Having your baby facing away from you in their buggy is not the done thing,

[wrinklytum]

So says research from Dundee University.Apparently they are much better off in a buggy that faces the parent.

Sighs at self.Yet another parenting issue I have failed on.

Marla that is hilarious.

"Where both parents were present, they were often talking to each other but not the child."
LOLOLOLOL.

I wonder what she would think about us going for long walks with dcs in backpacks - we can't even see them except in a mirror!

Lovely loolas may be available on ebay but they weigh 13.10 kg!!!!

That is about twice the weight of the ordinary FF pushchairs like the Silvercross Pop.

I am interested in this as I am about to buy a pushchair - I know that the media coverage of this lame report will prompt people to cast aspersions on me if I choose an FF pushchair. But practically speaking I don't see how I would manage to carry an RF one up and down from the third floor every day.

I just think that there may well be something in the research. It is first stage research but had a large sample. it wasn't based on anecdotal evidence but on monitoring the level of interaction and heartrate etc of the babies and the parents. Of course a tiny baby is going to be more reassured by seeing a carer, the world is a scary place and it would be comforting to them. As a child gets older the fact they are facing the parent stimulates them. What is wrong with that exactly?

I really don't see why people are getting their knickers in a twist about it. As I have said earlier - it makes complete sense. However the researchers are not saying that this is the only thing that influences a child's development, just one aspect.

As for the anecdotal stuff, the actual research isn't based on the comments.

BTW - why is the University of Dundee crap?

"the actual research isn't based on the comments."

No, it is based on the highly-suspect data gathered by the numpties who made such comments. People who had enough time on their hands to voluntarily spend their days monitoring the activities of parents in their area.

I have my ds in the buggy facing away from me and I listen to my ipod a we go along.

Obviously ds will grow up to be a complete no hoper

Just out of interest high many rear facing all terrain,doubles are there? Many mums need a double not just multiple mums but mums with small gaps between dc.

I can't cope with crappy pushchairs that can't rough it and have dodgy steering. When you look after 3 small dc 24/7 on your own a pushchair has to be easy to use otherwise it just makes life harder.

This is yet another of those issues that I find,, as my youngest nears the preschool years, I struggle to give a shit about.

So maybe my children smiles 45 minutes later than they would have done in a rear facing pushchair. Perhaps they were spoken to less than they otherwise would have done, because they were facing forward a lot of the time.

I genuinely don't care. It's not a frigging race.

MilaMae - we have an Emmaljunga twin city cross (can face forwards ro backwards - but not sideways ) and it is very sturdy and solid to push across rough terrain (we live near the beach and also stands solid against a strong wind / sleety snow etc). Also very light to push despite being a heavy pushchair because of the suspension. They are expensive if you buy them brand new though (we were lucky and bought ours second-hand and I love it - especially as we can't afford a car, so we can load our weekly shop in it and carry a baby each on the way home. Very practical. Wouldn't like to push it up 3 flights of stairs though. Sorry Upwind, no suggestions for you there).

They are not numpties they are researchers, the research was carried out by developmental psychologists. Clearly they don't know as much as a few mums who have got a bee in their bonnet about this!

Personally I welcome any research that can improve the lot of children in our society. If people didn't do research into this area then we'd all still think it was OK to leave babies in prams outside all day.

Things change, we find out more, life moves on. Don't feel so personally criticised FGS. The research doesn't say anywhere that it is the be all and end all to all child communication skills, just that things were improved for the baby if they were facing their parent. Really, seriously what is so bad about that!

fifitot - leave off the appeals to authority, the lead researcher's title doesn't make this research good or its conclusions worth following. And it doesn't change the fact that the "observers" who gathered the data for the first part of the study appear to be biased - based on their asinine comments, they are indeed numpties.

I cannot see any way that the second part of the study could have been carried out in a controlled way either, but it is ridiculous that no attempt seems to have been made to address the problem or even to consider whether other correlating factors might be affecting the results.

Here is a decent review of the work: www.nhs.uk/news/2008/11November/Pages/Babybuggy.aspx

"This small study has highlighted an area that may benefit from further research. This study does not provide reliable evidence that buggy design influences parent-infant interaction or has an effect on infant stress levels. The results do not support extrapolations by both researcher and newspapers that stress levels increase in response to buggy orientation. Parents should not be worried that they are harming their babies by using a forward-facing buggy. The potential benefit from the extra stimulation of looking at the world has not been measured or discussed."

What you quote - I don't disagree with and in fact the researchers themselves say there needs to be more work in this area. I have made the point throughout that it is only 1 piece of research and only 1 factor in relation to child development. However I think it is an interesting piece of initial research into communication.

whether their results stand up to further research remains to be seen.

My point throughout this (probably pointless) discussion is that some people take offence at something they don't agree with, or haven't bothered to read and dismiss the whole thing, slagging off everyone involved with it.

This isn't new though, I read about the same thing (not the same study obviously) when I was pregnant with Tink and I've read a babywearing article about the difference between facing the world and facing Mum (in a babywearing way, but some of the points are the same).

The NHS have a website which takes health stories from the papers and gives a balanced, evidence based view on what has been reported. Here's what they say on the buggy article...
www.nhs.uk/news/2008/11November/Pages/Babybuggy.aspx

It'll be great for my mum who thinks that everything the Daily Mail says is gospel!

I think the study does make sense, espeacially for young babies. But I dont think it is something to feel guilty as someone else pointed out it is just one of the many factors that may affect they development. I think that it is less important for older babies and toddlers, who prabably like looking at thier enviroment rather than just mum and have some understanding that mum is still there despite not seeing her. But younger babies are often less interested in the enviroment and often more mum focused.
I think the study should be seen as positive, hopefully it will lead to more choice on the market as many have commented that finding a good priced buggy that faces them is difficult. It also reminds us that communication with baby is really important even at an early age. I dont know about everyone else but sometimes I find myself getting carried away with the things I need to do (usually cleaning). Sometimes its good to have a little reminder to slow down and take time out for the kids. We dont need to feel guilty

I've just remembered - I'm sure they told me that newborns can't see much further than about 6 inches for the first few weeks anyway...

So they won't be able to see you whether they're rear facing or not?!!

I had a britax travelsystem which could go either way, so ds was rear facing for about 6/7 months. The thing that stopped me was by this stage the weight distribution meant that the bloody thing weighed a ton and was impossible to steer! I did wonder if the subjects of this research had small babies or very strong arms!!