Walking with stroller in HK

[sophie parsons]

oh my god this city is so stroller unfriendly. I used to cry myself to sleep every night when we moved here from the countryside in the UK a year ago. I was heavily pregnant, carrying my toddler inside my stroller up and down flights of stairs constantly, nobody offering help, I wanted to die.

But back then we lived in Central. Now, thank god, we live in Sai Wan Ho, in The Grand Promenade, the area is perfect for strollers, you can walk all along the promenade to Tai Koo and CityPlaza, plus loads and loads of playgrounds, etc. I love it here.

I think the sacrifice is you have to live a little further out from the main centre if you want a problem free stroller experience.

Best of luck,
Sophie

 

[mushi]

Happy valley is a great area to stay....centrally located....it is like a quiet small town in the middle of this bustling city....wide pavements, trees and a big green sit out area plus indoor and outdoor parks makes it very baby-friendly.....i am truly happy living here.

 

[mushi]

i think that havinga pram is a must.....how much can u keep carrying yr baby with you...even in a carroier....if u ahve shopping bags it is easier hanging them on the pram or in a havesack on yr back than attempting tp carry baby and all together......plus what about the times when the baby is sleeping? when he wants to feed? the pram is the best place he can be in even if u r on the road and need to give him a quick snack or a quick nap......sure it is not easy managing a stroller in HK, but u can buy a lightweight combi one maybe a second-hand if money is the issue and life would be a lot better.....i use my stroller all the time.....and i use only public transport....a little bit of practoce is all it takes,

 

[fairy-godmother]

if your husband doesn't mind traveling to & from work on the ferry each day. you guys could consider Discovery bay. A great place to live, it have its own community ie shops, supermarket, school, doctor, nice restaurants and most important lots of area for children to play and walk around. i suggest you go there on a weekend and look at the place.

 

[MilkMonster]

hi there!
i have 2 boys, no helper, and live in a walk-up in central. if i am taking the boys to playgroup i often don't take a stroller and opt to carry both of them. yes you will get stronger as the kids grow. My elder son 22mths, is able to walk quite a bit now so it's been a little 'easier' these days. if we go out as a family, we definitely bring a stroller. (i've got 4 - bugaboo, phil and teds double, graco edt, and a cheap umbrella stroller which was an emergency purchase on one of our trips). Each one works for us depending on what we need for the day but lighter is definitely best. The summers in HK are really hot and humid and carrying a child for any amount of time in the heat is really tough. nice to have a break and just push the stroller.

we looked around quite a few places but decided to stay in our current flat - we've lived here for 5years now. We chose convenience over a stroller friendly neighborhood. We grocery shop, run errands, etc all as a family so it really helps to be really close to everything. We live off of Staunton St. and can walk down to Central in 10mins - no stairs. We literally don't travel more than 10-15mins ever!! Doctor, OB, pediatrician, dentist, are just on Queens Road, Groceries just up the road or organics in Central, school is a 5min taxi ride away, botanical gardens, playgroups, etc. all in the same area.

The higher up the mountain you go in midlevels, the more inconvenient it is to run around so my limit is at Caine Rd. living close to your spouses work may be something to factor in especially if he will work long hours. If he then has a 40-60min commute after work, it will be hard for your husband to see the baby before he/she goes to bed at night. Being close can also mean meeting up for lunch once a week or doing dr. appointments together during that time - which may be nice since you are new to hk.

We also use the lightest possible stroller so it's manageable up/down a small flight of stairs.

It must be overwhelming to move to HK. I moved here without a kids and found it challenging the first year or so. I just missed home so much. No matter where you choose to live, you will find a way to make it work for your family. Just pick a place that feels most like home when you walk in. In the worst case, you can always move again next year good luck on your move!

 

[kashismum]

I didn't use a stroller for at least the first 4 months with both my kids. They hated it.
I found a carrier the easiest, stress free way to navigate the city. Bubs was totally comfy and content.
In winter, it'll be fine.

 

[eflats]

I too came from NYC and had the very same problem. I was so used to walking out the door with the kids in the stroller and going pretty much anywhere I wanted to. I looked hard for a stroller friendly place that was affordable and no one has mentioned this area, and I don't think most people consider it, but we live in causeway bay and I have to say the areas around victoria park (tin hau, tai hang, causeway bay and parts of happy valley) are totally stroller friendly. in fact we live in our stroller and go to the library, park, club, shopping, etc. every day. I'd say 80-90% of my time spent is with the kids in the stroller zipping around this whole area. the only time it's in issue is going to times square on the weekend which we avoid, yet it's still not un-doable if you aren't crowd averse. We also have extremely easy access to the MTR (aside from the slow elevator in the cwb mtr stop!) and I take the stroller on it all the time to go to the doctor, run errands, or to get out and explore hong kong. we also have access to lots of buses and mini-buses to go pretty much where ever we want on the island. With a 3yo who doesn't like to walk, a 17month old, and a bad back I don't have the option of going without a stroller. Until my little one was 10 months old I would do a single stroller with the baby bjorn but with them both being so big now we are double stroller (phil & teds) all the way. This area isn't for everyone, and from what I've read there is more pollution although you can't really escape it anywhere anymore, but we've found a little quiet pocket where we now know a lot of our neighbors and all the kids in the park and at the library, and so on, so for us, and especially the kids, it feels like we have a great community now. all the best in your search. it's really hard - hope you find what works for you!

 

[NYCMel]

i just moved from manhattan via london and now we are in hk. we arrived here in mid-june and did a ton of looking. at first, i told my husband that there was no choice for us but in mid-levels, but now with a son who is 11 months old,, we quickly realized how un-stroller friendly it is and the pollution levels are horrible. that being said, we looked in repulse bay, tai tam and in redhill. we also decided on tai tam and my husband commutes into central. there is a great ex-pat community of not just americans, but of australians, british, french and spanish. we've met great people in our building and the american club is right there!

HK is definitely NOT NYC and I personally don't think NYC is that stroller friendly. It's just a very WALKER friendly for it's still hard to get on buses, in taxes and down to subways there. London was amazing in that respect!

Tai Tam has been great and I must admit I do crave Central life, I know the southside is healthier living for our son and so worth the sacrifice.