Cool wheels for toddlers
Monday, August 20, 2007
IF YOU have a young toddler, you're well aware what using a stroller involves but not just any buggy will do. Only the uninitiated have failed to notice that transporting a child is about far more than having a pram with four wheels and a handle to push it with. Any parent, who has stood outside an ice cream parlour, knows what it's like to receive pitying, sidelong glances from other parents who have made a mental comparison of prams.
Strollers have become objects of prestige that make a statement about the parents' fashion sense.
Stroller manufacturers have long since recognised this development and reacted by bringing more unusual and more expensive models onto the market.
"We often have customers who ask for specific models they've seen being pushed by celebrities in glossy magazines," says Carola Hartung who runs the baby accessory shop Baby-Walz in Hamburg.
Brand-conscious parents might choose one of the pushchairs from Esprit. Its "Heartbreaker" collection "raises the heartbeat of mothers who have a sense of style", according to the company's promotional material.
With "trendy colours, a sporty sitting attachment and easy handling", every stroll will be like "going down a catwalk".
More exclusive strollers are made by "Hartan" like its upmarket sounding VIP model.
The Rock Star Baby pram immediately gives parents a cooler image. The pram comes with some celebrity cache as the drummer from Bon Jovi bought one for his child. Teddy bear and rabbit decorations are not included. The pram is black in colour, has white skull symbols, an iPod connector and built-in loudspeakers for the child.
"The parents must like the pram, but it should not be chosen just on its aesthetic merits," advises Karin Schacht of Kiel-based Babymarkt.
"We always discuss the purchase with our customers. Some react a little strangely when we ask them where they live and what their lifestyles are but they are some of the most important criteria when buying a pram."
A family that lives in a house in the countryside has different needs from a mother who has to carry her child and pram up three floors of stairs every day in the city. "The pram's weight is of decisive importance," says Tilman Koehler, a paediatrician at the children's clinic in Mecklenburg in northeast Germany. After all, the health of the mother also plays a role. "It's important that the baby's mattress is relatively firm and is at least 90 centimetres long."
If the mattress is too soft, that could hinder the baby's breathing. Most modern prams that have a high trend factor have much smaller mattresses.
When choosing a stroller, many young parents talk about its undercarriage.
"That pram doesn't suit me, it doesn't go in a straight line," can be heard from many inexperienced parents when talking about the Bugaboo pram the hippest pushchair going for urban parents.
The Bugaboo has two small swivel wheels at the front and two large ones at the back.
"Prams with swivel wheels like the Bugaboo are very practical in urban areas or for supermarkets," says Hartung.
But on uneven surfaces or in snow there's nothing better than the uncool, equally-sized wheels.
DPA
Strollers have become objects of prestige that make a statement about the parents' fashion sense.
Stroller manufacturers have long since recognised this development and reacted by bringing more unusual and more expensive models onto the market.
"We often have customers who ask for specific models they've seen being pushed by celebrities in glossy magazines," says Carola Hartung who runs the baby accessory shop Baby-Walz in Hamburg.
Brand-conscious parents might choose one of the pushchairs from Esprit. Its "Heartbreaker" collection "raises the heartbeat of mothers who have a sense of style", according to the company's promotional material.
With "trendy colours, a sporty sitting attachment and easy handling", every stroll will be like "going down a catwalk".
More exclusive strollers are made by "Hartan" like its upmarket sounding VIP model.
The Rock Star Baby pram immediately gives parents a cooler image. The pram comes with some celebrity cache as the drummer from Bon Jovi bought one for his child. Teddy bear and rabbit decorations are not included. The pram is black in colour, has white skull symbols, an iPod connector and built-in loudspeakers for the child.
"The parents must like the pram, but it should not be chosen just on its aesthetic merits," advises Karin Schacht of Kiel-based Babymarkt.
"We always discuss the purchase with our customers. Some react a little strangely when we ask them where they live and what their lifestyles are but they are some of the most important criteria when buying a pram."
A family that lives in a house in the countryside has different needs from a mother who has to carry her child and pram up three floors of stairs every day in the city. "The pram's weight is of decisive importance," says Tilman Koehler, a paediatrician at the children's clinic in Mecklenburg in northeast Germany. After all, the health of the mother also plays a role. "It's important that the baby's mattress is relatively firm and is at least 90 centimetres long."
If the mattress is too soft, that could hinder the baby's breathing. Most modern prams that have a high trend factor have much smaller mattresses.
When choosing a stroller, many young parents talk about its undercarriage.
"That pram doesn't suit me, it doesn't go in a straight line," can be heard from many inexperienced parents when talking about the Bugaboo pram the hippest pushchair going for urban parents.
The Bugaboo has two small swivel wheels at the front and two large ones at the back.
"Prams with swivel wheels like the Bugaboo are very practical in urban areas or for supermarkets," says Hartung.
But on uneven surfaces or in snow there's nothing better than the uncool, equally-sized wheels.
DPA
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