It occurred to me, as I tried to ram the Mountain Buggy through the door of Costa Coffee for the umpteenth time, that there are certain annoying things you only notice when you become a parent.
Things you just don’t see when you’re not in charge of a small person, a set of wheels and all the associated paraphernalia.
I’ve been compiling a mental list Victor Meldrew-style, and the latest Mountain Buggy vs Costa Coffee door battle – which for some unknown reason I continue to take on out of sheer bloody mindedness – has compelled me to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).
Annoying things you only notice when you become a parent
1. The state of the pavements. Only when you’re in charge of pushing four wheels (or three, depending on your pushchair of choice) do you realise just how cracked, uneven, jagged and downright dangerous some of the pavements are.
2. Dog poo. It’s everywhere – hiding under leaves, squished into paving slabs and nestled in grass. Pick it up people!
3. Shop doors. Heavy ones, ones that won’t stay open on their own and ones you simply can’t navigate with a buggy without lifting, shimmying and a lot of huffing and puffing: these are occupational hazards now.
4. Shop aisles. Or more specifically, the width of shop aisles. In our neck of the woods Holland & Barrett, Dorothy Perkins and Peacocks are no-go areas with a set of wheels.
5. Public toilets. Or lack of. You know the exact location of all the public loos in your area, which ones have changing mats, which ones you’re actually prepared to change a baby in and which are best avoided.
6. Lifts. You also know the precise location of all shop lifts, which ones take an age (Marks & Spencer – I think they do it on purpose to accommodate their elderly clientele) and which ones will get you in and out in the quickest possible time (H&M).
7. Shop changing rooms. There are shops you just wouldn’t bother trying anything on in with a baby in tow, unless you want to leave the curtain open and risk horrifying a stranger, to the ones you can just wheel right in (just don’t park them within reach of the red alarm cord or you’ll know all about it).
Are there any annoying things you’ve only noticed since becoming a parent? I’d love to hear them!
Linking up with…
Yes yes yes to all of these! My biggest nightmare though has got to be those annoying bloody motorbikes/mopeds that always seemed to zoom past just as little one was falling asleep in her pram…scared the life out of her! #MarvMondays
I remember all these things only too well, though my trips to towns were very limited after the first 2 children. Taking 6 under 6 into a town was a complete no. I don’t remember leaving the farm until they were all at school! To this day my husband still does the grocery shopping as he got used to it and I totally forgot supermarket layouts in that time! #MarvMondays
All very true! The buggy is the biggest change to your world view, and how much irritation is caused when there or no lifts and lots of stairs, like in London Underground! Or when there’s a tiny lift that fills up with people who could take the escalator and you’re left waiting for 10 mins for a lift space. I also feel guilty about getting coffee at Costa and not one of our local friendly coffee shops: I just can’t get the buggy in them, and the Costa is built like an indoor stadium. The space really matters when you have some wheels to manoeuvre! #marvmondays
This is soooooo true! The first time we took bubs out, my husband said ‘You never notice how crap the pavements are before do you?’ And don’t even get me started on the gross toilets – I always choose a place to eat/drink now based upon their toilets. The other thing I’ve noticed is how people have no qualms about coming up to you and sharing their opinion on what you should/shouldn’t be doing in a way that I had never experienced before π #bigpinklink
These are all so true. I never even thought about it, but this things trully started annoying me after I became a parent! Great thoughts!!;)
#MarvMondays
Yes to all of them!!! And, it’s probably best not to get me started o n dog poo… I can rant about it for a very long time, and I end up getting very cross!! But especially since I’ve had children, the number of times I have wanted to wipe it all over the dog owners faces, has been the million times I’ve wheeled my buggy wheels through it… GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!! I also know all of the lifts, in every shop, but have now sadly given up even entering the changing rooms… It’s a quick dash to the till, then sending the husband to take it back if it doesn’t fit!!
#bigpinklink
YES!! I LOVE going shopping without the kids and I can just go up escalators like everyone else instead of wasting half the day waiting for the lift!! #bigipinklink
Love this!! I wrote a post recently veylry similar about the pitfalls of going shopping with a baby. Its the people who just walk at you and then tut like you’re in the way who reslly piss me off!!! Thanks for joining us for #marvmondays
This is so true! I’m always searching for the lifts in shops these days!
#bigpinklink
Ugh… shop isles. As a twin mom with a side-by-side stroller I can safely say “gaaaah…!” #bigpinklink
Yessss! To every single item on your list! I feel like I am more skilled directing my buggy around a place nowadays than I ever have been with my actual car! I have one to add to your list as well… Automatic doors that are in fact ONLY automatic IF you hit the big square button with the disabled sign on it. They’re fab if you see the button, but if the button is hidden low down on the side of the door behind a big potted plant, you can in fact stand there like a class A prat waiting for the doors to open until a lovely man on a mobility scooter prompts you to press the button. True story, happened to me only yesterday. Still blushing with stupidity! #bigpinklink
I love this list! #TwinklyTuesday
Yup! Yup! Yup!
I also hate kerbs without built in ramps on pavements. Nothing worse than driving a pram with those obstacles. Visiting from Twinkly Tuesday.
Narrow pavements. The way people drive too fast also drives me crazy when me and the kids are pedestrians. I began to notice all those things that could cause an issue due to being in a more protective mode. Shopping isles. I stopped shopping. Internet all the way. Great post. Thanks. #twinklytuesday
Flipping Clinton’s cards where I went yesterday. I knocked about 3 things over and really struggled with the pram. So not designed for them and crap really! xx #twinklytuesday
Pavements and all shops were a completely nightmare with the double buggy, not designed for a twin mummy that is for sure. xx #bigpinklink
oh yes dog poo! shop doors:/ I would like to add that sometimes when you want to change your baby their is no toilet for parent I think is quite big issue if you are alone:/ I dont want to go to pee without my baby
I forgot to put #TwinklyTuesday
God there is so much you notice when you have a set of wheels to push around. I found that things are simply too narrow and living in the country the roads are a bloody state.
hah! Love this. All of them! 6 is my favorite, I totally do this. I know where all the in-shop lifts are in the local shopping centre so I can avoid the main shopping centre lifts, which take approx half hour to get anywhere! And fighting the OAP’s in M&S is a nightmare, they are cutthroat!
#marvmondays
Hehe yes to all of these! In the village we used to live in, there was a Co-op and a Londis. Londis always had loads of stock piled in the aisles (bargain buckets, etc) so I would always walk the extra 10mins to go to the co-op rather than bash my way around Londis. #TwinklyTuesday
Oh every one! Especially dog poo. What is wrong with people and who raised them! Swearing and curse words (not only from me and the Mrs.)- I do notice a lot of that. Along with cigarette smoke. Awful! Great post. xoxo #BigPinkLink