Baby In Forward-Facing Buggy

It’s easy to criticize new ideas. It’s even easy to dismiss an idea that, if true, could help us empower our children through one simple change, such as buying a different baby stroller.

For instance, this morning I came across an article about a researcher in Scotland who  has conducted a study that  has yielded preliminary evidence that forward-facing strollers can slow babies’ development.

Developmental psychologist Suzanne Zeedyk is quoted as saying, ”Our data suggests that for many babies today, life in a buggy is emotionally impoverished and possibly stressful.  Stressed babies grow into anxious adults.”

Study Part Of ”Talk To Your Baby” Campaign

Her study, done in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust charity as part of its Talk To Your Baby campaign, suggested that children who are pushed in forward-facing baby carriages (as opposed to children who are pushed in prams, pushed in backwards-facing baby carriages or carried) may be less likely to talk, laugh and interact with others.

Yet this isolation and lack of interaction occurs exactly at the point in a baby’s life when the baby needs this interaction for infant brain development.  [Read more →]