subject: Safety Features Of Strollers [print this page] Strollers aren't like any other chairs, even though children sit on them. They can be dangerous for you and for your kids if you don't look out for a few basic safety features. However, if your stroller has these features, your child should be sitting pretty throughout their day out in perfect safety.
Stroller design is the most important thing when it comes to choosing a stroller or baby jogger, whether you want to buy your own one or whether you're choosing a Disney rental stroller for your upcoming family vacation. If your chosen stroller doesn't have the safety features built in - even as optional accessories - then you can't use them, which could compromise the safety of you and your children.
Parents often choose wisely when it comes to buying their own stroller, but sometimes cut corners when it comes to picking a Disney rental stroller. Even with a Disney rental stroller, you shouldn't cut corners when it comes to safety but should look out for a model that has all the bells and whistles (OK, not literal bells and whistles!) rather than some cheap and nasty affair that you will regret. Don't spoil what ought to be a fantastic family vacation.
OK, so what should you look out for in a stroller, whether it's your own or a Disney rental stroller?
First of all, the brakes should be good. Not all pavements are flat. In fact, quite a few of them have a significant camber on them to help rainwater and the like drain away (which is a safety feature in itself). If your stroller is even slightly angled up or down this slope and it doesn't have brakes, it will trundle away, with the risk of tipping up at speed with your baby inside it. It does happen - it nearly happened to this writer quite a few years ago. Make sure that the stroller has brakes and also make sure that you apply them every time you stop and take your hand off the handles - even for a few moments - on any surface that isn't perfectly flat.
Next comes the restraint or harness system. The brake incident that happened to this writer didn't end in injury because the child (who is now a teenager) was wearing a good safety harness, and both of us were more frightened than hurt!). Even if you don't have a stroller rolling away from you, a good restraint system is important for safety. You don't want your toddler getting bored with a queue and wriggling out of the Disney rental stroller and heading for the hills just when you were getting to the head of the queue (now you know why your father is bald - he got that way pulling his hair out in frustration!). Ensure that you can do up the harness even if your toddler is throwing a tantrum with screaming and wriggling (easier said than done, I know, even with the best harnesses). And the child shouldn't be able to get the harness fastening undone. In the case of a Disney rental stroller, make sure you familiarise yourself with the restraint system, as it might be different from the restraint system on your own stroller.
Modern strollers are better balanced and don't tip over backwards quite as easily. However, simple physics and the lever principle still apply. They especially apply to a Disney rental stroller, as this is one situation where you are going to be toting a lot of luggage around with you - and when you go out for a whole day with a small child, you really need to take a lot of stuff! Never hang a bag of bits from the stroller handles, as this can overbalance it backwards. Ideally, you shouldn't have to put the baggage on your back, either. Instead, look out for a Disney rental stroller that has a luggage storage compartment underneath the seat. This low-down position for luggage actually helps the balance of the stroller, s it keeps the centre of gravity nice and low, aiding the stability. However, for your own convenience, it can be a good idea to look out for a Disney rental stroller that has a parent console pocket that does hang from the handles - make sure that it's small - to keep frequently used odds and ends close at hand.
Another feature that contributes to the overall safety of baby strollers is the wheel design. Older strollers of the kind that today's parents probably rode in when they were small had small swivel wheels that had all the crisp handling properties of a particularly stubborn shopping trolley. These had the tendency to swing to ninety degrees of the direction in which you were travelling and then jam, making you stop suddenly and pitch forward. This isn't so dangerous for the child, assuming that the restraint system is being used, but parents can trip up easily in this situation. Modern strollers of the type that you'll see being used as a Disney rental stroller tend to have big sensible wheels that swivel to help you negotiate corners and dodge obstacles, but don't go out of control and can handle gravel paths and grass a lot better than the old ones. Considering that a Disney rental stroller is likely to be used as a vacation exercise machine for running through the park with children acting as a weight, this feature is a real must. You feel pretty silly as well as uncomfortable if you trip over and hit your face on the stroller handles in a public park.
A very minor but still important safety feature of a Disney rental stroller (or any stroller, really) is the hood design. Hoods are important for keeping sunshine off delicate skins, but problems can arise if the hood is completely opaque. Sure, a completely opaque sunshade will keep the sun off your little darling from most angles, but you won't be able to see if that little darling is quietly entertaining him/herself by removing their clothing or smearing peanut butter through their hair until it's too late. A good stroller should have a clear panel in the hood so you can see your child. You can always put a hat on the child to keep the back of their head safe.
