Moving to HK with Twins!

M

Mals

Banned
Hi everyone,

Wonder if anyone can help.

My husband and I are moving to HK from London (UK) at the beginning of August, initially staying in Central then planning to move to DB. I have 10 month old twins and was wondering how easy/difficult it would be to get around with the twins. I have a double (side by side) pushchair. How stressful would it be for me to take a simple walk? Do trains/buses cater for mothers and babies? Are there lifts at stations? Are store doorways wide enough for the buggy to get through? Or would it be wise for me not to venture out at all!??

Also are there any mother and baby groups which meet regularly? Either in Central or DB. Somewhere I can meet people and keep the babies entertained for a while.

All help is much appreciated!
 
i live in db with my 4.5 month old baby boy. there are LOADS of twins here. it is not easy getting around HK with even a single stroller, so i don't know what it would be like with a side-by-side. you shouldn't have much trouble getting around DB though.

i know many people that have the double stroller for DB and singles for going into town. (they take one and the helper takes the other one).
 
Hi Mal,
I would suggest you to move to DB as soon as possible. I am a mother of 6-month old twin baby girls, moved here recently and loving it.

We used to live in Hong Kong Island. It is bit difficult to get around with twin stroller (we have Pegperego side-by-side). Narrow roads, crowds of people & amount of attention they used to get really was (in somewhat way) - annoying! There are lifts for wheelchair/stroller in some train stations but not in all. We never took bus as it was always crowded & the doors were'nt wide enough to take the double stroller in. Even here in DB, we don't take bus coz' we are suppose to fold the stroller to get in. So either we take the van or walk back home.

There is a 'mothers of multiple' group somewhere in HK Island, they have a website (I'll find it out for you). In DB, we've seen couple of twins but not actually had a chance to meet up.

I am sure you'll find your way to take your babies out and about while you're in Central..but trust me, DB is the place for you!
 
The group that Teeks mentioned is called "Mothers of Multiples", their website is www.hkmoms.com

They organise regluar playdates during the year. Summer is quiet as most of them go home.

Rani
 
Thanks everyone for all your advice - its very much appreciated!
I'll check out the Mother of Multiples website.
I guess a lot of my concerns will seem irrelevant once I actually get to HK and see and experience how it really is for myself! Roll on August!
:flower:
 
You'll make friends easily here in DB because twins always attract attention. Most babygroups are arranged informally, just by chatting to other mothers of babies around the same age. Just hang out in the plaza by the fountain in the late afternoon (when it's a bit cooler than when the sun is blazing down) or in one of the playrooms.

It does help to get somewhere to live that is walking distance from the plaza because transport can be difficult otherwise. The hire cars (shared taxis) will let you keep the twins in the pushchair whilst singletons have to get out and sit on laps, by the way! But they can be hard to get hold of sometimes. There are also some bus routes which have buses that are more friendly to strollers than others - mine (#7) is definitely not; our singleton three-wheeler is slightly too wide for the door, but we can easily get on some other buses. So check that out when you're looking at potential homes because even if you think you'll walk everywhere, there will be times (when it's raining or you have to get the kids home quickly) that you'll want to take the bus.

*Teeks, do you realise that everybody ignores the regulation about folding strollers on buses? Except when it's too crowded. The Tung Chung route is the only one where I've seen the drivers enforce the rule.

As far as getting around the rest of HK with a double stroller, it can be done, although with more difficulty than in DB. I have a friend with twins who used to live in DB but has left HK now and she took the twins everywhere. There are more and more lifts appearing so you can get from the ferry pier to restaurants in Lan Kwai Fong without encountering steps. There are still some MTR stations where you can't avoid steps but they are getting fewer all the time. HK seems to be getting gradually more facilities for the disabled such as ramps, lifts, and at least one wider turnstile at MTR stations.

Good luck with the move!
 
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Thanks JennyB for the suggestion. I did try once to take the double stroller in the Bus no. 4, but the door wasn't wide enough. But no worries, our both babies like to have a stroll & enjoy the scenery.
 
We're here!

Hi all,

Well we've made it! We've been here in HK , Central for almost 3 wks now and I slowly getting used to it. We've seen an apartment in DB and hopefully we should be moving in in the next few weeks.
Teeks: where abouts in DB do you live? I think the apartment we've seen is also on the no 4 bus route.

It is difficult getting around Central with the twins. Living in the serviced apts and living out of a suitcase is getting boring too! I think we just about ready to move into our own place and settle in properly now.

I've ventured out to a couple of playgroups here in central but have found that most are only accessed via 2 or even 3 flights of stairs!

Also the apartments that we're staying at aren't in the best of locations - I just can't get out - even for a walk to anywhere!

I'm looking for a maid now - can anyone recommend an available maid?
I've registered with agencies and have interviewed a couple of ok maids... but the search goes on!

Mals
 
Mals, great to hear from you! We live in Greenery Court right opposite to Siena. The building looks old but the rooms are very spacious & got a balcony to refresh the outdoors too. Getting to Siena park and club house is really easy. We take the twins to the Siena clubhouse's pool & the central park for a stroll, they love it! Hope to meet you when you decide to move here!
 
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