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Jogging stroller safety tips

• Consider your child's age before you buy. It is not advisable to take children under six months old out in joggers.
• Adjust the handlebar to your height before you take the stroller out to insure you are as comfortable (and stable) as possible.
• Take a practice run or two without the child in the jogging stroller to get a feel for the handling of it and to make sure you can turn and stop it without any trouble. Remember, it will be heavier and carrying something very important; you will want to be able to maneuver it easily.
• Think about the child's health. Be sure your child is bundled against whatever environmental elements you will be running in. Just because you are warm while running does not mean your child will. You are producing heat, but the child is bearing the wind. Also, on warm days keep your child shaded and cool and keep your runs short. Do not forget sunscreen as well.
• Strap your child in with the full harness. You want them as safe as possible and if you have to stop suddenly, you do not want them to fall out or even get shaken. Also you do not want them to be able to reach out and get their fingers tangled in the wheels.
• Never take your hands off the stroller. They are made to need little to no resistance to make them move, so that running with them is easier, but this causes them to move if you let go. Rogue strollers can be very hard to catch and very unsafe for your child.
• Run at a slow comfortable pace. You can expect your pace to be one minute per mile (or more) slower than your normal pace. Remember you are doing some resistance training, so do not despair. Walk down hills and stop if danger approaches (such as bikes or unfamilar animals coming toward you).
• Stick to smooth surfaces if your child is not a year old yet. This will lessen the amount that the child is shaken while running.
• Be in control of your jogging stroller. Make sure that you are never going so fast that you cannot stop the jogger if needed. Remember, the brake is for parking, not for stopping during a run. It is the runner's responsibility to use momentum in such a way that they can control the jogging stroller.
• Use your runs to your advantage. If you run right before naptime, the rhythmic sound of you running may put your child to sleep, which can be a nice bonus of your runs.
• Increase the comfort of your child by shifting them to different positions during the run. This is especially important in very young children who cannot rearrange themselves.
• Do not expect your child to sit still for the duration of the run. For toddlers and older, it is a good idea to allow the child to get out and play for a bit during the run, especially if they seem restless. This will increase their enjoyment and comfort on the run.
• Do not get discouraged. Do not be suprised if the first time you take your child out, you cannot run very far with the jogging stroller. The extra weight can be a hinderance for most people. If this is a problem, you can start out taking brisk walks with the stroller, then moving up to jogging for a minute or two and then walking. Eventually you will be able to jog with the stroller somewhat comfortably.

Credits - WorldwideRunning.com would like to thank the website SweetStrollers.com (www.sweetstrollers.com) for the authorization to reprint the article "Jogging Stroller Safe Tips" by Jesslyn Cummings.