Do children no longer know how to walk?

[skygazer]

I swear, strollers are now the size of SUV's. Most of them are definitely bigger than my car. And most of them seem to have two seats in which two children, both capable of walking, are placed.

What ever happened to walking slowly, holding a kid's hand? I'm surprised these kids' legs don't atrophy and fall off - they're just driven around all the time. And no one is interacting with them - half the time the person pushing this behemoth is yakking on a cell phone.

I am now formally blaming giant mega-strollers for the childhood obesity epidemic. :P

[Fleshdancer]

1. I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks this

I've seen kids that must have been 5 or 6 years old in strollers and although I shouldn't care, it bugs me. Assuming they have no problems walking, isn't it better to have the kid adapt to the adult world instead of constantly confining them out of convenience?

[The2ndWheel]

13. Which part of the adult world

is not "constantly confining them(adults) out of convenience"?

[momophile]

2. I wish my child would sit in a stroller

I bet my back would feel a lot better.

[huskerlaw]

3. In some situations, I agree with you

but in others, like in an urban environment, it can be a matter of safety.

Then again, here in LA we have a different problem. People spend $900 on the latest, coolest stroller and then never use it because NOBODY walks anywhere. :P

[malta blue]

10. I agree with you on the urban environment thing...

try walking a three-year-old around Manhattan at 5pm. IMPOSSIBLE. You have to have a stroller or your kid will end up in the street.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. A lot of lazy and clueless parents around these days

A child who's old enough to go to school is definitely old enough to walk around the mall, stick close to a parent, and not dash out into the street or go off with strangers.

It's all part of the "wrap the kids in cotton batting to protect them from the big bad world, even if it keeps them physically inactive and emotionally immature" mentality that I see everywhere these days.

[skygazer]

6. A measure in SoCal would have given pregnant women disabled placards

My first thought was :wtf:

Since when is being pregnant a disability? I thought we'd gotten away from looking at pregnancy as an illness and moved to looking at it as a natural state.

The bill would have given all women in their 3rd trimester a disabled parking placard. Hell, the best thing for you when you're pregnant is some exercise! And we could certainly work things so that women who do have health issues or complications COULD get a placard.

Strange ol' world it is....

[KitchenWitch]

18. You can thank MY damned assemblyman for that idiotic piece of proposed legislation.

:eyes:

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

15. Amen to that sister!

:)

[deepthought42]

5. This makes me glad that my little sister

enjoys being outside and being active. :)

[LibertyLover]

7. Up to the age of 4, I'd use a small collapsable umbrella type stroller

for the kidlet in airports, because it did make negotiating them a bit easier. But after 4, it was shank's mare for her.

[skygazer]

19. I loved my umbrella stroller

It went anywhere, was lightweight and easy to fold and unfold and convenient to bring along if the kid got tired.

These other behemoths, however, require a Hummer just to carry the thing around. :eyes: And there's no way you'd go through all the bother of bringing it, erecting it and pushing it WITHOUT having the kid in it. What would the point be otherwise?

[LynneSin]

8. My friend used the stroller for the longest time with her daugther

She found that when she was out doing something and her daughter was tired she could put her in the stroller and go about her business. Plus she'd have a 'cart' so to speak to put bags and stuff on and she was doing her stuff.

Her daughter wasn't in it all the time but the mother just felt it was best to have it instead of dealing with a cranky kid. I think once the daughter got in first grade the stroller went away.

We busted on her for the longtest time about that pink ugly stroller.

[mainegreen]

9. Our kid walks. You couldn't get him in a stroller if you tried.

We've used a stroller all of seven times. He walks, or back-packs it when it's too snowy or we're in a hurry.

I like walking with his teeny hand and fingers wrapped around my finger, stopping here and there to inspect bits of stuff, doing silly walks such and the synchronized-stomp. :D

[LeftyMom]

11. We had really big stroller. After a year or so LK didn't fit in smaller one,

but he definitely didn't have the maturity (physical or mental) to walk around all the time without getting into things. And we had no car, so we walked EVERYWHERE.

[Mutley]

12. I remember being dragged by the hand through the mall

by my mother who was in a hurry for one reason or another, and running my little legs off trying to keep up. You never see that anymore. :D

[barb162]

14. It's not the strollers, blame the parents.

Honest.

[KitchenWitch]

16. I love the triple wide monstrosities

Nothing like coming at one of them on the sidewalk and having to step aside because the damn stroller is more difficult to maneuver than a Sherman Tank.

:banghead:

[JoDog]

20. Or it takes up the entire sidewalk

Because some soccer mom and her yuppie spawn are ENTITLED to that huge hunk of public space ya know.

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. It's because little Dakota and JenQuertyFuFFeRe are too precious to walk,

and besides, FOX news has shown that any child not attended to every fucking waking second is immediately kidnapped and/or if you let the kid walk HE WILL DEHYDRATE IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. *sigh* I wish my behemoth children had taken to strollers more.

It totally depends upon the context with me. If it's on a busy city sidewalk I'd rather see unpredictable children encased in a stroller than darting away from a parent and into a busy street or through a crowd. I had the distinct pleasure of giving birth to three "bolters." My sister never knew the joy. Her kid stayed by her side like an angel from the moment he could walk. Mine were escape artists by the time they could roll over. Just because a kid can walk doesn't mean that is the safest mode of transportation for them in a given situation.

And yes, we used harnesses. Anyone want to debate me on the use of these safety devices can pay the pediatrician's bill for resetting "nursemaid's elbow" twice for a child who twisted his hand out of our hands in a blink of an eye if he saw something intriguing to chase.

Hand holding a child is great...if the child wants his hand held. Oy!

[skygazer]

22. Strollers definitely have a place

I used them when my kids were little. But it seems like a lot of people these days use them constantly and they are also incredibly large. That's what I object to.

[Pacifist Patriot]

26. I know what you mean. Some of them look more expensive than my car.

And probably come with more options.

[RubyDuby in GA]

23. Sometimes blaming the parents isn't the best way to go. Here's why we use one:

My nearly 22 month old son, Carter - not little Dakota or whatever oh so cute name you want to call the little "rugrats" - is perfectly capable of walking. And running. And it doesn't matter if I am alone, or with my husband, or even if we have another person with us, Carter can and usually will still get into as much stuff as he possibly can. Having him securely latched into his stroller makes a simple shopping trip go much faster.

And don't give me the utter bullshit line, well if you would just teach him not to get into stuff...etc..etc..etc..

Have you ever really tried reasoning with a 22 month old? Really?

If we take our little darlings out without a stroller, we're terrible people for letting our little mini demons run amuck while you are trying to get your errands or whatever done.

As for ignoring them, I am constantly aware of what Carter is doing. I engage him in everything just so he won't turn out to be a self centered spoiled little asshole. We make sure to include him in everything we do so he will learn to become a productive member of society with something to offer his fellow man.

See here he is at out last DU gathering:

Many thanks to CottonBear (our fine photographer for the evening)

[skygazer]

24. Oh, for pete's sake

Do people even bother reading posts before they get offended by them? I'm not talking about people who use strollers sensibly - I'm talking about people who strap 2 or even 3 large children into a stroller the size of the Pentagon to do anything.

No, I don't expect you to have the kid walking around raising hell while you shop - in fact, I will thank you for containing him because I work in a grocery store and see what happens when people don't. But when you're going for a walk, or in the park, or at the library (in the children's room) or doing a dozen other things that would be downright enjoyable for a child to participate in, I think it would be healthy and positive if he or she or it was not strapped into their stroller while the parent yaks on the cell phone. And in those situations, I think it's a natural thing for the kid to be "getting into" things - that's what kids do and how they learn about the world around them.

[RubyDuby in GA]

25. I completely read the post, but I also read the others too

And having been a moderator for quite some time, I get to see all the lovely threads that flame up over what should be a simple thing.

I see the parents you are talking about all the time. I would love nothing more than to smack them upside the head with my ultra large overstuffed diaper bag, then pelt them with goldfish crackers.

Kids aren't fashion accessories and shouldn't be treated as such - like the ones that you are referring to. I feel sorry for those kids.

[LeftyMom]

30. Presumably those parents have a good reason to do so.

I mean, have you ever wrestled a bigass stroller out of the trunk and throw it together in a parking lot? I can't imagine many people would do it if they didn't have to.

I know I've taken three or four kids (mine and a few extras friends left with me) out for the afternoon, and it's fucking exhausting. If I had to do so every day, and actually get stuff done instead of just keeping them entertained, I'd definitely need some sort of coping strategy.

Moreover, I'm not sure where you get this idea that older kids are being transported in strollers. I know there are some special needs strollers used as an alternative to wheelchairs for the younger set (perhaps that's what you're seeing? Maybe just big preschoolers?) but mass market strollers that carry kids bigger than 40 or 45 lbs are very hard to find- trust me, I looked, because my enormous kid needed one. So unless your town is overrun by pygmy grade schoolers, it's not really possible to trasnsport the average primary school kid in a baby stroller- their feet drag, the things are hard to push, and it'll bend the frame if you keep it up.

[skygazer]

38. Interesting

Where did I say that grade school kids were in them? I have simply noticed that a lot of people seem to be transporting children in them that are larger than toddlers and plenty big enough to walk. That to me means kids who are 3 or 4 years old.

Which is not to say I haven't put a kid that age in a stroller - I have. But it was the exception, not the norm. I think it's important for kids to get some exercise and gain a little independence, no matter how inconvenient for the parent.

Oh, and as for the theory that people must have a good reason to use them because they wouldn't otherwise, I can only say :rofl: No, I'm afraid I believe that they use them because people are like sheep, respond to slick advertising and the idea that everyone has to have the latest thing.

[LeftyMom]

28. It's really mean of you to inject some sense when they're busy hating kids and parents

for the horrible crime of taking up space. How dare they.

[calico1]

27. The odd thing I find about strollers is when you

see parents in the park with them. There is a park near me that is used for track and field but when not in use a lot of walkers and runners use the track part of it. In the middle there is a huge grassy area and over on the side there is more open space. The whole park is enclosed so it wouldn't be easy for a child to get away. I see a lot of parents play with their kids in the grassy areas. Running, playing ball, etc. The kids seem to be having a ball and getting good exercise too. Yet you see some parents who take their kids there and just walk them around the track in a stroller. I don't mean babies either. I just find it to be a strange thing to see.

[AngryAmish]

29. as a new parent, I have to say those urban assault strollers are great.

I have not bought mine yet, but the bigf ones just give a better ride.

[SeattleGirl]

31. Just don't use it as a battering ram to force your way through a crowd.

:)

[China_cat]

32. I had to shake my head at an advertisement for strollers

that pointed out the number of CUPHOLDERS the thing had.

[Redstone]

33. And what's even worse, the kids are like three years old and have PACIFIERS

stuck in their mouths.

Redstone

[lightningandsnow]

34. Hey, I'd get a pacifier if it was socially acceptable

I chew/suck on everything (pens, pencils, etc.)... it might be a good idea.

[Redstone]

35. No. Just, for the love of Christ, no. I actually read about two years ago that

teenage girls were getting into the habit of, God, I shudder to even type it, suck on pacifiers. In public.

There are some things that are just fundamentally WRONG.

Redstone

[lightningandsnow]

36. Stupid scene kids.

Again, I didn't say I was going to. I said it might be a good idea, theoretically.

Grr...stupid scenesters. And ravers.

[Redstone]

40. You got some good perspective going there. No wonder I like you.

Redstone

[Ellen Forradalom]

37. Jeez, back in the day we smoked

like self-respecting hipsters.

[MsKandice01]

39. As the parent of a 4-year-old,

I remember those days and getting those huge strollers in and out of cars, up the stairs, through doors, etc. is not an easy feat. I can't imagine someone voluntarily using one of those strollers unnecessarily without having a reason for it. I've been fortunate in that my son generally stays right by me when we're out in public so I haven't had to use one since he was about 2 years old but if he was a bolter-type and if I had to worry about holding his hand, carrying bags (or whatever else I was out to get) and making it back to the car in one piece without losing my mind, I would have used the stroller much longer.