Posted by
bod
18 yrs ago
I am amazed at how unfriendly HK is for children.
Having recently ventured out with our new bundle of joy I was amazed at how many hurdles we had to get over just to get in to town, then getting around... and heaven forbid needing to find changing facilities.
Bus - Carrying baby and pram nowhere to stand pram whilst travelling and no one willing to give up their seat.
MTR - Decided not to even attempt that it's everyone for themselves without a pram/carrying an infant.
Star Ferry - Steps galore and that's before getting to the ramp with all those bumps.
Finally made it only to then realise I really should have thought about my choice of shopping mall.
Ocean Terminal - Escalators down to childrens floor, but then you have to get down the steps? Ahhhhh see if i'd gone towards Toys R Us I would have found the ramp (learnt something that day).
Queensway & Pacific Place - More steps again just to get in there. Fortunately I had my sister with me to help that day.
That's just getting around then we have to consider pit stops for changing nappies.
Citygate at Tung Chung has so far been the most helpful with NO changing facilities in the toilets... I'm sure there are many more like it or those that I wouldn't dare venture in to!
It would seem that I am actually the problem. After a kind offer to help carry the pram down some steps I was asked why would silly me want to take out my own child when the helper should be looking after him?
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Sad isn't it ? I change my baby inside the stroller when we are out, or in the carseat if we take the car. I MUST have two people going out with me if baby is with me. One has to carry the diaper bag/backpack, and help lift the stroller whenever there are stairs. If you plan to shop at all with baby together, be ready to hold some of your shopping bags with your teeth......
ridiculous isn't it ? Even Tokyo is more baby friendly than HK. Strange... but true.
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Agreed.
My wife finds it difficult going out with our baby alone, so we all go. One of my main bugbears is all the people who queue for lifts at MTR stations,who are able-bodied and not carrying heavy baggage!! makes me mad to have to wait for 4 lifts at Causeway bay when we go out.
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Geeze! You wouldn't want to be using a pram on a London subway either! Be a bit more flexible and use a baby sling! All you "need" is two spare diapers, small bag of wipes, snack and / or water, one small emergency baby pullover.
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Oh, yes, for changing baby I forgot to mention one disposable paper baby pad. Learn to hold baby on your lap to change a diaper. It's a good skill to have.
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learn to use change rooms - pretend to try something on in M&S,Zara etc and then clean your hands with wipes afterwards. The change facility at ifc is good and mothercare and b2b have change areas - just need to know where to go
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I agree, HK does not have the facilities that you might find in the US or Europe but also consider that the lack of ramps and lifts impacts heavily on those that are not able-bodied. Eventually our wee ones will become more mobile but those who have to brave HK in a wheelchair are forever at a disadvantage.
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In the end you tend to go where it is easier. IFC has good facilities for changing babies (even one for men) and the shopping is OK and a few nice places to eat. Pacific Place is just OK, at least you can head into the hotel bathrooms. If you go to Horizan Plaza there is always Bumps to Babes.
If in central, Prince's Building has a Mothercare with a changing room. Pedder Building has a Bumps to Babes as well with Changing room.
But the real question is if you are not shopping but just want to go out, it can be tough.
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crj
18 yrs ago
IFC - great changing facilities, the best in HK.
Pacific Place - I go to the ShangriLa and use the counter in the large restroom
ShaTin - The Eugene Club has a great changing room, and lets you feed baby in the shop. There is also a baby changing room near the toilets, but always a long wait.
Tung Chung - I changed baby on the floor in the hallway leading to the bathrooms. We carry a soft mat with us to put on the floor.
ParkNShop - many have great baby changing rooms, even with nappies.
Overall HK people are very baby friendly and often seem to offer a hand with steps or holding doors open. The challenge is the actual getting from A to B with the number of steps and lack of facilities.
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crj
18 yrs ago
This is from another website:
Where to Breastfeed and Change a Baby in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Marriott, Conrad, or Shangri-La, Admiralty - Most have washrooms with a bench and mirror. Also look for the more secluded chairs in lobbies.
Great/Seibu toilet has a baby changing table.
IFC 2 - Ladies Toilet near the Starbucks has a great changing room with bottle warmer and wipes and P3 Near Lane Crawford has a small room with one chair, sink, wipes and bottle warmer.
Prince's Building in Central the Ladies' toilet on the 1/F is very nice! One big chair just right for breastfeeding. There is an attendant keeping the place clean and handing you fresh towels.
Annerley Midwifes, Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
Eugene Store in Windsor House Causeway Bay has a baby changing room.
Times Square - 9/F and Lane Crawford Toilet has Chair and Counter, very quiet.
Lee Gardens in Causeway Bay on the floor with all the baby shops - a nice room with changer and couch to breastfeed
Lee Gardens 2 the Garden outside Habitu, very quiet in the far corner however you are surrounded by tall buildings.
Jusco Department Store, Tai Koo - On the 2nd floor near the baby department there is a changing area and a place to breastfeed.
Kowloon
Peninsula Hotel, T.S.T. - take the lift to the 1st floor where the bathroom is nice.
Hong Kong Hotel, Kowloon side near Star Ferry. Try any other large hotels as these usually have comfy chairs in the lobbies and clean washrooms for changing babies.
Outside Toys R Us in Ocean Terminal there is a special glassed in area to breastfeed and change babies under the escalator.
Olympic MTR station/shopping centre - Padded sofas and cubicles with lockable stalls to breastfeed in.
Chep Lap Kok Airport - There are baby changing rooms so you can change and feed your baby before getting on the plane. This is great if you need to wait a long time for your departure. Then you can nurse all the way to your destination on the plane!
Other
Pacific Coffee and Starbuck's shops - Most have large chairs and some even have play areas for older children.
Many of the newer Superstore Park N Shops have baby changing/feeding areas with chairs in them. Festival Walk (Kowloon Tong), Paradise Mall (Heng Fa Chuen), Maritime Square (Tsing Yi), Citygate (Tung Chung).
All Mothercare stores have changing areas and usually a chair to sit on. The stores are in Prince's Building, Ocean Terminal, Windsor House and New Town Plaza (Shatin).
Try the changing rooms of Marks and Spencer, Wing On, Lane Crawford or UNY. If they are not too busy they will usually let you use a room. Sometimes there are chairs. If not, the carpets are relatively clean.
Ikea in Causeway Bay, Shatin and Prince Edward (not far from Fa Yuen Street market) have changing tables and sometimes a chair. Try the cafeteria for breastfeeding. Usually quiet.
Discovery Bay/Star Ferries - The rocking motion will even help baby fall asleep!
Try feeding in McDonald's or a Chinese Dim Sum type restaurant. They are always noisy, so breastfeeding seems less obtrusive.
Dan Ryans, is a good place to eat with kids and they have changing tables.
Jaspas Restaurant, Sai Kung and Central - A good place to eat with kids, very comfortable with breastfeeding mums in the restaurant.
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We are from Perth, however we used to work in HK before our 2 boys came along. We are coming back for a friend's wedding and holiday with them and need some advice. Our youngest is 15mths and the eldest 3.5yrs. We are wondering whether or not to bring a tandem stroller, umbrella stroller or no stroller. The little one loves to walk, but doubt that will be the case for long distances. The eldest will walk for maybe 500-1000m then complain that he is tired and wants to be carried. Have read that HK is not very friendly for strollers so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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Finding changing rooms are easier than finding a toilet for myself to get in with a baby... What do you do? I have a three year old and I normally use pushchair instead of baby carrier, and cannot take the baby into the cubicle. I once used a handicap toilet and it was in a horrible state!!! It was in IFC mall, and employees there use it as a smoking room or private room to chat over the phone. Another one was used by rude women who didn't want to cue up in the lady's, and the woman before me didn't even bother to flash. It is very bad to use a handicap toilet for smoking room. It should be kept for people who actually need to use it. I am going to complain to the management of the malls as soon as I have time to write a letter...
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Hi Explicit,
I would suggest an umbrella stroller. I have used a buggy board with the lighweight stroller for a long time in HK. The board folds up out of the way when it was not practical but was readily availale when I needed it. My daughters are 15months apart with the oldest being 3.5yrs.
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Totally agree.
I was in Central the other day and attempted to alight the upward moving escalator from Queens Road to Wyndam Street. I was approached by 2 Security Guards at the new entrance and was turned away as the buggy would damage the entrance/ escalator. A lot of swearing at the guards later I ended up pushing the buggy and 11 kilo baby uphill.
Don't even get me started on going to Ocean Park with a buggy and the pollution.
HK is cr@p for kids, end of story. I am out of here in 4 weeks to the more family friendly Singapore. I had a great time in HK when I worked and had no kids. Now that I have a little one I realise what a hole the place is.
I am seriously counting the days until we leave.
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fel
18 yrs ago
Hi Mrs Miggins,
I totally agree with her on how unfriendly Hk is for kids n babies. I used to love this place when I had no kids, shopping eating, etc so fun in HK. Now with family, is a totally different story. Spore deifinitely more child friendly in term of facilities, most shopping mall has baby changing area and nursing room. Here in HK, I have learnt to nurse my baby in public, which is something I nvr do it when I was living in Spore.
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Singapore is improving in child-friendly facilities but more can be done. I just try to go for places where it is disabled friendly - if it's wheelchair accesible, it's probably pram-accesible too!
But you know what, people's attitude towards mums and bubs also determine how child-friendly a place can be. I am not sure what it's like in HK but in Singapore, I feel that people can do more to help mums with bubs and the disabled when we are in places that do not have ramps, etc. Even with my pushchair, cars don't always slow down at zebra crossings, people still shove me and my baby to one corner in the supermarket aisle and it's once in a blue moon when a stranger helps me to lift my pushchair up the stairs!
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Pushchairs in HK are a complete nightmare - what is the logic of the MTRC by installing escalators that go halfway up a station exit, and then put stairs the rest of the way? Also kerbs/MTR entrances don't have ramps (unlike Taipei, which is years ahead of HK in terms of accessibility for pushchairs/wheelchairs).
For small babies, use a carrier/sling. It's the only sensible way.
Try and use hotel loos wherever possible - even if there isn't an actual changing area there are generally helpful attendants who will find you somewhere convenient.
Agree - IFC is fantastic. And really, for anyone here who is fairly new to HK, the toilets around town cannot even begin to be compared to what they were like 10 years ago. Now those were nasty...
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You think HK is child/baby unfriendly - try Guangzhou!!
Anyway, Star Ferry, take the bottom level - no steps there. Changing facilities are workble because a lot of toilets in HK are at least clean - I've not found any changing room in GZ and toilets in China are not a pleasant place!!
I find that whole interconnection of buildings between Chater House, Landmark, Princes Bldg etc v frustrating as there are a few steps to be encountered whichever way you go. And if I go to HK I really can't take my helper or only pop out for an hour - it's a full on day!!
But using a sling or carrier opened up a whole new HK to me - I could go pretty much wherever I wanted, MTR, Busses, up steps, down steps, top deck of the star ferry - my LO is 9 months old and loves the carrier much more than her buggy - I didn't think I'd be a baby wearing Mummy but the inconvenience of taking a buggy out in GZ or HK has made me one and it really does make life easier.
Don't even get me started on people not offering seats though - I went to 15 days overdue and in my 42nd week of pregnancy I stood on busses 5 times - in fact I was only offered a seat on public transport twice in the whole pregnancy (and was in HK then) - but sorry, that's a whooooole other rant!!!
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hi spicegal,
my aunt stays in GZ so i visited her twice before. you are right about the loos, i can't imagine changing baby in them! the only decent ones are in the 5 star hotels!
not being offered seats: that didn't even happen once during my pregnancy - people look at me but then maybe they decide i don't look like i'm close to bursting and just go back to sleep!
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Wow, and I always think people are so much nicer and more considerate in Singapore!! Just goes to show how you do see a different side when you live somewhere....
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TC
18 yrs ago
I cannot speak for Singapore (even though I grew up there) but I agree that HK can be fairly/very child-unfriendly. Someone suggested above a need to make a new travel plan - agreed. I also found people very reluctant to offer a seat to me when I was pregnant - even those on the buses sitting in the seats below the 'pregnant women, disabled or elderly' signs. Some did, but hardly any on the MTR. It would take my husband to embarrass them in front of the other passengers before some of them 'realised' they had a nin-month pregnant woman balancing precariously in front of their noses. Once he even hauled someone out of his bus seat - not entirely recommended because he could have been slapped with an assault charge! Now that I have a baby it is rarely a problem - but that's HK, and we are here and determined not to let things like this get to us (or not too much anyway).
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But at least people are far nicer here when you take a baby out in public than they are in the UK. When we took our 6-month son to restaurants in England people would actually get up and leave, and on the BA flight to London people were hissing and spitting at us (not actually, but they wanted to...). Here no one thinks twice about bringing the baby wherever they go. That's a good thing (unless you are still childfree, I suppose).
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geiboyi,
what you just posted is worthy of an entirely new thread - when i was on the flight to UK with baby, this woman on sitting by the window stared at us during the entire flight. you know, the "i am just waiting for your baby to cry and then i'm going to make you sorry that he is crying and disrupting my flight."
have to say though in singapore unless for posh restaurants, most places are very ok with babies, can't imagine being in one where people will walk out at the sight of a baby! but these days, on the the rare nights when we do take baby out for dinner, i always call in advance to ask if they are ok with babies. one i called on friday actually told me no, so fair enough, better than being rejected at the door. but there is a lovely italian restaurant that we went instead. when i asked what would the restaurant do if he started crying, they said "then you have us to play with him"...how sweet!!
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In terms of one of the earlier postings when you go to the toilet if you can't find a disabled or a cubicle big enough go to the one that is furthest away from the entry and wedge the push chair in the opening and go to the toilrt with the door open. I would rather know that I can see my child than worry about another women see me go to the loo ...seems to work and no one will usually come close to the cubicle
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Thanks for all your advice. We will bring a lightweight stroller and try it out - if it doesn't work out initially, we'll just leave it at the hotel. We have to try out the baby-carrier to see if the little one still fits into it! Thanks again.
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Singapore is not child friendly either. Cars never stop at zebra crossing when I was pushing the stroller. People gave you very unfriendly look when they saw your baby was making noise at the restaurant...etc. But of course I still met some very nice and helpful people here!
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HK is definitly not a stoller/pram friendly place. That's why I so like going around with my LO in my wrap ou pouches. I can just go everywhere... Can even take the tram, and the MTR at rush hours!
As the changing facilities, I admit that if I can't find one easly, now I will just change my baby anywhere. Just have to have a clean confortable changing pad... Sometime I even think that it is cleaner than some changing facilities :-D Never got a comment, but if I were to have one, I'd just complain about the fact that there is NO CHOICE. And NO, I won't stay stuck at home, just because of that...
But as I said, I find people to be quite nice with babies, and understanding in HK...
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Listen, forget the pushchairs, sling is THE way to go in HK. You can go absolutely anywhere at anytime and can carry all you need in a handbag. If your going somewhere posh, wrap a rather gorgeous scarf around the sling, then it'll go with anything. Don't presume your pram will be welcome everywhere but let's be sensible girls, the Conrad fair is really NOT a good idea for a stroller. Speaking as a mother myself, please leave the pushchairs at home and bring the carriers....if anything, it's a fire risk!
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