Moving Car-Free as a Parent
Moving Car-Free as a Parent
I am late to share the news here on my blog, but I became a father recently.
This has opened my eyes in many ways, but I want to jot down some thoughts about family mobility while they are fresh.
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Moving around as a parent with a child is a form of physical disability.
I did encounter this fantastic YouTube video a month or so before our baby was born, and it was inspiring:
You can of course forego a car ride home from wherever your baby delivered (I was born in my parents’ home!).
I had heard that it is illegal to leave the hospital without a carseat, but it turns out that is not correct.
In fact a Minnesota state legislator & her newborn were biked home by their husband recently in a cargo bike (Instagram video).
But fast forwarding from the moment of delivery to being back home with infant, wife and myself–I endeavored to discover all the ways to avoid driving:
- Walking is key * with stroller or carrier (of which there are quite a few variants). * strollers are incredible shopping carts: they can carry your required diaper-changing gear, bottled milk/formula, toys, and groceries. * a big caveat for post-partum mothers, whether they deliver vaginally or via C-section, mobility is impaired and you don’t want to push things too fast. * I actually run when it is just me and my son–this roughly doubles my walking time and I have gone on 10+ mile runs with him.
- Public transit is a much more difficult space to navigate: * your newborn will not be fully vaccinated for a wide range of diseases until the 2-6 month mark–and in the first 2 months your infant is at acute risk of respiratory diseases that would cause hospitalization. This is a reasonable risk to mitigate by not using public transit until respiratory immunizations are done at the 2-month mark. * most buses and many trains have (1) no at-grade boarding and (2) appropriate space for a stroller, so most parents are understandably deterred from utilizing them. This can of course be avoided by using a carrier, but learning to use a carrier with a newborn who has poor neck strength can be easily overwhelming * “What will you do if their diaper is soiled?” – this fear turned out to be totally overblown. In the absolute worst case you can de-board the bus, change the diaper at the bus stop, and board the next bus! Turns out that infants’ feces are not smelly either.
- Bicycling is do-able, but traffic risks take on a whole new level of stakes: * I tested out the Urban Arrow bucket bike with a carseat adapter, but didn’t have quite the budget to buy the bike–I would recommend it though! * much more accessible in the US is a bicycle trailer (Burley, Thule, etc.)–while their product descriptions deter usage below 12 months, this is for legal liability purposes and concerns about neck strength–but realistically these trailers have great suspension + inflated tires so they are a real option and parents of infants in Europe use them.
- Driving is the default for the 95% of North Americans
Some illustrative photos from these first happy months of parenthood–enjoy! I’d love to hear from you about your experiences/advice.
The fundamentals–walking with a carrier:
Running! Get a stroller with pneumatic tires:
One of many bus rides with a carrier:
Napping on the bus is no problem:
My wife or I can comfortably bring the stroller on our local bus at off-peak hours:
Train rides (with stroller):
Train rides via Amtrak (inter-city rail):
Stroller as shopping cart:
The first bike ride, with the Urban Arrow + carseat:
Here is an improvised setup I saw at the local mall:
Hope you enjoyed! I expect to share more parenting thoughts as they come…!
June 27, 2026 · mobility, transportation, parenting
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