April 2007
Tips for safer strolling
Learn how to operate your stroller before you use it. Read the instruction manual to get acquainted with it, and assemble
it properly.
- Never leave your baby unattended in a stroller, especially when she's asleep.
- Use the safety belt or harness to restrain children from leaving the stroller and reduce the risk of a child causing it to
tip over.
- To reduce the possibility of injuries, don't overload the stroller with a child heavier than the manufacturer's weight limit,
and don't put more children in the stroller than its design allows.
- Don't jog with a stroller that's not a jogging stroller or an all-terrain stroller not recommended for jogging.
- Don't run with an infant younger than 6 months old in a jogging stroller. Some manufacturers advise you to wait until your
baby is a year old and can be properly fitted with a bicycle helmet. That's not a bad idea.
- If you buy a combo stroller, which includes a bassinet and seat attachment, make sure you hear a "click" when installing these
components to the stroller chassis, to ensure that each is installed properly. (Most combo strollers are designed this way.)
Likewise, when installing an infant car seat to a stroller frame or to a travel system, make sure the seat is safely "locked"
in by jiggling the seat to make sure it's secure, or listening for the audible click, if the seat is designed to provide one.
Use the instruction manual as your guide for correct installation.
- Don't hang any bags on stroller handlebars. They can cause tipping.
- Make sure the frame locking mechanism is properly engaged to avoid collapse, and use the parking brake when you're stopped,
especially on an incline.
- Keep your child away from the stroller when you're folding and unfolding it to avoid pinched fingers.
- Never use a pillow, folded quilt, or blanket as a mattress in a stroller or baby carriage, and don't add an extra mattress
or cushioning to a carriage/pram bassinet. They're a suffocation risk.
- Don't use a stroller/pram bassinet as a car seat.
- Return the stroller warranty card so you can be notified of a recall, or sign up for the Consumer Product Safety Commission's e-mail subscription list at www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Updated recall information will be sent directly to you via e-mail.
