If you look at the majority of baby travel systems (i.
e.
strollers, joggers, etc), the vast majority will have your baby facing forward.
Majority of manufacturers design such systems with the notion that children will enjoy seeing the world.
I've seen stroller commercials in Europe with this phrase: "let you baby see the world!" Not to mention, uninformed parents demand for this as well.
In addition, many pushchairs are forward facing because these products allow the pushchair to be folded & stored very easily - vital for travel.
However, with technological advances in design & manufacturing, many of today's classic baby prams allow for easy folding & storage as well.
With prams, your baby can lie down & see you.
The handle bars reverse on many as well so you can push and be playing with your child.
So why must you read this if you want a healthy child?...
Here's why: New top quality research suggests it is very beneficial for your baby to relate to something.
Especially in early development.
The best relation? Obviously, the baby's mother and/or father.
With babies and toddlers spending approximately 2 hours per day on average in some sort of pushchair, we can see that the influence of the pushchair on baby development is vital.
So what is the influence of a pushchair on a baby? We must ask the question: Do babies benefit from looking at the world around them or at the mother and/or father through baby prams.
Dr.
Suzanne Zeedyk's "The impact of buggy orientation on parent-infant interaction and infant stress" (Nov.
2008) was a first investigation by researchers into a child's experience in a pushchair.
In this study, researchers examined stress levels & interactions between mother and infant.
This study concludes that a baby will benefit from the parent facing & interacting them while traveling in a pushchair.
Dr.
Zeedyk also hypothesizes that a baby facing forward may be emotionally impoverished & isolated.
This study finds that a baby interacting and facing the parent is more likely to enjoy the experience of traveling in a pushchair, and be aware & awake.
The research also explains that a baby needs to see his or her mother and/or father's face to help them understand the world, via the use of baby prams or forward facing pushchair of some sort.
In Part II of this article, we will discuss the effects and conclusions of various psychological research on baby health.