Stroller safety: Tips for parents

If you're like most parents, you'll want to get at least one stroller for your baby. With so many designs and types of strollers, however, how do you choose?

Understand how to pick the best stroller for your baby and important stroller safety tips.

When looking at strollers for your baby, consider:

Your location. If you live in or near a city, you'll likely need to be able to maneuver your stroller along crowded sidewalks and down narrow store aisles. You might also need to be able to collapse your stroller in a pinch to get on a bus or down stairs to the subway. Suburban parents, on the other hand, might want to look for a stroller that's easy to fold and fits into the trunk of a vehicle.

Your family. If you have twins or an older child, you might consider getting a double stroller or a stroller with an attachment that allows your older child to stand or sit in the rear. If you're planning to use an attachment for your older child, be sure to read the manufacturer's weight guidelines.

Your lifestyle. Frequent travelers might want a collapsible umbrella stroller — either in addition to a sturdier stroller or as the primary stroller. An umbrella stroller can also be useful during errands. Plan to take your baby along on your runs? You might look for a jogging stroller, too.

Accessories. Do you want your baby's stroller to have certain features or accessories, such as a storage basket, rain cover, blanket, sun shade or cup holder? Often, accessories are sold separately. Some strollers aren't compatible with certain accessories.

If you plan to use a stroller while your baby is a newborn, you'll need to make sure that the stroller reclines — since newborns can't sit up or hold up their heads.

Some strollers fully recline or can be used with a bassinet attachment or an infant-only car seat. However, most umbrella strollers typically don't provide adequate head and back support for young babies.

Also, most jogging strollers aren't designed to recline. As a result, they aren't appropriate for babies until about age 6 months.

What are the benefits of a travel system?

If you have a car, you might look for a stroller that can hold your baby's car seat.

Some car seats and strollers come in matching sets, while others require separate attachments that allow the strollers to be used with certain car seats. Once you strap your baby into his or her car seat, these kinds of strollers will allow you to easily move your baby between the stroller and car.

These types of strollers can also be helpful in an airport, if you plan to take your baby's car seat on the plane.

If you use a travel system that allows you to move your baby's car seat from your vehicle to a stroller base, you might be tempted to let your baby finish car naps in his or her car seat. Keep in mind, though, a car seat is designed to protect your child during travel — not to serve as a replacement crib in your home. Although it's essential to buckle your child into a car seat during travel, don't let your child sleep or relax in the car seat for long periods of time out of the car.

Research suggests that sitting upright in a car seat might compress a newborn's chest and lead to lower levels of oxygen in a baby's blood. Even mild airway obstruction can impair a child's development.

Sitting in a car seat for lengthy periods can also contribute to the development of a flat spot on the back of your baby's head, as well as worsen any gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) — a chronic digestive disease. 

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stroller-safety/MY02042