If you have kids, you know that free time is a limited quantity. Especially with a baby, your time is not your own, and it is so easy to sacrifice your health and hobbies to make sure their needs are being met. If you’re a walker or runner, you know what this means. You can’t leave your baby alone while you run, and it seems pointless (and expensive!) to hire a babysitter for such a short amount of time.
There is a solution though. Get a jogging or running stroller and bring your baby with you. Not only can you ensure your little one is safe, but it buys you back some of the free time that you’ve been longing to have! It takes a little coordination, though, so we’ve rounded up some of the top tips to teach you how to run with a jogging or running stroller.
Benefits and Challenges of Running with a Jogging or Running Stroller
First, let’s talk benefits. There are so many great reasons to buy a stroller equipped for running (and actually use it with your child!) Of course, there are amazing health benefits for you. For the moms out there, it can help shed some of that baby weight, or just keep you healthy in general.
Health and Time
There’s also an added benefit of pushing an extra 30 or more pounds: you’ll get some strength and endurance training in too!
It can also buy some time for you and your partner to do something you enjoy while keeping your baby entertained. The baby is often lulled to sleep by the gentle motions of the stroller or entertained by nature, noises or city sounds that float into the stroller.
Safety Considerations
However, anytime you’re strapping your baby into an object that moves, you must be extremely careful to ensure his or her safety, and a jogging stroller is certainly no exception. While running strollers are created to be somewhat more agile than regular strollers, they are heavy and are hard to quickly stop. If you take a sharp turn too quickly, the stroller could easily overturn.
Plus, there’s your safety to think about too. It is easy to hunch over the handlebar and compromise your form while using a stroller, which could lead to some serious injuries.
Another thing to think about if your baby is into throwing things and you’re bringing along blankets and toys: these can easily get thrown out of the stroller and tangled up in the wheel.
Maneuverability and Awareness
Keep in mind, running with a stroller is overall more challenging than running with your own two feet. If there’s inclement weather, a poorly lit trail or you’re traversing new territory at night, remember that it’s much harder to run from danger with a 50-pound stroller.
Finally, you’ve always got to keep your head on a swivel. Even though you feel bigger and more noticeable carrying a stroller, it doesn’t guarantee that drivers and other pedestrians will see you and make room for you. If you can, stay away from busy roads and stick to the running paths you know and love.
