Traveling with an Infant in the Rain

Hi Marie, well, that's a bummer, but maybe not a deal breaker. What about busses? Assuming that they will still be running, that might be your solution.

There have been some recent threads on traveling with an infant that you might want to search. Also, do you think it might be helpful to amend your title to something like "Traveling with an Infant in the Rain" to attract responses from other parents?

Please keep in mind that the weather forecast cannot possibly be accurate this far out.

Anytime we travel there are going to be some problems, some foreseen but others unforeseen.

Weather is often unpredictable. It says it is going to rain every day but is it really going to and how much rain every day.

The underground is scheduled to be on strike but maybe it will.not happen and maybe it will be on strike one day.

How old is your infant and maybe it would be better to put off your vacation until he / she is older. You can use the time to plan the next trip.

But what will it cost you to delay your trip? You must have air already booked. How easy would it be to cancel?

Thank you! I've updated the title of the post -- good suggestion. I'm really just looking for opinions from people who have been there on doing a trip while it is supposed to rain pretty much all day every day. Will this ruin the trip. Is there enough to do? I really only mention traveling with a baby because it definitely limits our transportation options.

You don't think the weather is accurate less than a week out? If that's true, I'm very hopeful!

Weather isn't always accurate in the morning for the rest of the day. Also, rain "every day" doesn't necessarily mean "all day".

No the weather will not be accurate. It’ll be in the right ballpark- you’ll most likely have some rain and the temperatures will be more as less as stated. It’s highly unlikely to rain all day, every day. Showers are much more common.

I’ve just looked at the weather app and it actually is predicting sunshine and showers. Showers can be very localised and hard to predict exactly how wet you’re going to get. I went out for a 4 hour walk on Saturday. The forecast was terrible but we decided to go anyway. There was a lot of thunder, but we only actually got wet (and it was soaking!) in the last 20 minutes. You just have to hope for the best really.

I always advise everyone travelling to the U.K. to bring good waterproofs.

Thanks -- I'm just looking at the hourly on Wunderground, which I've found to be as accurate as weather can be in the past (I know that it can definitely change, though).

If the weather I'm seeing is accurate, though -- How do you think that vacation would go, knowing that basically our only transportation options are walking and boats? Will it be worth it? Are there indoor activities to do? We are staying in Kensington so I know there are some things close enough to walk so not having underground transport won't be an issue every day, but I'm just having a hard time deciding if the rain will put a huge damper on the trip!

I'm just looking for opinions from those who have been to London before so we can weigh our options. Thanks!

Don’t forget the buses. And car seats are not required in taxis.

Which weather app or website are you using? weather.com is useless for EU, I've found.

I use BBC which is always the most pessimistic when it comes to rain. Apple makes things look sunnier. I think everyone in this country has about 3 apps that they obsessively scroll between hoping for good news.

I will definitely look into buses! Is there a large bus network?

And I know car seats are not required, but I don't think I feel comfortable putting my 9 month old in a car without being restrained. We will have his car seat if we need it in a pinch, but we would just have to keep it with us all day, which is less than ideal.

The weather app I've been using is weather underground. I totally agree with you on weather.com (it's not always accurate in the states) and weather underground definitely has its flaws, but I find it to be more accurate than the rest (maybe that's not true for the UK though).

Thanks, Helen, this information is really helpful!

There are absolutely tons of buses. Citymapper is the best transport app to use and it will guide you to anywhere you need to go. There are also overground trains which are not on strike.

A lot of people feel safer taking a child unrestrained in a black cab. You can actually wheel them in in their stroller.

Don’t give up on your travels. You’ll be fine!

I was looking into the overground, but didn't see any stops near where we are staying in Kensington. But I will look into it again and also look into the bus network. Will it be difficult for me to bring a stroller on the busses?

We went to London in June. The week before I checked the weather (probably using Weather Channel app) and I was dismayed to see it was scheduled to pour 2/3 days we were there.

But we actually had sunny, hot weather, with a stray thunderstorm one afternoon. So things can change. But I understand it’s tough to deal with possible Underground strikes, with an infant, no less! Bus sounds like a viable option if they’re running.

You can push a stroller straight on to the buses. There is space at the front and the driver lowers the bus to make it easy to get on. Wheelchair users get priority in these areas so that’s something to be aware of.

I suspect there are thousands of Londoners with infants that manage to get around in the rain with their kiddos, as it does rain there quite often. I assume you're taking a stroller - find something like this rain cover for your kidlet. Rain is not worth changing plans over, sorry you have to deal with possible transit strike but as they say, keep calm and carry on. Here are some rainy day ideas from Visit London https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/london-attraction/rainy-day-activities-for-families-in-london

Whilst London is a little more predictable than much of the UK it is still fairly unpredictable for weather forecasting - such is the way with islands trapped between cold water and large land masses with a predominant direction of weather patterns.

Buses are good to use and it's easy enough to map your routes out.

Do note that the Underground strike is a rolling strike so isn't going to be simply shut down - there will be services. It's taking a very long time for the fuller details to emerge

Let's get a little perspective here. The whole tube network is NOT on strike all next week. There are planned strikes on Sunday and Tuesday to Friday BUT only some lines will be out on each day. Nothing on Monday. As yet we don't know the details but they will be widely publicised as soon as they are agreed - I would suggest keeping an eye on tfl.gov.uk. I assume that the Elizabeth Line will be exempt as technically that is a National rail service.
And the current weather forecasts do NOT suggest rain every day next week. Looking at the Met Office forecast for the next 7 days it is predicting a 40% chance of a shower at times on Sunday and Monday and temperatures in the low 20s which will be lovely for a tourist visit. That is hardly catastrophic. And trying to accurately predict the detailed weather this far in advance is a fool's errand anyway - almost certainly it won't turn out exactly like that. Just make sure that you bring some layers and embrace London's bus network.

Last time I was in London I chose to take the bus everywhere I went that I didn't walk because I wanted to see where I was going. The only time I took the tube was on my last day there -- from Holborn to Heathrow to fly home.

I'm curious about how you plan to take a 9-month old with you to places you might visit that might not allow strollers inside except stored in the cloakroom. Front carry? Back carry? The kiddo may need to be layered up with rain gear just like you might. I'm imagining an adorable little yellow rain coat and hat. Then you all may need to shed those clothes once inside. Also, how do you plan to take all the other baby gear like wipes, nappies, snacks, something to entertain him...?

Fortunately, at least the British Museum is family friendly. Here's the link about that. Scroll down the page to Facilities for Families to see specific practical links that are related.

I'd recommend that you check each place you want to go to be sure that it's going to be a pleasant and not too challenging visit for everyone.

https://www.babycantravel.com/london-with-baby-toddler/

The above link is one of many about visiting London with a baby.

You can also bring your baby into pubs. Plenty of parks with benches. Benches are all along the Thames River Path.

Thanks, everyone, this is very helpful and is giving me hope that our entire trip won't be a giant headache!

We have traveled around the world a lot, but this is our first trip to London and we are excited to bring our son. He's 9 months old. We plan to bring him around in his stroller and to check his stroller at places where we cannot bring it inside (which isn't very many places). When he's not in his stroller, we'll wear him in a baby carrier!

As far as where we'll keep his stuff, we'll just attach his diaper bag to the stroller. We currently live in NYC so walking around a city with an infant isn't new to us. We're just not used to doing it without a train! But it sounds like we may be able to use the underground and that bus service is reliable.

I'm open to any other tips you may have for traveling in London, including any tips for traveling with an infant! Thanks again!

You can wear a 9 month old on the front (or back). In addition, there is rain gear that allows for wearing a child in the front, and it has an opening just above the child that can be opened or closed as need be. I just saw one this morning, but as I'm not in the market I did not bother with the maker. It was on @fleurdellie instagram today. So check her posts out if you are interested.

The buses are much easier than the tube with a stroller. The tube has lots of stairs and escalators, and if it’s busy it’s hard to get the stroller on. The bus is just there. It travels more slowly but it’s less hassle.

What type of stroller do you have? Obviously I’m going to advise you to bring a small one and a get a rain cover for it.

If you’re used to NYC you really won’t have any problems in London. The transport system is far more user friendly and easy to understand.

Oh and by the way, we actually don’t use the word stroller in England. It will be called a buggy, pushchair or just pram.

I was going to say what Helen said. The underground with a stroller is a nightmare with all of the tight spaces and stairs. Buses (ever heard of the famous double-decker buses of London) are perfect for strollers. When I was in London last summer, I easily used Google Maps to get directions and know which bus to take. I also highly doubt it will every day, all day.

Thanks Helen and Emily! We have the Babyzen YoYo stroller so it's easy to collapse and carry around with the carry strap when we get on the train. Overall, it's a pretty small stroller. My husband usually carries it on his shoulder and I wear the baby until we get to our destination. But it does sound like the bus will be less hassle!

We also have an umbrella and rain cover attachment so I think we're covered there.

Thanks for all of the tips!!

I was going to recommend the Baby zen but didn’t know if it was available in the US. That will be perfect because if the bus is busy you can fold and carry.

I don't want to be Downer Debbie, but if you're planning to gate check your stroller on the plane, we did that many years ago and never saw our stroller again.Gate check had worked great on previous flights in the US, but not on our flight to Paris.

Thanks for the heads up! The Babyzen actually counts as a carry on and can be stowed in the overhead bin. That would be terrible to lose your stroller while on vacation!

London, and most of the U.K. are kind of famous for having some rain very frequently.

How goes the trip so far? Sounds like its hot not rainy.

I wanted to make sure to emphasize the advice above about the Citymapper app. It is fabulous and it will help you get anywhere in London via bus or public transport.

"London, and most of the U.K. are kind of famous for having some rain very frequently."
London's average annual rainfall is around 23". About half that of New York City.

We don’t land until Saturday morning, but I agree the weather seems fine until we get there! Haha.

And thanks for the unhelpful/inaccurate info about the rain, Tim. But have to agree with John. It certainly doesn’t rain 24/7 in London.

I will download the city mapper app now, thanks for flagging!

Are there any weather apps or websites that anyone thinks are particularly helpful?

Again, thanks all! You can never be too prepared.

the BBC Weather app is pretty good, as is the BBC Weather webpage. They are usually pretty accurate a couple of days out.

Both are part of the BBC operation and use the Met Office data. The Met Office also have an app but I prefer the BBC one. I use the Met Office one if there is flooding.

Nigel - BBC does not use the Met Office data any more - they get theirs from Meteo Group.
Personally I stick to the Met Office data.

ta - every day is a school day!!

Popping in to say that with London traffic, you’re not moving fast at all, so I would not worry so much about a baby in a taxi without a car seat. I was there in mid-May with 2 kids and every time we taxied anywhere, it was a slow ride.

You’ll be fine! Have fun, lower your expectations for what you can do traveling with a baby (spoiler: it’s not a vacation lol) and just enjoy being in London. It’ll all be ok. ;)

Sky News use the Met Office these day.

Metcheck is reliable source and thier rain radar is pretty good.