New study: "Strollers stress babies."

[daytripper75]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/famil...ies/index.html

[kJad29]

I'm not surprised. I remember when my mom had my younger brother (now 24) and the stroller she had faced her at all times. I don't even think she used the option to face it outward. BTW, what strollers have a rear facing option? They're viritually impossible to find. Just another nod for babywearing.

[greene_mama]

Funny, I was just coming here to post this myself! I only wish the article had said that maybe parents need to rethink their frequent use of strollers, instead of just the manufacturers rethinking the design of them. Oh well...it's still another validation for babywearing.

[MrsAprilMay]

Another study proving what us mamas knew all along!

[Ruthla]

I wish they'd stated the ages of the children in the study. The single stroller I used for DD1 (as opposed to the double stroller I used after DD2 was born) had the adjustable handle so I could face DD towards me or away from me- and after a year old she usually WANTED to face outwards to see where we were going. She simply wasn't as happy facing me and riding backwards.

It just seems rather simplistic to say "parents didn't look at their babies much WHILE PUSHING THE STROLLER" therefore they spent less time interacting with them total throughout the day. Maybe the ones who interacted less during the walk made up for it when they stopped.

[filiadeluna]

The only rear-facing strollers I've seen are the ones where you attach an infant car seat, or if it's an old-fashioned "buggy" style stroller. I've never seen a rear-facing toddler or older child.

[pixiepunk]

i know those Bugaboo strollers allow you to have the child facing you. they're really expensive, though. i knew a bunch of people who had them when i lived in he city and it did seem like a nice feature if you were the type to use your stroller a lot.

i'm interested to read the whole study. i'm interested, too, in whether the stress was reduced if the parent was talking to the child even though they couldn't make eye contact? i used to talk to my DD1 whenever she was riding in her stroller. i wonder if interaction negates that feeling of stress, or whether it's more to do with whether the child can see the parent?

interestingly, this is one of the troubles i have with rear-facing carseats. because my child can't see me, they get upset more frequently and it's harder to calm them down. obviously there's safety at play also, i'm not suggesting we turn baby's carseats around, but it's always bothered me. it's the only situation *ever* where i can't always get to them when they need me and they often have cried as a result. it makes me feel horrid.

[Sheryl1678]

As far as I know you can only get the rear facing option with Orbit, Bugaboo or other $1000 strollers.

We don't need studies to tell us that babies need/crave/respond to eye contact and physical closeness. It's just not rocket science!!

[southernmommie]

Watch the demo on this one. I LOVE this one, but then I used a baby wrap for the infant stage. And I use it in all directions with my 3 year old looking at baby if she's facing away from me.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=2646209

[griffin2004]

I wonder if the same logic applies to wearing babies on the parent's front facing forward or wearing the baby on the parent's back. No eye contact there either and probably less interaction especially for backwearing.

[Yuba_River]

Originally Posted by Sheryl1678

As far as I know you can only get the rear facing option with Orbit, Bugaboo or other $1000 strollers.

We don't need studies to tell us that babies need/crave/respond to eye contact and physical closeness. It's just not rocket science!!

ITA about the importance of holding our babes, but just wanted to add... I did find a Kolcraft Contours (yea for Craigslist) for $70 (I think it's around 120.00 new?) which faces either direction. You lift up the whole seat and snap it in the other way, rather than the handle switching. It works well, although it is on the heavy side.

[pumpkinhead]

Zooper strollers can be rear faced.

I'd be curious to know if the same thing holds true for babies that are worn facing out. My babies preferred to be faced out in the mei tai/BabyTrekker as soon as they could hold their heads up reliably. I wonder if the direct contact negates any sort of excess stress/anxiety?

ETA: Or what Griffin2004 said

[pumpkinhead]

http://www.zooper.com/

[~mermommy~]

Yay slings! No if only we could convice them to feed their babies food that is beneficial to the baby...

[Tofu the Geek]

Quinny Buzz
Mutsy 4Rider/Urban Rider
Valco Rad
Kolcraft Contours
Bugaboo Camelon/Frog/Bee
UppaBaby Vista
Zooper Boogie/Zydeco
Bebecar (all models)
Teutonia (all models)
Stokke Xplory
Rock Star Baby
Bumbleride Flyer/Queen B
Peg Perego Switch/Skate

Okay, those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I know there are more, but my brain gave out after that.

Many of these also come with or have an available bassinet for infant stage when baby should be laying flat if in a stroller (or of course you could wear baby).

I LOVE the reversible seat option for our winter walks when it's not safe to babywear due to the high probability of slipping and falling onto hard, lumpy ice and injuring baby. Or if you do super long walks where it gets difficult to carry a baby for so long (due to possibly having to carry groceries or other things with you).

[Smokering]

Huh. My stroller had a facing-me option for young babies--the carseat capsule just slotted in. Rowan hated walks in the stroller (she hated being worn too, so the stroller it was if we had to go out--or more likely, me pushing the stroller and holding the baby!). As soon as she was big enough to go in the stroller facing away from me (no capsule, wedged in with blankets, sitting up and viewing the world), she loved it! I think it was partly getting to see where she was going, and partly the more comfortable incline--she always hated the semi-reclining carseat position and preferred to sit up straight.

I do talk to her a lot though, even though she's facing away from me. I get a lot of odd looks; people tend to assume I'm just muttering crazily to myself.

How much time did the babies in the study spend in the strollers, I have to wonder?? Surely a parent who spends most of the day interacting with a baby, then puts it in a stroller for a 20-minute walk, isn't risking its emotional development (even if she does basically ignore it for the whole 20 minutes). Unless babies are spending several hours a day in the strollers, or the parents aren't interacting sufficiently with them in non-stroller hours, it seems fishy to me that their wee psyches would be as devastated as the article claimed.

[pixiepunk]

interesting question about back carries and forward facing out. i've always noticed FFO carries to be over-stimulating to my babies - even though they like watching the action, FFO doesn't allow them to get a break from it. which is why i've always preferred high back carries, so they can see over my shoulder but still snuggle down away from the action if they wanted to. also, that way while they can see the world they can also still see as well as feel mama. but i do talk to my babies even when they're on my back. obviously no eye contact, but with a high back carry their head is right next to yours so there's still a lot of interaction. and i would imagine that having the physical closeness would negate the eye contact and even talking thing. i mean you don't have eye contact with or talk to your baby every minute of every day and that's fine, i think with the stroller thing it's more about not having the security of mama while at the same time having all the stimulation of of the world around. at least, that's what it seems like to me.

[choli]

Originally Posted by ~mermommy~

Yay slings! No if only we could convice them to feed their babies food that is beneficial to the baby...

Who are they?

[pumpkinhead]

It probably very much depends on the baby . It's an interesting study.

[pumpkinhead]

Originally Posted by choli

Who are they?

I was wondering that myself