They Say: Forward-Facing Stroller's Bad for Baby

JeanneSager — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:05:00 GMT

What great timing. In the middle of an economic meltdown (yeah, we know, another mention - sorry, we had to), a study out of Dundee University in Scotland will have parents casting aside their $1,000 strollers. The new must-have? An old-fashioned pram, the better for leaning over and cooing in baby's face. The better for baby's emotional and language development down the road, they say.

I say poppycock.

The study specifically states forward-facing strollers keep kids from interacting with their caregivers, making the children less likely to talk and laugh. How'd they come up with this? They followed nearly three thousand parents and came up with an experiment for twenty. Those twenty babies were pushed in forward-facing strollers for half a mile, then turned to face their parents for another half mile. Face-to-face, the parents were more likely to talk to their kids, and the kids were more likely to talk back. What's more, the scientists say the baby was twice as likely to fall asleep facing Mom and Dad.

Maybe because they were bored?

Kids see their parents all day long. What they don't get to see out of the old pram is the world around them. They don't get to watch a dog sniffing the ground or the way a shopper swings his bag in time to his own steps in the mall. Ever notice how quiet a kid gets when they're getting into trouble? When their minds are at work, kids often shut off the volume so they can concentrate on imagining. Could explain why babies who have something better to look at than the same old Mom face they're used to seeing are staying mum. Could explain why they're staying awake too - there are too many new things to see.

Researcher Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk of Dundee says the study suggests forward-facing babies are experiencing a life that's "emotionally impoverished and possibly stressful." I say she's just putting more undue stress on parents.

But who am I to say anything? It's getting too quiet in my living room - I have to go check on my emotionally impoverished daughter. I think she's up to something.

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Bipartisan Group Says McCain Would Be Bad for Kids' Health

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:30:00 GMT

First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy group, has released a statement warning voters that John McCain’s health care plan would result in millions of American children going without health insurance.

McCain’s proposal centers around a flat tax credit, which would be given to every family, regardless of size or income, to be used to buy health insurance. (The money for these credits would be raised, at least in part, by cutting Medicaid and Medicare.)

First Focus has warned that the tax credit is well below the amount of money required for the average family’s health care needs. Plus, since McCain wouldn't require insurance companies to cover children with pre-existing conditions, it's likely that many of these kids would be denied coverage.

Obama’s plan guarantees that every child will be covered, either privately or publicly, regardless of preexisting conditions.

For a comprehensive primer on Obama and McCain’s health care proposals, check out Kim Mance’s essay.

Photo: New York Times