Anyone Never Use a Stroller? - Page 8

[delfin]

we don't feel we need a stroller. I walk and take public transportation, and is very easy to just wear him in the sling. I really want to get the hang of back carriers, 'cause he's getting heavy and i want to have his weght more e venly distributed.
For grocery shopping, I have a shopping cart. I agree with NOS, i prefer to carry my inanimate objects in the cart, and carry my baby.
The other day, a nosy lady laughed at us and said "oh!your baby is all uncomfortable in your sling and your groceries in the cart?" I was like uh? who says he's uncomfortable?
Around the house we put him in the shopping cart just for fun and he LHAO

[guestmama9910]

If you're still looking for anecdotes, we never used or owned a stroller ourselves and our daughter is now well into her twos. We have a toddler harness we got for $5, though they're simple to make yourself, and we let her run around on it as much as possible, otherwise we throw her up on our shoulders. When she was little, we carried her in a sling any time we took her anywhere.

Honestly, there are some relatives who can't fathom parenting without a stroller, it seems like a terrible inconvenience to them, and now they're framing it as some kind of deprivation for the little one, but I never saw the need and have, many times, considered how much easier some errand or other was made by not having a stroller to lug out and around. I've never run over anyone's toes or crowded an aisle or, as one decidedly non-Mothering type mother did, left my child sleeping in her stroller utterly unattended out on the sidewalk while I browsed a toy store. And last, but not least, it was certainly cheaper to use a homemade Hathor style sling rather than buy a stroller.

Which is just to say, if you find it useful, go ahead and use it, don't make things harder on yourself. But if you don't, the sky won't fall down either.
--
AnnaArcturus

[the_lissa]

Originally Posted by queenjane

I wasnt speaking of a back carrier in that example, but in a front carry or even side carry...my baby is at an age right now where he loves to try to smack things out of my hand, and even at a younger age, it wouldnt be that difficult to spill something hot on him if he was in a carrier on my chest. That being said, i dont think that its *inherently* dangerous or the risk is that high...just saying that while there may be some "risk" to using a stroller there are also "risks" to using a carrier. And i think both types of "risk" are quite minimal. Therefore i personally dont think "risk" should figure into the equation of using a stroller, or carrier, or not.

Katherine

I spilled coffee on my kids in their stroller.

[Lisa85]

Originally Posted by EnviroBecca

2. He could choke on his snack or something like that, and I wouldn't notice. This didn't happen in either stroller or sling, but it did happen in the car once when his dad was riding in back with him and saved him. Because I couldn't see him from the driver's seat and true choking makes no sound, I wouldn't have known. In a back carrier you can't see the child, but you might feel that something is wrong based on his movement, which you can't feel in the stroller.

I think that risk is pretty much nil though. I mean, when's the last time you heard of a baby or small child within arms length of a parent and choked to death? And to say that you can't feel or see movement when they're in a stroller is a rather ridiculous comment. I can see and feel them just fine TYVM. When they kick their legs, the stroller semi pauses then jolts forward. When they lean to the far left, the stroller leans to the left and it makes it harder to steer. And of course I can see the top of their head, torsos, legs, arms, hands and feet. And their face if (more like when) they turn around for whatever reason. There's also numerous strollers that can be positioned to face the person pushing the stroller.

Originally Posted by thismama

My 5 year old rode in a stroller a fair bit with her dad until about 6 mos ago. He walks long distances, he does not have a car, he likes to go quickly.

Remember before you judge older kids in strollers that a car is like a motorized stroller for the whole family. If you have one that changes your choices a lot. And every time you strap 'em in the carseat you are denying them exercise.

Well said!


For me, a stroller was definitely a necessity or we would have been house bound quite a bit. I have 2 children 16 months apart. No way could I have comfortably carried them the entire time, on say, a trip to the zoo. Especially the Kansas City zoo we visited when they were 4 months and 20 months old. I have never seen a zoo with so much walking and distance between exhibits before. We had lots of adults with us, so the kids were carried plenty without one person having to do a good share of the carrying and by the end, we were ALL tired and exhausted. So they rode in the stroller for part of the trip and we all lived happily ever after.

Now, realistically, had I been myself (all 105lbs of me), HOW in the world was I supposed to carry TWO children, plus our bag, for miles. All together it EASILY equaled 1/3 of my body weight or more. Um, it wouldn't have happened, that's what. And I saw plenty of 5-6 year olds in strollers. Didn't even make me blink.

So while I don't think it's fair to say "Strollers are useless, just use a carrier! Nobody really needs a stroller" that doesn't mean everybody will find one useful. If you've gotten by this long without one, odds are you're probably fine not ever getting one.

[queenjane]

Originally Posted by Lisa85

I think that risk is pretty much nil though. .

Just to clarify, EnviroBecca wrote what you posted, not me. Your point was exactly mine, that the risk is pretty much nil (in a stroller OR carrier.)

Katherine

[queenjane]

Originally Posted by pixiekisses

What about just avoid drinking anything hot while you have the baby in a carrier?
We never drink anything hot with a baby/small child in a carrier/on our lap, of course we don't.
That's just a really silly thing to drag into it.

Its not "silly"....i think you're missing my point entirely...someone posted that strollers are *unsafe*, esp cheap ones, and my point is that carriers can be just as "unsafe" as anything else....the chances of a baby grabbing a piece of hot food or you spilling your soup on your baby's head, or the baby choking in a back carry and you not noticing is just about (IMO of course) as high as a stroller tipping over and your baby bonking his head, or your baby choking and you just not noticing (examples people here have posted)....basically my point is that with an attentive parent or caregiver both options are equally safe, therefore "safety" shouldnt enter into it.

If a mother wants to sling her baby all the time and never use a stroller more power to her. But i have seen statements in this thread that are incredibly judgemental of mothers who use strollers, as if MDC moms are plunking their babies in there, not letting them out until they are five so they dont get ANY exercise, etc etc. I hardly think that is the case.

When i had my first son, who practically lived in his sling (a used nojo of all things!), i was so so sure that you couldnt have the same close attachment with your baby if they werent worn, that moms who used strollers most of the time were depriving their kids, that it was some kind of cultural statement about how we feel about children to use strollers. Fast forward twelve years, and i have an adopted baby who doesnt like to be worn, and who is bottlefed, and i realized all those things i believed so strongly years ago *were* judgements, based not in truth but in a feeling of superiority. When i look at my baby, and know that his attachment to me and his feelings of trust and security are exactly the same even though he doesnt always ride on my hip....well lets just say i'm more careful now in saying things like "i would NEVER" or "i can't believe moms who...." or making sweeping judgements about what is "best" for babies.


Katherine

[milkybean]

Originally Posted by Raene

Yes, I'm sure...b/c these kids go to my daughter's preschool. My daughter asks why they don't walk when we walk all the way to school and I have to explain that they aren't doing good for their bodies. Not to judge, but otherwise DD begs for a stroller.

You're telling your DD, who goes to school with these kids, that her classmates aren't doing good for their bodies?

My 4 year old would tell the other kids that in a heartbeat if he were your DD. We're still working on him not saying "ew, yuck, meat" when his grandmother eats, and we're *right there*.

You have no idea what other exercise the kids get, and I'm just not comfy with the idea that someone would say that sort of thing, especially when the kids are going to be spending time with each other.

[Lisa85]

Originally Posted by queenjane

Just to clarify, EnviroBecca wrote what you posted, not me. Your point was exactly mine, that the risk is pretty much nil (in a stroller OR carrier.)

Katherine

Not sure what happened there, but I edited it

[Lisa85]

Originally Posted by EnviroBecca

Queen Jane wrote'm puzzled by that last part because you seemed to be comparing with a back carrier, and how could your hot food or drink hurt a child in a back carrier?

My personal experience is with a forward-facing stroller vs. hip carry in a sling, and here's how a child could be more likely to get hurt in the stroller:
1. It's harder to maneuver stroller+myself than to maneuver just myself when, for instance, jumping out of the path of a car running a red light. This actually happened a couple of times in the short interval we used the stroller, and countless times in the two years we used the sling. : Too many bad drivers around here for my tastes.

Really? Cause I have NEVER even come so close to being hit by a car, that I felt I needed to literally jump out of the way to avoid being ran over. Not just in my 'hood either, but that includes much larger cities - Denver, Miami, Chicago, even Paris. And this happens all the time in your area? Um, yeah I don't think I'd be bringing my child across a street where we'd have to play Frogger with cars with or without a sling or stroller.

Originally Posted by pixiekisses

What about just avoid drinking anything hot while you have the baby in a carrier?
We never drink anything hot with a baby/small child in a carrier/on our lap, of course we don't.
That's just a really silly thing to drag into it.

Hot drinks aren't the only danger to babes in slings. Carrying additional weight, especially 20lbs or more, is going to throw your center of balance off no matter how good of a carrier you have. If you stumble on a sidewalk bump, it will be harder to recover, therefore more likely to fall, possibly even on top of your child. With a stroller, not only will you 1) have a handle to grab onto and 2.) not have extra weight throwing off your center of gravity, it'd be pretty much impossible to fall on top of your child.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying slings and baby carriers are some extremely dangerous thing and everybody should use a stroller - I'm saying it's possible for you and your child to get hurt with a sling or with a stroller. Or neither.

[pixiekisses]

Originally Posted by Lisa85

Hot drinks aren't the only danger to babes in slings. Carrying additional weight, especially 20lbs or more, is going to throw your center of balance off no matter how good of a carrier you have. If you stumble on a sidewalk bump, it will be harder to recover, therefore more likely to fall, possibly even on top of your child. With a stroller, not only will you 1) have a handle to grab onto and 2.) not have extra weight throwing off your center of gravity, it'd be pretty much impossible to fall on top of your child.

Sorry, but imo., this is just ridiculous.
I can't take you serious on this level.

[queenjane]

Originally Posted by pixiekisses

Sorry, but imo., this is just ridiculous.
I can't take you serious on this level.

So let me ask you this then....do you think strollers are dangerous? Do you think your child would be at risk of harm by using one?

Katherine

[blueridgewoman]

I think this is an interesting article....

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/famil.../baby.buggies/

We have used one maybe four times since dd was born 15 months ago. She doesn't like them, I hate lugging them around, and I prefer to wear her for the interaction and hey, calorie burning! I wear her in a tummy to tummy front carry in a wrap most of the time and though she's 26 lbs, I don't have trouble unless I've tied the wrap incorrectly.

I don't buy the center-of-gravity argument...much. Sometimes dd throws her weight from side to side and I have to stop walking to make sure I don't step out of balance,but other than that, I carry her so often that I'm used to the shift. And when she started swatting stuff out of my hand, that's when the glorious days of wandering around stores with a cup of coffee abruptly ended.

Personally, keeping her close to me allows me to keep better tabs on her. She bfs in the wrap all the time, she's less stimulated that way (she's a really high needs kiddo so that's important), it's easier for me to get around since with the wrap, I can truly go totally hands free with her. And I get to kiss her sweet head whenever I want.

[pixiekisses]

Originally Posted by queenjane

So let me ask you this then....do you think strollers are dangerous? Do you think your child would be at risk of harm by using one?

Katherine

I don't think strollers are very dangerous, just like I don't think carriers are very dangerous.
A child is at risk and can be hurt just by living. It's like that for everyone.
That dosen't mean you can stuff them in a room full of pillows and keep them there.
Do you avoid going out with yours? Or actually, it's safer to go out since most accidents happen at home. So, are you never home? Do you avoid driving since that is very risky?

[riverscout]

Originally Posted by pixiekisses

I don't think strollers are very dangerous, just like I don't think carriers are very dangerous.
A child is at risk and can be hurt just by living. It's like that for everyone.
That dosen't mean you can stuff them in a room full of pillows and keep them there.

I could be wrong, but I think you are saying the same thing as the people you are arguing with. (see below)

Originally Posted by queenjane

Its not "silly"....i think you're missing my point entirely...someone posted that strollers are *unsafe*, esp cheap ones, and my point is that carriers can be just as "unsafe" as anything else....the chances of a baby grabbing a piece of hot food or you spilling your soup on your baby's head, or the baby choking in a back carry and you not noticing is just about (IMO of course) as high as a stroller tipping over and your baby bonking his head, or your baby choking and you just not noticing (examples people here have posted)....basically my point is that with an attentive parent or caregiver both options are equally safe, therefore "safety" shouldnt enter into it.

Originally Posted by Lisa85

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying slings and baby carriers are some extremely dangerous thing and everybody should use a stroller - I'm saying it's possible for you and your child to get hurt with a sling or with a stroller. Or neither.

[queenjane]

Originally Posted by pixiekisses

I don't think strollers are very dangerous, just like I don't think carriers are very dangerous.
A child is at risk and can be hurt just by living. It's like that for everyone.
That dosen't mean you can stuff them in a room full of pillows and keep them there.
Do you avoid going out with yours? Or actually, it's safer to go out since most accidents happen at home. So, are you never home? Do you avoid driving since that is very risky?

See thats exactly my point and the point i think the PP was making by pointing out carriers have their dangers too....that neither are really that dangerous at all.

I love the idea of cloth carriers, used one almost exclusively with my older son, but it didnt work out so well with my youngest...and thats ok. Since using a stroller works ok with us i'm not hardpressed to "find a carrier that works", and i hope if i adopt another baby i'll have more luck with the carriers i have.

I think its great if someone is happy to babywear and doesnt need a stroller, and feel bad if some moms are made to feel by their relatives or by strangers that they are somehow doing something wrong. But that doesnt mean that those of us who DO feel the need to use a stroller should also be made to feel like we are somehow putting our baby at risk (either emotionally or physically) by not babywearing all the time. The link to the article about strollers in Africa quotes a parent as saying something like how can you show a baby love if its so far away from you. And i *really* hope that mothers here wouldnt share that sort of view...but reading some of the posts (not the majority, mind you) on this thread makes me wonder.


Katherine

[pixiekisses]

Heh, seems like we pretty much agree anyways.
I thought you meant you didn't agree with me higher up here.

[ceilydhmama]

We didn't use a stroller until dd was over one and about 25lbs. I rarely drive, so was walking 4km to the grocery store, return - too far for me to carry her and groceries and too far for her to walk when she was that little.
We retired the stroller by the time she was three though and almost never used it in crowded places or for shorter walks. Basically, I used it in place of our car or the bike trailer.

IMO, it's a tool - like any piece of equipment. In our case using a stroller probably kept us from driving a few thousand kilometres.

[siobhang]

but but but, if you don't have a stroller, what will your toddler demand to push at the mall? ; )

My stroller use went from every so often to all the time when my second was born. Baby in the baby carrier, toddler (who was a runner) in the stroller.

But most of the time, my older son pushed the stroller, with my bags and stuff in it, and I carried the baby.

Now that my kids are 5 and 3, we usually leave the stroller at home, unless there is a lot of walking. I could technically still carry them in the ergo, but they are pushing 40 lbs each (they are only 2 lbs apart in weight), and my back cannot take it for very long.

But honestly, a big motivation for me to NOT bring the stroller is the fighting over who gets to push it.

[leosmommy]

ds is 8 months and we never have and never will use a stroller. we are personally against them for many reasons. it works for us because we want it to.

we plan on having 4 to 8 children total, and we will always be a stroller free family. strollers are unnatural and unnecessary to us. please no haters!

[momtoalex]

We have never used a stroller, only wraps and AngelPack LX. My mom used a stroller with Alex when he was very little (he is now 2) for walking/napping outside in the winter. But I never did myself and am very happy about it. I love my wraps and AngelPack!