Stroller suitable for...

[minisoksmakehardwork]

Baby! Or newborn, twins, triplets, toddler.

I've noticed locally to me a huge number of posts lately asking for a stroller suitable for a girl or a boy.

Now I've yet to find a stroller which has special place for boys to put their penis so why has this way of asking become a thing?

I was told 'sorry, not suitable' when I offered up a single stroller in navy blue complete with muff and rain cover.

I'm pretty sure my eldest daughter didn't care what colour the pushchair was as long as she was warm and dry. And her baby brother didn't suffer from me not locating the penis holder on it either. Why oh why when everyone wants to be so blooming woke, is it seen as so necessary to define ones child by a colour.

Sorry if I came across abrupt. Didn't mean to be.

It is the equivalent of 'buggy suitable for a boy'.

My pushchair had a navy cushion and white tubing. That accounts for me wearing a lot of blue.

5 years ago, when DD was 2, the woman in Clark’s refused to sell me shoes that DD had chosen because they were from the boys section. She also tried to tell me that toddler boys and toddlers girls had different shape/size feet, and that the shoes chosen would not be appropriate for the size she’d measured. I suspected that she was talking boswollox, because this was the first I’d ever heard of it. DH had never mentioned it in his years as a shoe fitter! I asked the Clark’s woman to remeasure DD’s feet with the “boy” gauge, at which point she decided I could have the shoes, but she was not going to guarantee they’d fit. She wrote as much on the receipt. They were nice shoes actually, navy blue and green leather converse style sneakers. They turned out to be great shoes and DD loved them. Unfortunately whilst she had them, 3 different branches of Clark’s measured DS’s feet 3 significantly different sizes in 2 days, and I decided that they were a pile of pants and have not bought children’s shoes from them since.

This was how we rolled in the late 70’s. It’s a wonder how we coped.

My friend had a hot pink buggy for her baby boy.
The amount of 'that's so unfair?' She got was hilarious.
Like she said she liked the colour and at that age he didn't give a shit so surely it's more important she likes it! If anything a bright colour is more engaging for a small baby.
The idea of it being unfair I find quite troubling though. What is that?

@jelly don't be silly! you are right it is a bit like 'buggy suitable for a boy' 😂

We chose a changing bag "suitable for a boy" except that the boys in question was dh who didn't want to go out with a bag covered in pink cupcakes with "yummy mummy" printed on it. To be fair neither did I so we got a grey one.

We were in Clark's yesterday and to be fair to them they are making a massive effort. We chose toddler shoes and although some were obviously "girl" or "boy" styles many were not and our dds were both quite spoiled for choice. Some of the shoes were lovely, I wish they did them I'm adult sizes! It was also possible to buy girls' school shoes that would keep their feet dry. A definite improvement on a couple of years ago.

Haha couple of anecdotes along these lines.

My childminder the other day noted that my son has a red jacket and the little girl she looks after has a blue one from the same brand. She said they should swap. I just looked at her, honestly confused. It wasn't until I got home that I realised she probably meant because blue is for boys (?). I'm pretty sure that's what she meant.

I've also been researching bikes recently because I want to get DD a bike for her birthday, so been reading online reviews etc. I've read several comments about young boys learning to ride on their sisters' old bikes but then the parents immediately bought the boy a new bike because of course it would be horribly cruel to make him ride a purple one. Purple is DD's favourite colour and I'm getting her a purple bike. And fully plan on making DS ride it after her, the poor lad.

When mine were born in the 1990s, there was none of this crap. You bought a Pram, car seat etc and kept them for the next child as well. They were always “neutral” colours.

Why have we appeared to go backwards with all this. It’s so depressing!

We have a blue pushchair and red car seats for both children because we as parents like those colours ourselves, to look at as we're the ones that car. DD loves pink and it suits her redhead colouring well so I let her wear it - I veto yellow as she looks ill!

Change bag suitable for dad/mum's taste definitely necessary!

When mine were born in the 1990s, there was none of this crap. You bought a Pram, car seat etc and kept them for the next child as well. They were always “neutral” colours

That’s the whole point of this fashion, isn’t it. To STOP parents reusing these expensive items for the next child so they have to buy new ones.

The families who can least afford it are the ones who are spending the most money on buggies, nursery equipment, furniture and baby clothes. Such a complete and utter waste of money.

I bought a grey pram. It was a massive bargain and it transports baby from a to b safely. DS will I assume grow up GNC because his pram isn’t blue with rockets and guns on it.

I had a red pram, used for 2DDs. Have I confused them?

The bouncer was blue, the bath was white, highchair white, car seats black...

Favourite colours are now pink (6yo) and purple (7yo). The 6yo wanted a red bike though... Apparently red ones go faster.

@ImNotNigel - that is it. Big companies trying to persuade us that a boy can't possibly be comfortable in anything other than a blue pram covered in rockets and spacemen. Girls need to be surrounded by unicorns and rainbows.

My poor children must be so traumatised from a magnolia bedroom and having shared the same white cot and bedding in infancy.

You’ve got it ImBitNigel.

It’s why getting rid of this “gender” nonsense is such a battle. We’re up against massive corporations!

I had a Cath Kidston Maclaren (blue with pink flowers) that I'd had for DD, and subsequently used for DS. It blew people's minds and I had so many people make judgemental comments because I'd put him in a "girls buggy". I bought it because I liked it, not because it was for a girl!

Only last week my 20 year old DD was sorting out family photos from her childhood on the PC. She asked me why she and her brothers and sister always wore red / navy / bright blue jackets and coats, she had never noticed before.

The main answer was of course so they could be passed down from child to child. Especially when they are growing so fast that you buy a jacket now and they are grown out it by September.

The other reason is my determination not to dress my DDS in impractical and uncomfortable clothes.

Of course, once they were high school age they chose most of their own clothes. I’m talking about when they were under 12.

I wanted non-pink or blue clothes for my first baby. Partly because it's a load of nonsense but also because I wanted to save things for a second child plus I didn't know what sex was having. It was so hard to find anything not pink or blue for a newborn 5 years ago. I've found it a lot easier since, I think a lot of shops now realise parents want more choice.
Everyone bought pink baby clothes as gifts for dd1 though. Then we had boy/girl twins. Dd1 had all dd1's old things and everyone bought blue things for ds. Although it wasn't my choice for them it did at least stop people asking which was which all the time! although a lot of people still asked if they were identical despite knowing one was a boy and one was a girl