Baby Strollers And Dads

The typical image of a baby stroller, whether it's a rental stroller or otherwise, generally shows the mother or female caregiver pushing one or two small children in some snappy modern baby stroller while on a shopping trip, possibly with a latté to go in one hand. But strollers, especially modern ones, were designed for dads, too.

Just to keep things simple, in this article about strollers, the term "Dad" will refer to biological fathers, stepfathers, foster-fathers and other primary male caregivers, whether the child calls them Dad or not. It can also stand in for big brothers, uncles, cousins and grandfathers - just insert the most appropriate word to fit your family or we'll never be able to discuss stroller design.

When strollers first came along, which was well before anyone had the bright idea of stroller rentals, they had all been designed by men, given the sexist principles of the workforce before the rise of women's lib in the later 1960s. Not that women had no say in stroller design. It was Queen Victoria who first made the use of a wheeled carriage for babies and toddlers popular - the pram - and the modern forward-facing stroller was designed by an engineer after his adult daughter complained that it was very hard to get a large pram on and off an aeroplane. (It is still, however, hard to get modern strollers on and off aeroplanes, through airport security, etc., which is one reason why stroller rentals are so popular.) But it was generally accepted that the person pushing the stroller would be Mommy or another woman.

But the rise of women's lib didn't just bring changes to the workforce, meaning that women could now be engineers who could design their own strollers, thank you very much. Some women were getting into the field of ergonomics, design and engineering even before the days of women's lib. But one change that this change in the social structure in the West brought was that it was now acceptable for men to care for children. People came to the rather basic conclusion that fathers can care for children quite competently without turning into wimps.

And this brought about changes in stroller design and the look of stroller rentals. The earlier models of stroller were lightweight and a little flimsy. Their swivel wheels made for poor handling and the handles were often low down, meaning that a big tall Dad (or a tall Mom) had to stoop down to push the stroller. Add in the fact that these earlier strollers had no space for luggage and you have recipe for bad backs. What's more, the design of these strollers meant that they could only be pushed at a brisk walk at most.

Let's face facts: mothers and fathers are different and have different parenting styles. Which parent is the most likely to do a bit of rough-and-tumble or to bounce children around vigorously to make them laugh? It's Dad - and this isn't something confined to modern Western society. And which parent is going to be the most likely one to go fast with the stroller, possibly adding skids and motor-racing sound effects? It's Dad. And so that Dads can do this sort of thing more easily, the jogger style of stroller that is used for the majority of stroller rentals came into being.

A number of things have gone into making the modern baby stroller as used for stroller rentals more Dad-friendly. You have the higher handles, meaning that Dads, who are usually taller than mothers, don't have to bend down but can stand up comfortably while pushing the stroller. Baby jogger style strollers tend to have slightly larger wheels than the older strollers we rode in back in the 1970s and 1980s, which makes them easier to handle, especially at speed. These larger wheels also don't get stuck in gravel and grass if you take the stroller into a park. The brakes and restraint systems on modern strollers also tend to be a bit more robust, which is a good thing with the higher speeds involved. Modern strollers tend to unfold a bit more easily, too.

Like modern cars, modern strollers of the type used for stroller rentals tend to have a lot of extra features beyond the basics like wheels and a way to steer them. However, in a stroller, most of the accessories, which are sometimes provided as optional extras for free or for an additional cost, depending on which company you choose for stroller rentals, aren't electronic, the way they are on a car. One of the best accessories for a modern baby stroller that is appreciated by Dads, Moms and the children is the insulated chiller pack, which allows you to keep drinks (and possibly medications) cool in the hot Florida sunshine - sometimes you don't want a hot coffee. But if you do want a hot coffee, the parent console option gives Dad a place to put it where it's nice and handy, along with keys, wallets and the all-essential map that means Dad doesn't have to stop to ask for directions. Another accessory that Dads appreciate, especially the more athletic type of Dad who likes to go jogging with a stroller in the park to keep fit, is the glider board for older children to ride on - although that older child had better hold on tight during a wild ride with Dad (it's designed for children to stand on, so Dad had better not try using it!). The rain cover is another option that is appreciated by all - children don't like the rain and can drive parents nuts complaining about it. But you can find an electric accessory of sorts: the LED lights for night-time trips are, of course, powered by batteries (one day, someone will invent lights for strollers that are powered by solar power or electricity generated by the motion of the stroller, but this hasn't happened yet).

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