Violets first trip on the Underground

As we slowly emerged from lockdown and were able to see friends, we had to learn the joys of travelling around London with a baby. It's an ongoing adventure; I've started work on a bigger post that outlines the various options (you can read it here), which broadly concludes - that if I could afford it, I would travel everywhere by black cab. But first, the tube…

Our friends, Stephanie and Ed, have just had a baby. They live right opposite Kenningon Park and Oval station. So we decided to brave the tube with Violet. So far, she has been pushed miles, been on buses, in cars and also black cabs. She was initially a little apprehensive (most people are entering Old Street station). But she didn't scream or make a fuss.

It's an easy journey from Old Street to Oval on Northern Line. The only issue is that not all underground stations have lifts (there is a useful accessibility map on TfL).

Going down an escalator with a pushchair is fine. But getting on going up seems a bit of a knack. I thought it would be better to walk on backwards, but as the escalator pulls away, there is a small moment when your baby is left; I just held on tight and pulled her with me. Sure there are better techniques, but this seemed to work.

Noise is an issue; there can be a lot of noise at a couple of points. I guess little ear defenders would work, but so would daddy's big hands.