StrollerLife Blog

About 3,700 Zooper Tango Strollers are being recalled by Lan Enterprises for a hazardous latch in the front of the stroller frame right above the front wheels that can cause the stroller to suddenly collapse if it hits an object.

Models affected are the 2007 and 2008 Zooper Tango Double Strollers, model numbers – SL808B and SL808F (these numbers can be found on the original box.)

If you are using a Zooper Tango double stroller, it is important that you STOP using it right away and contact Zooper at 888-966-7379 or visit www.Zooper.com to request for a Free Repair Kit.

We at StrollerLife like to wish everyone in Canada a very wonderful and happy Canada Day!

This is an important reminder to parents to always be aware of where you place your strollers.

In Melbourne, a 15-month old boy survived with minor injuries after being hit by an oncoming train at a railway station. The train driver acted quick enough as he spotted the stroller rolling off the platform and jammed his breaks immediately. He then quickly got out of the train and jump onto the platform to save the baby.

Here’s the video of the incident from Associated Press. (Don’t worry, the video is safe to watch)

To all mothers, we at StrollerLife love all of you so much that we want to share a favourite video of ours that we recently saw – a message with love from Sophia of Sophia and Bella!

Thank you for all the love and all the sacrifices and all the fun!

Thank you for loving unconditionally forever…

Thank you for being you, the greatest mommys in the world!

This is the tragic real story of innocent boys who lies at the mercy of the Congolese war. Everyday, children are abducted from their homes and brought to torture camps, where they are imprisoned, beaten, tortured and used as “covers” in the frontline between two opposing forces.

These are children that are innocently used as “weapons” to fight – for what, they do not know. Children  that were captured were trained to kill using guns. HOWEVER, those who are too young to hold guns are given “WHISTLES.” They are then put to the front line to blow the whistle to scare the enemy. These “whistleblowers” are the first ones to be shot by the enemy, each of them falling down as though they are a temporary shield.

But now, there’s some help and you can help get these children out of the Congo, out of this bloodshed, out of this horrible hell on earth.

Please read the story of Fallen Whistles and help in any way you can. We highly encourage you to buy a whistle and wear it over your neck as a way to promote peace in Congo.

Click on the picture and read the full story and learn how you can help.

This came in just after I posted the last post about strollers and slings. CPSC has issued a warning to parents to be careful when using slings. Here’s the full report:

Infant Deaths Prompt CPSC Warning About Sling Carriers for Babies

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is advising parents and caregivers to be cautious when using infant slings for babies younger than four months of age. In researching incident reports from the past 20 years, CPSC identified and is investigating at least 14 deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers, including three in 2009. Twelve of the deaths involved babies younger than four months of age.

Slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two. Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.

Many of the babies who died in slings were either a low birth weight twin, were born prematurely, or had breathing issues such as a cold. Therefore, CPSC urges parents of preemies, twins, babies in fragile health and those with low weight to use extra care and consult their pediatricians about using slings.

Two months ago, the Commission added slings to the list of durable infant products that require a mandatory standard. Additionally, CPSC staff is actively investigating these products to determine what additional action may be appropriate. Until a mandatory standard is developed, CPSC is working with ASTM International to quickly complete an effective voluntary standard for infant sling carriers.

CPSC recommends that parents and caregivers make sure the infant’s face is not covered and is visible at all times to the sling’s wearer. If nursing the baby in a sling, change the baby’s position after feeding so the baby’s head is facing up and is clear of the sling and the mother’s body. Parents and caregivers should be vigilant about frequently checking their baby in a sling.

So what is the deal with all this strollers against baby carriers debate? Over the past year, baby slingers have been coming up as a new trend following the idea of keeping baby close to you rather being pushed away from you.

The New York Times put out an excellent article today about this new debate over strollers and baby carriers and the merging trend of the latter. Although baby slingers are a new trend in North America, the truth is it has had a very long history among Asian cultures such as the Chinese Mei Tais and Vietnam’s Hmong people. More similarities can be spotted among Koreans where they use something call the Podaegi and the in Japan, they call it the Obi (Sash).

There is however still a sort of skepticism about the safety of the sling when compared to a stroller. And its no wonder why some parents can be skeptical due to recalls of baby carriers because of faulty product manufacturing causing suffocation – an issue that has seen also top line strollers like Maclaren being recalled by CPSC for finger amputation problems.

I seriously don’t think the issue is whether we should use the stroller or the baby carrier because it really doesn’t matter. As humans, we are blessed with the power of choice and as long as you are comfortable and you think that you baby is comfortable and it is safe, there should not be too much fuss.

Both products has their advantages and disadvantages. And if you really cannot decide, get both if you have the money to spare and use it interchangeably like some of the parents in the Times article. There is no need to get psychological about it and PLEASE, having a baby stroller does not mean you are “pushing” your baby away from you. If someone tells you that, they should get their heads checked.

So go out and find what you like. You can check out the strollers on our webpage and we will be adding baby carriers too because we stand by a comfortable and relaxing strolling experience everyday. It’s not the product, its the comfort.

What do you get when you put a hungry monster and equipped it with wheels and an umbrella? – You get a stroller monster that bites off finger tips with its hinges.

In the last couple of months, we’ve seen major recalls by Maclaren and Graco due to many finger tip amputation accidents caused by the hinges and this begs the question of the design of umbrella strollers in general. If we take a look at umbrella strollers from different companies, like Britax (who also was recalled) and CYBEX as well, they also possess similar hinge dangers of fingertip amputations.

It’s an unnerving situation for parents as the question remains, what is safe for our babies if the stroller that was meant to keep them safe is not? Stroller accidents seemed to be on the rise due to the fact that many strollers are built to break down fast. While companies are working to get problems fixed, it is important for parents to be updated and know what is going on.

Strollers can be very similar to cars. Though not as complicated, the dangers are the same. No one wants to get their fingers clipped by the car door. So if you have a stroller that has hinges, make sure no fingers are around when moving the hinge.

A lot of times, we take for granted that products are always 100% safe but nobody is perfect, just as no product is perfect. There will always be improvements needed to make a product better. As consumers, we cannot always assume that everything is always at its best. But I am also not saying to be paranoid either. What I am saying is that be aware. Awareness is always the best tool one can have against unwanted accidents.

A lot of parents do not usually check when they move the hinges, hence, not noticing that baby’s fingers can be placed right there when the hinge move. So make it a point and a habit that when you want to maneuver the stroller and its parts, keep your baby in sight so that accidents can be avoided.

This applies also to moving the stroller over bumps or trying to carry the stroller up the stairs with the baby in it (Something you should never do). Be sure to use your safety senses: Slow down, Check the baby and Giggle with Baby.

Repeat to yourself:

Slow down, Check the baby, Giggle with Baby…

Slow down, Check the baby, Giggle with Baby…

Slow down, Check the baby, Giggle with Baby…

That being said. I am just glad that there are organizations like CPSC that helps check for products that can be detrimental to the safety of our precious little ones. So parents, be aware, use your safety sense and stroller safe.

Over the past few weeks, we have been hearing news after news of efforts to help Haiti. Debts were cancelled by the G7, celebrities offer their help, and many more efforts are put into pulling Haiti out of their disastrous situation. The help and love is enormous.

However, one issue caught our attention and it is by now no means any less seen or heard on the media – the kidnapping of children in the name of compassion. Without needing to go into whether we think what is right or wrong, we only want to help out Haiti children. We do however agree with Louise Fulford of Save The Children that keeping the children with their people, culture and ethnic group should remain the top priority.

So if you want to help the children of Haiti, here are some places that you should go to:

Haiti Children

Save The Children

Unicef

Hope for Haiti’s Children

World Vision

One of the philosophies that we follow closely here at StrollerLife is kindness. Kindness goes a long way for babies, infants, kids and parents where when we pay close attention to being kind as parents towards your children and others (strangers), you will likely see a good cultivation of kindness in your child’s later years.

But here is an interesing one. We stumbled upon this website call mamabears.com and they sell these really interesting “Kind Signs“ that basically tell people in a nice way to not “touch my kid.” Of course, one can take this in a rude way but if you read the sign, you will understand why this sign can be a useful one.

They are cheap too at $7.95! They also come in 3 different colours – pink, blue and orange. So be sure to check out these signs at www.mamabears.com and hang it on your stroller. One up for useful “chic-ness”!