Young children spend a considerable amount of time each
day strapped into buggies. This could be an ideal time
for parents or carers to talk to their child, pointing
out things along the way or responding to the things that
grab their child's attention. But most children's buggies
face away from the pusher, making eye contact impossible
and conversation between adult and toddler difficult.
We do not know of any research that has been done on
this topic, but early years professionals tell us that
the unsociable design of children's buggies is a factor
contributing to the poor language and communication skills
of many children starting nursery or school. Young children
need face-to-face communication to fully develop as sociable
talkers and learners. If every parent owned a pusher-facing,
sociable buggy, more toddlers would receive the one-to-one
communication they need.
At present only a few high-priced buggies have a facility
to allow the toddler to sit facing the adult pusher. Talk
To Your Baby believes that sociable pushchairs should
be affordable for all parents and is campaigning
to make cheaper, pusher-facing buggies, accessible to
all families. Over 1,000 people took part in our online
buggy survey, which ran from May to December 2005 and
the overwhelming majority are in favour of pusher-facing
buggies. We have communicated these results to the leading
buggy manufacturers and we are raising awareness of the
issue in the design and engineering communities.
The online survey has now closed but we are continuing
to campaignand welcome your comments and feedback. Click
here to send us your views
or contact liz.attenborough@literacytrust.org.uk
Talk To Your Baby has found it
difficult to ascertain the full range of available buggies
with a pusher-facing facility for toddlers, at the wide
range of prices, so is reluctant to highlight specific models.
Buggy suppliers should be able to advise if they stock models
with this facility. For parents of twins, the
from Twins UK is a double buggy
with seats that can face forward or rearward. For more information
visit
.