[blparent] Stroller Fail!

Thu Mar 17 11:25:02 UTC 2016

Hello Allison.
I and my wife are both totally blind. What we have been doing for the
last 6-9 months  is to use a combination of a baby jogger city mini GT
which is a 3 wheel stroler with adjustable handlebar. It does swing
abit from side to side but not that much, and it is very easy to get
around with it. it would have been wonderful if the handlebar could
have been reversed, some strollers have that option, but this baby
jogger does not. But it is a very nimble stroller and it can be folded
up so you can actually carry it in one hand. Be aware that it is a
three-wheel stroler though, which some may find unsuitable.
But if we know we will be moving up or down alot or going downtown
with alot of people crowding us, we may use our Beco carrier which is
a soft structured carrier that offers both front back and hip carrying
positions. It can be abit tricky to get the baby into the carrier on
your own, if you carry on the back but it can be done. We started
Carrying Liam on the back when he was around 7 months, and we still do
this now that he is 15 months. He is a light baby only weighing around
21 pounds or so, still he loves to be carried in the beco also for
extended periods of time, and he even falls asleep in it.
We went overseas to Canada (we live in Denmark) in October and had
both the stroler and carrier with us for added flexibility,  and it
worked out very well indeed.
Since we are both blind, we when travelling with the stroler one walks
in front and  has the main job of helping  to clear opsticles and
finding the way, so the other one  pulling the stroler can concentrate
on moving the stroler.
When using the carrier we  often walk side by side, when narrow or
crowded we walk behind each other sandwiching and thus protecting Liam
sitting on the back.
This works very well for us, but other strategies may work better for
you, depending on the area you live in and how adventuous and skilled
you are in O & M.
I hope this can give you some ideas, and feel free to ask more questions.
Best regards, Jesper

On 3/17/16, Julie J. via BlParent <blparent at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> First a disclaimer...my son just moved into his first apartment this past
> weekend.  So what I know about baby equipment is probably outdated!
>
> When he was really little I put him in a front carrier.  It was winter and
> this also worked to keep him warm.  I'd put my coat around both of us.
>
> Then when he was perhaps 6 months or so I used a stroller.  I pulled it
> backwards, but tipped it so it was only on the back wheels.  The stroller I
>
> bought only had the front wheels that swiveled.  It was reasonably easy to
> keep it going in a straight line.  I also found that strollers with a single
>
> handle across worked better than the type with two individual handle grips.
>
> I also used a back carrier.  It was comfortable and fairly easy for me to
> physically carry.  The difficulty was getting it on and off.  At home I'd
> set it on the dining room table and just stoop a bit to get it on, but
> rarely is there a table when you're out shopping.  Mostly I used the back
> carrier for leisure walking.
>
> Oh, then when he was a toddler I used an old fashioned red wagon.  I still
> have it.  One of the few things I kept from back then.
>
> Happy travels!
> Julie
> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now
> available! Get the book here:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Allison via BlParent
> Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 10:27 PM
> To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
> Cc: Allison
> Subject: [blparent] Stroller Fail!
>
>
>
> Hi Everybody,
>
> My daughter, Allyssa, is 9 weeks old now. I love my baby. It turns out that
> I also love getting out of my house sometimes. I had a lot of great plans
> for this when I was pregnant, plans about how I could successfully get out
> in the world with my child, and I can now safely say that almost none of
> them have worked out. LOL.
>
> I tried a bunch of strollers at a local store before my daughter, Allyssa,
> was born. I bought a Graco Click Connect in the end because it seemed like
> the best balance of usability and affordability that I could find at the
> time. It has a stroller with a car seat that clicks right into and out of
> it. I tested it at the store with my cane and verified that I could in fact
> pull it behind me. I also tried it on the sidewalk in front of my house
> when
> I brought it home. Great, right? Yeah, only great because it did not yet
> have a baby in it. I tried it with said baby in it last weekend and it was
> less than successful. The stroller now wobbles and wavers when I try to
> pull
> it behind me. It is only slightly less awful when I pull it next to me, but
> when it's next to me, I worry that my cane arc isn't wide enough to safely
> cover me and baby both because the stroller takes up a lot of space.
> Moreover, the stroller was nearly impossible to manage when encountering
> anything other than a 100% flat surface, and turning or changing directions
> was something like trying to heard cats. As a result, I've mostly been
> wearing Allyssa in a front carrier when I'm out. I like this option a lot
> because she's safe, my hands are free, and Allyssa likes it, but I'm
> worried
> that my body won't allow me to wear her as she grows heavier. Pretty much
> every carrier I've tried pulls on my neck or shoulders at least a little.
> Sooner or later, I will probably want to travel with her in a stroller. And
> so far, the stroller has been a bit of a fail as it zigs and zags all over
> the place. I could buy a new one, but buying multiple strollers will get
> expensive quickly. Does anyone have any solutions for this stroller
> craziness? Does it get better somehow? Will I become that blind mom who
> never leaves the house alone with her kids? Please please tell me that is
> not my future. If I start to think that it is, I may be tempted to drown
> myself in my breast milk. So please share some words of wisdom!
>
> Thanks,
> Allison
>
>
>
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