A jogging stroller is an excellent way to achieve or maintain fitness while spending time with your infant or toddler. Exercising with your child gives you an opportunity to model a healthy, active lifestyle without interrupting bonding time. Maintaining safety is the top concern for any baby care item, including jogging strollers.
Brakes
Jogging strollers should have brakes that are easy to operate while in motion. A brake that locks two wheels at the same time provides additional safety. Two types of brakes are popular with jogging strollers, hand brakes and wrist tethers. A hand brake on a jogging stroller is similar to that on a bike, allowing you to slow down and stop while jogging. The benefit of a hand brake is your ability to control slowing and stopping speed, lessening the risk of your child being tossed forward with a sudden stop. The wrist tether is attached on one end to the wheel lock on the stroller and on the other end loops around your wrist. This type of brake keeps the stroller from getting away from you, very important if you were to trip and let go of the stroller.
Front Wheel
A true jogging stroller has a fixed front wheel. This functions to help the stroller track straight when moving at faster speeds. This feature may be valuable for serious runners, but makes the stroller difficult to turn and maneuver. A locked front wheel could potentially be a safety hazard for those intending to use the stroller for jogging around neighborhoods or areas with traffic. An all-terrain stroller has the option of a front wheel that swivels, but with the option to lock. With this feature, you could leave the front wheel unlocked while taking a walk around the neighborhood, but lock the wheel while jogging on a trail without hard turns.
Safety Harness
A five-point safety harness is the safest harness for a baby or child. A five-point harness is one that secures at five different points--above each shoulder, beside each hip and between the legs. Some jogging strollers have three-point safety harnesses. This type of harness does not secure above the shoulders, and is therefore not as safe as a five-point harness.
Stroller Recommendations
According to Consumer Search, the single jogging or all-terrain strollers with the highest ratings and reviews are: BOB Ironman, Sport Utility and Revolution strollers; Baby Jogger Performance Single and City Elite strollers; Bumbleride Indie stroller, Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle stroller; Phil & Teds Sport stroller; Jeep Overland Limited and Liberty Limited strollers; InStep Run Around LTD stroller; InStep Flash stroller; Baby Trend Expedition LX and LX Sonic strollers; Kolcraft Contours Options 3-Wheeler stroller. Popular double strollers include: Baby Jogger Performance Double stroller, BOB Ironman Duallie and Revolution Duallie strollers and Baby Trend Expedition Double stroller. When shopping for a used stroller, check the Consumer Product Safety Commission website for up-to-date recall information.
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