Travelling with three little ones without a car
My wife and I have two children - a three-year-old and a 20-month old, and are expecting a third one soon.
Neither of us drive and we have never owned a car. We rely much on public transport. We are wondering, however, whether it would be manageable after the arrival of our third child. Would really like to hear from those who have been or are in similar situation.
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This would be one of those situations where I'd suggest the use of a wraparound sling (like the Kari-Me) as an addition to your existing double-buggy. That way you can carry the youngest one comfortably initially and later when the eldest is walking more and further it is small and light enough to keep with you for when they get tired (or just need strapping in) and you can carry the youngest while the big one goes in the buggy.
Even if you only use it for 18 months (and it's good for up to 3yr olds) the eldest will be heading for 5 and be quite happy either walking or with a buggy-board and means you don't have to buy a new buggy!
We did this for a while. It highly depends on the public infrastructure that you have available. Easier in Europe than most US cities.
Somethings that worked
Twin stroller, we had one with front and rear seats
Bicycle trailer (pulled by hand, not by bike). Groceries in the trailer, kids riding on top, sometimes tied to the handle. They can take turns.
Steps are the enemy. Anything that has wheelchair accommodations works great. Any public transportation with "level access" is good. In our case subway & trains was level access. Busses were not (urgh)
One adult can wheel two kids, number 3 will have to walk, although they can take turns. Plan your trips accordingly.
We looked at the "leash" but it just felt too weird. You need to make sure that the "walker" can follow emergency commands. Practice this in the non-emergency case !!!
Network. Friends with a mini-van are good friends :-).
Zip-car, rental, taxi are fallback position. Budget for it.
Accept and expect the occasional melt down and getting stuck. Don't hesitate to call in spouse, friends, or neighbors if there is one with a bloody knee, one with a poopy diaper and one who just screams on principal at the same time.
Routine and repetition helps. When the kids know what's going to happen and what's expected of them, things work out pretty well.
It's all entirely doable: We actually managed a trip to Africa with a 1.5 a 2.5 year old in tow. As it turns out number three was already on the way, we just didn't know it a the time :-)
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