Stroller Safety Tips

Stroller Safety

Strollers are used by millions of parents around the world and they are a great way of transporting little babies or toddlers from place to place.
However, you should be aware that injuries can occur from the use of baby strollers. Injuries such as crushing injuries, finger amputations and injuries to the head have occurred. Strollers can even roll away when brakes fail or are not applied.

Safety Items

Some safety items should be present in every baby stroller.

• A safety harness to keep baby secure in the seat.
• A functioning parking brake.
• A tether to prevent the stroller inadvertently rolling away from you.

Checklist

• Always follow the manufacturers instructions.
• Always use the tether – particularly when the parking brake is not engaged.
• When parking the stroller, always park it in such a way that it would never free wheel into a hazard. E.g. river, road, railway etc.
• Keep the stroller within arms reach.
• Ensure that your baby is securely fastened in the seat by the safety harness.
• Keep children far enough away from the stroller during folding and unfolding to prevent their little fingers getting caught up in the hinge mechanisms.
• Return the stroller warranty card so that you may be notified of any recalls.
• Always put your child in a secure place e.g. car seat, before folding and stowing the stroller.

Never

• Never let your child stand up on the stroller seat as they could fall or cause the stroller to topple over.
• Never attach bags to the stroller handle bar as this could cause the stroller to topple over.
• Never leave you baby unattended – especially if they are sleeping in the stroller.

Summary

Stroller safety is not difficult. Just use a little common sense and there should never be any problems. We cannot think of every possible scenario that our stroller and our babies may be involved in but if you use the guidelines and checklist above, you can be pretty sure that you are doing everything within reason to protect your babies and transport them safely.