A leading child expert has called parents who carry their baby facing forwards in either pram or baby-carrier are "cruel and selfish".
University of Technology's Catherine Fowler, a professor of child and family health nursing, says babies are scared if they are carried in a sling or pram that faces away from their parents.
"Imagine if you were strapped to someone's chest with your legs and arms flailing, heading with no control into a busy shopping centre – it would be terrifying," said Professor Fowler.
"Outward-facing baby carriers and prams give babies a bombardment of stimulus, creating a very stressful situation.
"In not considering our baby's perspective, we are inadvertently quite cruel to children."
Sceptical parents point to the fact that babies get bored and restless if they face their mums beyond a certain age.
Baby Love author Robin Barker says that as long as babies are loved, the direction they face is irrelevant.
"Parents have enough to worry and feel guilty about without considering which way they push their child in a stroller," she said.
"I don't think there is an issue with letting children experience the world before they are 12 months old."
A 2008 study by the University of Dundee came to the conclusion that babies who couldn't see their parents from the pram suffered "stress and trauma", stunt their development and become "anxious adults".
The same study said babies carried in rear-facing prams were more likely to sleep, laugh and listen to their parents.Robin Barker also notes that rearward facing prams cost up to $2000 more than those which face outwards.
What do you think? Do you think the direction your baby's pram faces will have an effect on development?
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190 Comments
My daughter didnt want to face me she wanted to see what was going on and was having a great time, deff no fear there..every baby is different some like it, some some don't. i wish people would just us let us do what WE think is best for OUR babies instead of criticising all the time, no need for it
ReplyOh good grief... our son loved facing forward. He always wanted to know what was going on. He would laugh and giggle and smile at people as they went by.
ReplyWonder how many kids this "genius" has??? And I bet she got a government grant to carry out this "research"... wtf????????
ReplyI would of thought that was ridiculous until I had my son. He screamed anytime he was put in a pram or baby carrier, he only wanted to be held. I could of persisted and make him adapt to my way but he taught that it wasnt natural for a baby to be shoved in a pram with the world coming towards him, he wasnt ready for that for a long time until he was about two. It was hard and I was envious of mums pushing thier contented babys around in prams or in baby carriers. Im happy I now have a healthy well adjusted 4 year old and would do it all again.
ReplyCatherine Fowler, your research has obviously not been done thoroughly enough. Everyone who has commented on this article says just the opposite, the baby likes the stimulation of facing outwards, to which was true in my case as well. You need to research this better and ask REAL mothers who are in this situation from day to day before putting inaccurate wild statements out there. Us mums don't need a bachelor degree to know what is best for OUR baby!
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