Strollers and Obesity?

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
This is the best I can find...one guy seems to think that 3 yo's can walk as long as adults and shouldn't be in strollers any more.. http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept16498/files/123285.html

And it's one guy who treats obese kids... how skewed might his worldview be? Where is the long term study? Where is the full cross cultural population data? Where are even the lawsuits? (Maclaren put a higher weight limit on their strollers, leading to my morbid obesity!)
 
ADS

wondering1

New member
We've never had a stroller. My son started disliking being slinged at around 18 months of age. He was still carried quite a bit on and off for a few years. He only asks to be carried now when he's afraid (steep hill, unfamiliar stairs, etc). He's almost 5 now and neither fat nor skinny. One point, I listen to my child...I don't push him beyond his limits! We work together to enjoy ourselves at amusement parks and the like!
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I liked Ulrike's post in the other thread about 'stroller culture'... you have it exactly right, it's about tending to your kids needs and cooperating with them as much as possible :)
 

Morganthe

New member
Adults usually run out of energy long before children do.

I get the feeling that this guy doesn't really have first hand experience with children. So far, I've yet to meet a 3-5 year old child that I can't exhaust walking, no matter the speed. And I'm a FAT out of shape woman who has a bum leg! :p

DD rarely uses strollers now, but that's more because we don't have many places that are all day outings. A month ago, we spent a good 6 hours at the Dallas Zoo. A stroller was a good thing when dd's endurance petered out just past the 5th hour. Oh and she had an accident and it was an unusually cold day, so I was able to wrap her in my jacket too :)

I also don't have another child to keep track of and she likes to hold my hand in public. I still see 3 year olds that due to personality or whatever need to be confined for their own safety. I couldn't even imagine trying to corral multiple young children without a stroller or harnessing. It would be dangerous.

It's all individual and to blame strollers as a primary cause of obesity is just STUPID!
 

Suzibeck

Active member
Hmmm, I don't know. There are so many factors. My sister's kids used stollers way too much, imo. They are both skinny minny teens now though, however they are both rather sedentary and will likely become fat adults someday.

I only used the stroller, after my kids were good walkers, for outings where I needed them under control and my attention couldn't be on them. Things like doctor's appointments or when I had to take them shopping when I had to get stuff. I try not to take the kiddos when I have stuff to get done.

If I'm taking them for their benefit, just to have fun, I do not use a stroller. I quit taking the stroller to the zoo by age 2. We have a zoo pass however and don't spend more than 3 hours there at a time. My kids don't wear down that fast, they prefer to walk/run through the zoo.

Most of the time, I do not use the stroller, but it is nice to have on hand in some cases. I don't have family in the area, who can watch my kids, so it was nice to put the youngest in the stroller with a few toys while I got my teeth cleaned, that sort of thing. Now, my oldest can watch the others for brief periods so that is very helpful!

The other day, I saw a very heavy woman chasing an active toddler around the play ground. After a few minutes, she strapped him into a stroller! :mad: Why take a kid to the playground if you won't let them play? She was clearly a bad parent anyway as we left quickly due to her older children's use of swear words. It was clear that that kind of talk was used regularly and acceptable in their home. Things like calling one another "a-hole" and causally using the word "f-ing".

ETA: If my kids were closer together in age, I suspect I would have used strollers more and for longer. It is much harder to take s two or three very young ones anywhere and safely keep track of them. As long as kids are getting exercise every day, stroller use shouldn't be a factor.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
If my kids were closer together in age, I suspect I would have used strollers more and for longer. It is much harder to take s two or three very young ones anywhere and safely keep track of them.

That's very true. The boys are only 20 months apart, and CJ was a Hudini kid. He HATED the stroller, so for him we used a harness quite a bit, from the day he began walking from 3 days before his first birthday. He loved the harness because it meant I wouldn't make him ride in the stroller. I wish I'd used it more with Joyjoy, but because it is almost always just her and me, when she was little it wasn't necessary (most of the time she was in the sling anyway), and now she doesn't quite know how to handle herself with the harness. Unfortunately it makes the stroller more necessary than it would be otherwise, because if she was comfortable using the harness I wouldn't need to use the shopping cart or stroller nearly as much as I do.
 

scatterbunny

New member
Adults usually run out of energy long before children do.

I get the feeling that this guy doesn't really have first hand experience with children. So far, I've yet to meet a 3-5 year old child that I can't exhaust walking, no matter the speed. And I'm a FAT out of shape woman who has a bum leg! :p

DD rarely uses strollers now, but that's more because we don't have many places that are all day outings. A month ago, we spent a good 6 hours at the Dallas Zoo. A stroller was a good thing when dd's endurance petered out just past the 5th hour. Oh and she had an accident and it was an unusually cold day, so I was able to wrap her in my jacket too :)

I also don't have another child to keep track of and she likes to hold my hand in public. I still see 3 year olds that due to personality or whatever need to be confined for their own safety. I couldn't even imagine trying to corral multiple young children without a stroller or harnessing. It would be dangerous.

It's all individual and to blame strollers as a primary cause of obesity is just STUPID!

I totally agree. :p On pretty much every count! Hayley LOVES walking, she actually goes jogging with Mark sometimes, and keeps up! :eek: He runs 2 miles!

But on zoo trips and things like that, a stroller would still come in handy, and she's 50 pounds, and exactly proportionate height/weight, according to the CDC growth charts (which I always thought were skewed and made kids a little more lightweight than they actually are, percentile-wise?). But her clothes fit her like she's skinny-minny, and she LOOKS skinny. She's all compact muscle, though--this child is always on the go. But she still gets tired out on long trips, and a stroller would be a Godsend. I've never been able to justify the cost of a good higher weight stroller to Mark, though. :mad:
 

scatterbunny

New member
The other day, I saw a very heavy woman chasing an active toddler around the play ground. After a few minutes, she strapped him into a stroller! :mad: Why take a kid to the playground if you won't let them play? She was clearly a bad parent anyway as we left quickly due to her older children's use of swear words. It was clear that that kind of talk was used regularly and acceptable in their home. Things like calling one another "a-hole" and causally using the word "f-ing".

:eek: I hate situations like this! Ugh!

Hayley's good friend's parents curse frequently in their household, but the kids know better. They were taught that adults use words sometimes that kids cannot use, and I guess they "get it". We don't use that philosophy in this household, "crap" or "damn" is the worst it gets here. :rolleyes:

In public, if we're at a grocery store or park and someone is cursing frequently I have been known to ask them to tone it down for the sake of my kid. :p Most people respond by getting very embarrassed, and oblige my request. Only once or twice have people gotten angry, and even then it's because I embarrassed them.

Kids cursing is the worst thing. They think it sounds "cool". When it's done around a parent, it's obviously okay with that parent, which is just sad, IMHO. I'm all about freedom of expression for children, but there has to be limits, and IMO that's one of them.
 

Suzibeck

Active member
In public, if we're at a grocery store or park and someone is cursing frequently I have been known to ask them to tone it down for the sake of my kid. :p

I used to be better about that, but I've had some people get really mean about it, so now I just leave.

Now, with neighborhood kids, I will say something and I generally pull them aside, so as not to embarrass them, and tell them that talking like that makes them look unintelligent, not cool. Intelligent people can find better ways of expressing themselves, swear words are easy to come by. That usually makes an impact, at least it stops the swearing when I'm around.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I used to be better about that, but I've had some people get really mean about it, so now I just leave.

Now, with neighborhood kids, I will say something and I generally pull them aside, so as not to embarrass them, and tell them that talking like that makes them look unintelligent, not cool. Intelligent people can find better ways of expressing themselves, swear words are easy to come by. That usually makes an impact, at least it stops the swearing when I'm around.


Good for you :). I swear like a sailor (well, almost as bad as DH who WAS a sailor for 27 years, lol), and my kids know 'those are mommy and daddy's ugly words' and they NEVER swear, in fact, they translate for me when I slip up and let loose in front of them...I'm so proud of my little angels, I wish I were as good as they are... :eek: (but one of my son's little friends confided in me that he likes it that I DON'T swear, and he hates it when his mom does, so I know I'm doing well around OTHER kids...just not my own little punkins...)
 

Suzibeck

Active member
Sounds like you are making progress Julie, keep working on it, 'cause you know, you sound unintelligent when you let it fly. :D

Really, I like that you let your kids correct you. That breeds so much respect for one's parents, I think. My kids have been asked to let me know when my frustration is showing. I've been struggling with anger, and I don't want to yell at my kids. I let them keep me accountable and I think it is great for our relationship. Oh, and I also seek their forgiveness when I set a bad example, or screw up and scream at them. Since I don't like to humble myself like that, it helps keep me in line. :whistle:
 

scatterbunny

New member
Suz, I'm doing the same thing lately with Hayley--encouraging her to tell me when she can see I'm frustrated or losing patience and getting close to yelling. I am trying hard to change my yelling ways! :p
 

Suzibeck

Active member
Maybe we should start a "Yellers Support Group" :p

At least we are aware of the problem and taking steps to correct it.
 

Erika Ruth

New member
My 3 year old mostly walks. HOWEVER, I do have a seat for her. When we are crossing a busy street, it is BEST for her to be in the seat. When we are walking almost a mile back from Disneyland after a long day, it is best for her to have a seat, when we are going for a 4 mile walk down on the beach, it is best for her to have a seat.

How does taking your kid to the beach, to the park, walking to the store, encourage or MODEL a sedentary lifestyle. If Kids see you up and active, they will be up and active. (even if you have them in a seat for part of the time!)

There isn't any way that I could do as much with my kids without a seat for them. If you have 1 Child, and are able to hold their hand securely, or CARRY them when they are tired, then you don't need one. But I can't carry my 3 year old, and my 16 month old for a mile.

Erika
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
My 3 year old mostly walks. HOWEVER, I do have a seat for her. When we are crossing a busy street, it is BEST for her to be in the seat. When we are walking almost a mile back from Disneyland after a long day, it is best for her to have a seat, when we are going for a 4 mile walk down on the beach, it is best for her to have a seat.

How does taking your kid to the beach, to the park, walking to the store, encourage or MODEL a sedentary lifestyle. If Kids see you up and active, they will be up and active. (even if you have them in a seat for part of the time!)

There isn't any way that I could do as much with my kids without a seat for them. If you have 1 Child, and are able to hold their hand securely, or CARRY them when they are tired, then you don't need one. But I can't carry my 3 year old, and my 16 month old for a mile.

Erika

That's Strollerstride's hook...that you are modeling good behavior...I totally agree! (it's a little different to speed walk with a jogger than push your kid from the playplace to the cinnabon at the mall, of course :rolleyes: )
 

lovinwaves

New member
When I am in public with my two kids (16mths apart) by myself, I *have* to use a stroller to keep them safe. Oh, and don't let me forget to say "keep my sanity".

My mom always makes fun of me for using my trusty double or single stroller until one day I had *her* take them by herself without it. Well.....um....from that day on she realized just *why* I used it so much. LOL! :thumbsup: It also helped DH justify the 12 strollers I have owned :eek:
 
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LuvBug

New member
I dont think the stroller causes obesity, its what the parent does with it and how they parent otherwise.
We didnt start using the stroller until DS outgrew the sling, which was about 2yo(his choice, he wasnt too big, he just didnt want me holding him anymore). Then we use it mainly just for a comfy chair or safe transport while we are out doing activities. Or I use the jogger to get my exercise while he rests and enjoys the ride. We then do activities where a stroller is impossible, like hiking the forest- there are no trails, paved or not, you just hike where there is solid ground. There are markers and warning signs though.
 

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