I read in the paper the other day that strollers foster obesity in young children. Our nanny is always taking our three year old out in a stroller, but now I am concerned that he is not getting enough exercise. What are your thoughts on this?

Posted on Jun 19, 2007

Having read the article, I must say that I agree with the pediatricians who believe that strollers contribute to less activity for toddlers, increasing the incidence of obesity. Obviously, when your child is riding, he is not getting exercise. Children need to run, walk, jump and play. Everywhere I am, I see children in strollers for the convenience of the parents or the caregiver. These children should be moving. That is what most want to do unless they are happy being totally sedentary. And if they are happy to just sit, watch out. Those children need to move even more than others do. I have four granddaughters, two of which could sit for hours at a time in front of a video. The other two are on the move all of the time. The two that like to sit are heavier than the two that don’t. That does not mean that they are obese, but they could be if their parents did not encourage them to be active . Parents and caregivers want convenience. It is convenient to have children “containerized”. It is convenient to give them the food they like rather than paying attention to their nutritional needs. Keeping children sedentary sets them up for bad habits that are hard to break. So, be careful. Obesity in this country is rampant. Don’t let it happen to your child.