Hello!

I always knew that it could be challenging to travel with young children without driving them around in a car. Many of us who have ridden mass transit have observed parents who looked frazzled holding the hands of one, two, or more children. But as we began contemplating what it would  mean to raise a child in the city, we also realized that we needed help in figuring out how to maintain our level of mobility without depending so much on driving. We recognize our privilege: We are college-educated middle-income professionals trained as urban planners living near transit with frequent headways. We also live in a well-to-do city committed to maintaining its sidewalks and pedestrian friendliness. We also save thousands of dollars a year because we only have one car (and we'd get rid of that car if we had a car-share service within 10 minutes of walking.) 

So, when we traveled to Chicago to see friends who live on the Northside, we saw immediately what they go through with their young child. They made some sacrifices. Previously they parked their car on hte street. Now they pay for a dedicated off-street parking space. They also researched strollers and carrying sacks for their child that are useful for traveling around on mass transit. But they also had a stack of baby books - and none of them talked about getting around with baby (or kids) without driving.

A light went off.

Through word of mouth, these parents had heard about the CitiMini, a stroller that allows you to fold it with just one hand - a must if you are holding a child with your other arm. Parents are so willing to do research tehse days online - but the practice we found was that it was akin to gathering information. We sought to centralize everything into one place. Hence, Babies on Buses was born.

Thanks for joining us on the journey.