Transporting the Hungry Mouth

So many baby transportation systems, so hard to choose! And so expensive!




In my naivety, I'd not realised that newborns have to lie flat for a few months after birth (y'know, they can't hold those big, wobbly heads up). This one fact alone can double your expenditure on baby travel appliances. Newborns like to be cosily curled up, especially in winter, and anxious new moms like to be able to see them as they're pushed along (in Maclarens the baby does not face backward), so...


Hello, all the pushable carrycot-on-wheels kind of systems...which have their pros and cons. I can't go into too much detail, because I didn't get one. They all have a heavy wheeled base that you can clip a carseat or a carrycot onto, and sometimes also another kind of seat for when the baby's older. They are expensive though.



Anyhow, those carseat-on-wheels, 3-in-1 kind of systems are fine till your rapidly extending offspring needs to sit up a bit and face outward, or gets too long for the carrycot bit, or, hey, summer arrives and it's too hot in there...or you want to take the Tube and nobody offers to help you carry the pram upstairs...all of which happens in only a few months at most, and is why I didn't get one.




So now it's time to go a-shopping for one of those baby-moving devices that can be lifted by a still weak and wobbly mom, and folded in a trice, and fits onto public transport. Yes, a Maclaren. They have a million models, but they all do all of the above. Plus, you CAN use one from birth.




Now, you do legally HAVE to have a baby carseat if you transport your baby in a car, so unless you plan to walk everywhere or only catch black cabs (a legal loophole means you're allowed to clutch your baby unsafely on your lap in these cars only), you are gonna shell out for a moulded vehicle safety system that your baby will outgrow in a year or less. And then buy another, slightly bigger one. And so on. No getting out of this one. Breaking the law ain't good news, and the Parental Fear (of killing the precious li'l thing accidentally or through neglect) will prevent you from wanting to, anyway.




A baby sling is nice. Especially in the first few weeks to months, while your baby's light to carry and really wants to be next to you a lot. You will find that while wearing the sling, many everyday tasks are possible, though awkward, and will take you much longer. Doing the washing up or getting clothes out of the washing machine are particularly tricky. Short walks are convenient and it's nice to feel your baby snuggled up next to you...she may even fall asleep as you tromp around the local park yet again, hoping she'll stop fussing before you trip over a root and squash her (see Parental Fear, above).



Finally, there's always Baby Parrot Perch...this is where your baby has learned to hold onto your neck with one hand and your hair with the other, and would much rather travel supported just by your one arm, looking backwards over your shoulder, while you try to steer the pram (loaded with shopping) with the other. Grizzles magically turn to happy chirps in your ear, and hey, you're building muscles in your arms, right?