a blue moon. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568609 Thu, 16 Jun 2016 07:18:56 +0000 MrsSRS 2568609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I was in a similar situation I totally gave up on the grocery part. I had all heavy/bulky groceries delivered. Or left everything shelf stable in the car for DH to bring in later. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568417 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 20:03:18 +0000 LCTBQE 2568417@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Goldengirl: we are in Brooklyn in a neighborhood where parking is not so bad in the summer (people leave town) and pretty tough in the winter, and we're still doing street parking--we haven't even considered paying for a spot, they run about $400/mo here. the thing that makes it livable for us is that we *only* use the car, infrequently, for fun stuff. we commute on the train and it's not essential to our grocery/errand routine. if it was or if I drove to work, I'd get the spot. all of that said, I don't anticipate that a baby will change how we use our car. if you do and your neighborhood is super competitive, maybe it's worth it? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568306 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 17:27:59 +0000 Eko 2568306@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have on street permitted parking and it really isn't a big deal with an infant. You know what is terrible? Street parking and snow. I sincerely am traumatized and will never do it again. Parking where I am with snow is terrible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568300 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 17:08:40 +0000 Foodnerd81 2568300@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have an indoor parking spot, but we still have two flights of stairs to get groceries up anyway. So when we had one kid I usually walked with our stroller to the store anyway and didn't buy more than I could push back. Save the really big trips for the weekend alone, or now with two I often have them delivered. It's actually easier to shop with the stroller than it was before we had kids and I had to carry everything home from the store. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568292 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:50:38 +0000 oliviaoblivia 2568292@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We live downtown in a very big city. We have a parking spot for DH but my car doesn't fit down the laneway.<br /> I can get a spot right in front if our house 90% of the time. It's difficult around six at night when people are getting home but I'm almost always already home at that point.<br /> We have three kids, two that need carrying to the car and that's a pain but doable.<br /> The winter hasn't been too difficult. If the car needs shoveling I have DH do it before he goes to work.<br /> I do grocery pick up and unload at the house and then park if there aren't any spots directly outside or have dh do the pickup. </p> <p>It's a pain, but once you do it it's not that bad.<br /> We're talking about a fourth and getting #2,#3, and #4 to the car is a sticking point for me in terms of timing. #2 needs to be able to get there on her own without running off. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568290 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:46:46 +0000 Goldengirl 2568290@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@caterw: Good tips, thanks! Thinking of the logistics of it all is like solving a math puzzle! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568285 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:40:03 +0000 caterw 2568285@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not quite the same situation, but we used to live in an apartment complex with super limited convenient parking and I often had to hike quite a bit with baby. It was totally fine- I could either strap her into the baby carrier or I could put her convertible car seat into the stroller. We were happy to save tons of $$ and were able to afford to finance a brand new Volkswagen instead of spending the money on higher rent. As long as your area is safe, you will make do. Lots of people live like this!!</p> <p>As far as the groceries are concerned, I had two methods that worked for me- (1) I would go to the store solo with the baby and just get whatever would fit underneath the stroller. If your apartment has stairs you can pull the stroller up backwards and carry the baby in the carrier to get everything in one trip. (2) Go shopping with DH if we needed a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568274 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:26:06 +0000 Goldengirl 2568274@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Also you're right about peak parking times which honestly I didn't even think about... I just stared out my window and there are tons of spots empty within close distance. I usually only pay attention in the evenings and weekends! So maybe I'd be able to snag a spot right outside my place more often than I'm thinking... tough to predict though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568270 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:23:21 +0000 Goldengirl 2568270@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Yah I'd be a bit nervous about the snow. Maybe we'll just hibernate for the winter. Weekends will definitely be no problem because I'll just make my husband go get the car and come back to get us. I don't like driving so he'll likely be the one doing it whenever he's around! Unfortunately the weekdays will be trickier though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568268 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:22:00 +0000 Goldengirl 2568268@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lioneyes: Since we don't have a car yet I'm not sure how often I'll be using it.. maybe a couple times a week? I suppose I could just pull up in front of my house and drop the groceries quickly, that could be an option.</p> <p>@SaltySea: I think this definitely seems like the most likely solution, taking the stroller back and forth each time which seems simple enough. It is so hard planning/imagining these things when I have no idea what to expect yet! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568261 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:16:59 +0000 SaltySea 2568261@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Goldengirl: DH and I both keep strollers in the trunks of our cars. We live in a walk up and don't like lugging the stroller up and down the stairs for walks etc. I have a baby jogger city select which has a massive basket and car seat attachments so in the instance I have too much to carry I just use the stroller and take it back down to the car the next time I go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568257 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:15:03 +0000 lioneyes 2568257@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is my situation. I am 21 months in and it's not that bad. A few questions- do you use your car a lot? If it's like a 1x a week thing and the majority of your life is walking with a stroller, then that's really not terrible. With an infant, you will just need to bring the stroller every time you drive so you can walk home after you park.<br /> Another thing that saved me was a loading zone in front of my building- I can pull up and unload, then go park and only ave to worry about walking back from the spot with the baby. If you have an option like this, then I think it's very very doable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568256 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:14:53 +0000 Foodnerd81 2568256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Goldengirl: well where I live, people double park, unload the groceries, then go and find a parking spot. In the winter if the snap and go won't cut it, put baby in the carrier or lug the infant seat. But it sounds like you will be able to avoid the peak parking times which would help. And on the weekends hopefully you and your so can coordinate so you unload everything, baby included, and the other goes and parks. I think it's not ideal but it's doable. Shoveling out from snow would be really hard if you are home alone with the baby though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568254 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:09:43 +0000 Goldengirl 2568254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SaltySea: What do you do if you have groceries or something heavy to drag inside and can't find a close spot? I think that's what I'm most worried about!</p> <p>@Foodnerd81: Yes, definitely will have snow to deal with which is a PIA. Honestly since I've never had a car, I don't know how big of an issue that will be. But yes, you're correct that driving will be infrequent. Mostly for weekends for seeing family, doctors appointments and getting groceries (beyond what could fit in a stroller I suppose).</p> <p>@catlady: I think our driving use would be similar to yours.. not using for getting to work. I am most concerned about how to deal with baby + groceries/heavy things. Would definitely consider the snap and go although not sure that will hold up in the winter. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568251 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:05:12 +0000 catlady 2568251@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have no dedicated parking spot and rely on street parking with a resident permit. We are lucky because we rarely need to use our car (one of the perks of being in the city to begin with) and because there are often parking spots available either in front of our building or around the corner when we do need to use the car (which tends to be on weekends). So while I really do want a dedicated spot in our next house, it hasn't been horrible for us. It is actually more annoying just carrying groceries in and out when we are parked around the corner than dealing with LO (either now as a toddler or when she was an infant).</p> <p>If I had to use our car on a daily basis, it would be an entirely different story because the parking spots around our house go very quickly during work days and I know we'd be walking for blocks. That would have been awful.</p> <p>So in your case, I'd think about how often and when you will need to use your car, as well as where are the available spots nearby. If you think you will need to park far away every day, you might at least consider getting a stroller or snap and go so you can wheel your baby back home instead of carrying a heavy carseat each way. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568247 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:02:48 +0000 Foodnerd81 2568247@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Goldengirl: how bad is parking in your area? Do you have snow and digging cars out to contend with? And how often will you need to drive - maybe infrequently since you don't even have a car now? </p> <p>I was in a similar situation and a friend convinced us a parking spot was essential and I agree. Things like grocery shopping would be impossible- but you could probably have all your groceries delivered for a year for less than the cost of the parking spot. I say it's not impossible, but I'm really really really glad to have a spot. </p> <p>Also if you are going to be driving for a commute and parking every evening that makes me say it's more essential. If you will only take the car out in the middle of the day it's not such a big deal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568244 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:00:14 +0000 SaltySea 2568244@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've lived in an apartment with only street parking since DD was born in April 2015. It's pretty busy so we dont' always find a super close spot. Until reading your post, it hadn't crossed my mind as a negative since before she was born. Before signing our lease DH and I were worried that it would be super tough with a baby. It honestly hasn't been a big deal at all. If we end up far I typically wear her on the walk back to our place (even now at 13 months). The worst of it was if she was napping in her bucket seat and I had to lug it back to our place but even that I got used to fairly quickly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568242 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 15:57:01 +0000 macintosh 2568242@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Goldengirl: I don't have any experience doing what you've described, but just the thought of it sounds that a pain. I would worry the most about cold weather. That would be a huge problem for me. I can't imagine doing it with an infant who uses a convertible car seat - you'd have to take them out of the car seat and then strap them into a stroller if you don't want to carry them multiple blocks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/street-parking-with-newborn-advice-needed#post-2568208 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 15:33:59 +0000 Goldengirl 2568208@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We want to move before baby comes but are considering staying in our current place because it will save a lot of money. We rent and live downtown in a busy city.</p> <p>We plan to buy a car, but unfortunately do not have access to a parking spot in our place... which means we'd be stuck permit parking on the street. This means sometimes we might be parking far from our place to get a spot.</p> <p>Does anyone else have experience with a similar situation and having an infant? Will it be an absolute nightmare and therefore worth the extra expense of moving somewhere with a dedicated spot/driveway? For anyone who does do street parking with a baby, any tips? Thanks! </p>