Some friends of mine are expecting their first baby. As the date of birth approaches, they are busy making the necessary lifestyle adjustments the new addition will require. Recently, the expectant mom posted a request on Facebook looking for advice on strollers. The replies were certainly an eye opener for an old-timer like me.
It seems that modern strollers are designed by the folks that produce the Transformer movies. They can quickly convert into beds, car seats, or all terrain vehicles. The replies recommended products ranging anywhere from$200 to $500. Features included tangle- free harnesses, energy-absorbing foam liners, side impact protection and all terrain pneumatic tires. The handles are adjustable for height and the features go on and on.
Back in the 1950s, Mom had a baby buggy that was made from steel, tin, and aluminum and coated with lead paint. The fenders over the wheels were made from weapon grade material and ground to a sword-like sharpness during manufacture.
One Friday night shopping stroll downtown, my Mom was pushing my brother and I was walking ahead. As she raised the front of the buggy to get up on the sidewalk, the fender came down on my tender young calf and cut it open.
Today, the child would get stitches, a compressed bandage and be told to rest for a day or two. Mom told me to quit bawling, we went into Plewes Drug Store and a man in a white coat gave her a Band-aid to put on the cut. I was also told to keep out of the way for the rest of the shopping trip. I have a large crescent shaped scar on my calf to this day.
You see, we were building survivors in the 1950s, and if you got through the first five years of life, there was a good chance you would make it.
In the 1970s, plastic was used in everything. My two children were moved around in umbrella strollers. K-Mart sold them for $20 and they were handy. But they broke easily, the tires were small and they tipped often. A root or a large stone was an obstacle.
They had a harness but the small plastic buckle was usually plugged with baby puke, pablum or strained carrots so it wasn’t always effective. But my son and daughter survived to be healthy adults.
By the 1990s, the stroller was a status symbol and my third child had a stroller that was CSA approved and had protection from the sun and a plastic cover for the rain. However, a friend once pointed out he had put a candle in the stroller and put the plastic cover on, and the flame went out in less than four minutes. Something to think about. Maybe those kids aren’t just dozing off after all.
I hated that stroller because I could never fold it up properly. No matter what I did, the handle was always lef sticking up. My wife would get out of the car saying, “For Pete’s sake, we’ll never get home,” then perform some sleight of hand maneuver, flatten it and plop it in the trunk.
No doubt car today’s car seats and strollers have saved lives and enabled parents to travel, jog, or stroll in comfort and safety. To the new parents, good luck and may your children survive childhood without scars. At least that’s what McGregor says.
