to feel a bit patronised by the "Talk to your Child" campaign to get me to buy a rear facing buggy

[witchandchips]

Don't get me wrong, I have wasted many hours searching for such a thing that is affordable and non wanky + the premise of the campaign makes sense. But it is the judgy judgy judgy notes of the articles and the complete apparrent dismissal of issues like needing to get on the bus or having to wheel two under two into shops that get my goat, It seems just another stick for the daily mail to beat us by.

I realise that now mabanana, my gov thing was a real question. I didn't mention Baby P though!

Why would a film from a childs POV help? Is it eddited with the childs thoughts and feelings? It may be boring to us parents who have seen it all before - for years and years day in day out. BUT to a child? IMO another piece of pointless distraction in avain attempt to validat the utter bull.. they have published.

Oh - I was leaving wasn't I?

Was in the chemist the other day waiting in line for prescription when this came over the radio - I was stood behind my forward facing puschair at the time . The lady next to me looked at laughed at me!

Both of mine where in forward facing pushchairs and as far as I can tell are not affected be it.

It's because it involves buying something - if people carried their kids around at home the world would be happier & this costs nothing so no mention of attachment parenting, co-sleeping & bf - just spending cash.

"It is mind-numbing in its boringness and compelling in its ghastliness. .."

yes, some of my walks are like that around here. maybe i should walk backwards down the holloway road too?

this is such a daft 'problem' isn't it? and to directly address the issue, i am convinced both of mine and me are pleasde to have some of the world to look at now and then, and a break from the constant chit chat.

Was so enraged by that stupid article, I actually went round in a towering rage for some hours after reading it. It is such CRAP journalism and such scaremongering guilt-inducing page-filling claptrap In her forward-facing buggy my two-year-old engages intently with a world of dogs, plants, people beaming at her and chatting to her etc etc. My guess is no one was beaming at a camera being pushed about in a buggy.
SCREAM

OFG - what next? I'm sure most people talk to their babies loads anyway. I quite like the my babies facing away sometimes - it gives me a break and they get to watch the world.

If DS has suffered 'trauma' by having a forward facing buggy he's hiding really well.

I think its rubbish too and my baby faces me in his buggy!

We got a stokke xplory(it was a showroom model so was sooooo much cheaper, no way I would have spent the money otherwise) basically because I like the height of it!...my son is at a decent level to see things and when he is facing me(it goes facing or outwards) 90% of the time he is to busy looking PAST me! I talk to him yes, and he talks back but is so much more interested in everything else! he gets to look at my mug all day every day so when we are out everything else is so much more exciting!

I think forward/rear facing blah! kids want to see the world. For me the issue was height. he sees people etc rather than just bags and ankles!

this just me off that it's yet another thing where we can't do right from wrong. if they're facing forwards they will be stressed and anxious adults, and if they're facing backwards they're more likely to sleep. Surely it depends on the parents and the child. both DS's face forwards and DS1 has a huge vocabulary at 2.4 and very good understanding of fully constructed sentences, including his own. they get to see other people, see what is going on in the world and we talk about it (well not ds2 yet as he's only 8 months).

Coupled with whether they are ff, mixed fed or bf, organic or non organic, watch TV or don't watch TV or whether it's the right kind of tv programme, use gender specific toys or not, are born in the summer or the winter it's just yet one more thing that parents have to worry about.

sorry rant over, it's just the last in a long line of things like this to get my goat - has everyone forgotten that most of us will do what we feel is best for our child and not need hand holding every single step of the way?

I agree it's a load of cobblers. As with all things parenting, it's dependent on situation/ child/ parent.

My DS had a rear facing buggy from birth and moaned and moaned until I turned it round at 6mo and he could finally see the World. Now he waves and babbles at everyone he sees.

Of course if they're in their buggy all day and no one ever talks to them then it's going to be a problem. But for most people it's just another unnecessary thing to stress about. Grrrrrr.

I'm quite thankful that my DD was in a forward-facing buggy, at 3 she already sounds like she should be on Newsnight, and her being any more articulate would just freak me out!

If she had ever been 'stressed' by being in a forward-facer, she would certainly have let me (and everyone in the entire town/park/supermarket) know about it.

It's just another bunch of people trying to make us feel guilty and frightened, for their own purposes.

I agree with OP. I did want one as it happens but I couldn't find one that met all requirements a few years ago when I was buying one.

It's the patronising way we must have what is deemed 'good for us' rammed down our throats at every opportunity these days that makes me want to run off and do the opposite just to assert myself.

It's the same with healthy eating, drinking, exercise, and how much tv is good for you blah blah blah.

I don't mind taking on board the message. Most of the time I was probably doing it anyway. But start preaching about it, trying to guilt trip me into it, or worse in some cases enforcing it and I'm taking the opposing view just so I can .

My next door neighbour ( a bit of a lentil weaver) made her sling from an old scarf and never used buggies at all. Funny how the "experts" only recommend that we spend more money.

I am sick to death of the constant guilt trips that we get when most of us are trying to do our best.

tsk! stroppy rattle throwing going on here.only a report.not statutory requirement

buy what buggy you want
talk to your baby when you want

like all recommendations and guidelines - you decide.no one will compel you to ditch the maclaren for a rear facing stroller

simple

I tried to apologise to my DS for having him in a forward facing buggy the other day, but I couldn't get a word in edgeways

Haven't read the whole thread, but heard a bit of the debate on Women's Hour. Personaly I think its Bllcks.
DS was in a car-seat facing me for the first 9 months or so (now I learn that this will have given him a banana shaped back)
When he moved up into the pushchair facing forwards, it was like the whole world was suddenly smiling at me, he was so very beaming at everyone.

Actually it's a good point about travelling forwards too.

I hate travelling backwards on trains now I think about it. Who knows, maybe babies would hate being pushed backwards for all we know.

yes but SM like all things it will start out as a report and weave its way into a guideline or recommendation which will then make parents that want to do the best for their children worry about yet another thing which we were all doing well in the first place.

or it will get turned round in a few years and actually everyone will say that yes the forward facing ones are better because children get to see more, learn more etc.

Silly article. My dcs like to look at the world. I take them out in the buggy specifically to put them to sleep for naps. This insane need to interact every waking moment is insane and along the lines of hothousy claptrap.

I wonder if the researcher is being (secretly) financed by manufacturers of rear facing buggies or by buggy companies looking to create a brand new market.

I agree with ScottishMummy - calm down!

It is only a recommendation, not law and it's not just down to which way the buggy faces it other things too like interacting with your child, playing with them, not sticking them in front of the TV all the time.

Do what you want. If your child is happy and talking in a forward facing buggy have a forward facing buggy.

I agree the rear facing ones are a sod if you need to catch the bus as they tend not to collapse and if they do they are very heavy, (and I can't believe someone hasn't managed to create a rear facing, lightweight, collapsable stroller yet) but I love being able to see my baby and talk to her and it's not like I'm the size of a bus and that's all she sees, she can look left and right out at the world, she doesn't miss out because she's facing backwards!

I don't understand why everyone thinks it is a personal insult or attack whenever someone comes up with a theory or recommendation (which isn't new by the way). Do what you feel is right. Why waste your energy getting cross.

Sometimes a bit of cross-ness does you good. Of course we can do what we want, which includes getting cross about the way parenting is dealt with in such reports/ the media if we fancy.

this is a recommendation,in a plethora of recommendations.you are the adult you decide

dont think your babies will necessarily suffer sensory deprivation or language acquisition defecit if you dont buy a rear facing buggy

you arent sheep compelled to comply with all directives