since when does an infant need a "TRAVEL SYSTEM"??

[grasswire]

An acquaintance cares for her 3-month-old grandson while the mom is in grad school. My friend has raised four children now adult, and three other grandchildren. Now that the weather is nicer, she wants to walk the baby in a stroller in the neighborhood, and thought she would pick up a modest stroller.

Wow, the mom went off. Grandma can't buy a stroller unless it is a "travel system" compatible to the stroller they have at home. I've seen those "travel systems" and they are heavy, burdensome, and expensive.

Do babies really require that much protection? Honestly?

I've NEVER heard of an infant being injured in a stroller unless the kid was old enough to climb out of it and tip it over.

Input?

[Debi]

1. Proof that advertising works

:shrug:

[KitchenWitch]

2. Grandma should put her foot down and buy whatever modest stroller she wants to.

[grasswire]

3. well, she is HIS mother, not mom's

And you know that MILs can get in trouble for dismissing mom's wishes. The mom is what some people might call a "princess" -- a spoiled child who grew up to have a sense of entitlement.

[KitchenWitch]

4. Someone somewhere needs to say no to her sometime.

:eyes:

It should be no skin off "mommy dearest's" nose if Grandma buys a stroller that she uses at her own house, in her own neighborhood etc.

:eyes:

I get the MIL stuff, but geez. A stroller that does not match the "system" affects Her Majesty in what way?

[Fran Kubelik]

22. From what I can tell

What we are talking about here is an infant car seat that detaches from its base and can be used with a compatible stroller. At 3 months, that car seat offers more neck support than a cheap stroller. Especially if this is a first-time mom, I can understand why she is being inflexible.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. The new strollers are bigger than forklifts.

They might as well motorize and license the damn things.

[reyd reid reed]

15. Give 'em time....

:eyes:

[MrsMatt]

6. excessive

if the mother really wants grandma to look after the baby (which, I suspect, is either for nothing or at a very reduced fee), perhaps she should give grandma the stroller that she wants grandma to use. Otherwise, let grandma pick out a modest stroller that fits her budget.

I have a 20 month old son, my mother in law raised six kids, and if I want her to take care of my son and I want her to use specific items, I provide them or I shut the hell up (unless the practice is unsafe).

By the way, I've never bought into the "travel systems" - if I had, I'd have paid a lot of money for something that I wouldn't be able to use for very long (son out-grew the infant carrier at 4 1/2 mos. - my daughter, on the other hand, was in her carrier for the full 12 mos.)

[matcom]

7. it helps as it sails through the uprights

[Arugula Latte]

8. When the baby is just a bit older she should get one of those umbrella fold-up strollers.

They are light and convenient and easy to store.

[skygazer]

9. I loved my umbrella stroller

I got a fancy stroller that converted to a pram type of affair at my baby shower for my son but I hardly ever used it - it was too damn big. I used my Snugli carrier and my umbrella stroller for about everything unless the weather was cold. Then he went in the large one because it protected him.

People are getting so over the top about baby and child equipment. I'm all for safety but c'mon!

[hickman]

10. Tell Mom to ante up.

Or she could use the oldest "travel system" in the world. Two arms, a shoulder and bipedal locomotion.

[marzipanni]

11. Perhaps the baby's infant carrier would fit into one of these

:crazy:

[Fleshdancer]

12. Is this the first kid for this mom?

I can't speak for other moms, but I had some weird "rules" when my daughter was first born. Looking back on it I realize how stupid they were and they were almost always the result of irrational fear or because I was so sure I was going to fail miserably at motherhood.

No sleep, a body you no longer recognize, a little creature that can't tell you what she wants/needs...you start to create the little insane rules that you force others to follow in order to keep an odd sense of order and control in a situation where you have absolutely no order or control of.

I would tell your friend to give it time. Hopefully the new mom will get a good night's sleep soon and wake up to realize that a regular stroller isn't the end of the world.

[Fran Kubelik]

23. Exactly what I was thinking.

[NC_Nurse]

13. If I take care of your child, you don't go off on me.

Period.

If she would like to use the stroller they already have, she can lug it over.

Otherwise, I would use whatever I can get that I consider safe. She can always find another sitter if she likes.

[reyd reid reed]

14. I'm all for going with the wishes of the parents....most of the time.

In this case, Grandma's buying a stroller for Grandma to use when Grandma's taking care of the baby. And somehow I doubt that Grandma's charging for her services.

Grandma needs to find something that she's comfortable with. Baby's going to put in a more hazardous situation (not to mention crankier) if it's a stroller that Grandma finds clunky and cumbersome and difficult to manage.

'Travel system'

Sheesh. I had a travel system. It was called a diaper bag (until there were more of them and they were a little bigger, and then it was just grab a diaper and go. I kept wipes in the car) and a car seat. I had an umbrella stroller in the car.

And a set of keys.

:eyes:

[grasswire]

19. not only is Grandma providing free child care...

...(about 20 hours per week) but she also cooks dinner for them every night (because mom doesn't cook), does their laundry as it is dropped off, and helps them a little bit with money out of her social security.

[reyd reid reed]

25. Hell...Grandma ought to be canonized, then.

Mom needs to get a grip.

[AlCzervik]

16. when my daughter was an infant we had an Emmaljunga pram that came with

a bassinet, it was really beautiful and extremely well made, i don't know if thats a travel system but we had for the entire time she needed a stroller.

[ElboRuum]

17. Babies do not need that much protection...

Parents do, however, need protection from the paranoid delusions incited by baby product advertising.

Travel system? Uh-huh. Is that like calling a plastic trash can with a lid a "deluxe polymer refuse disposal system with matching cover option"?

[NMMNG]

18. I have no children so pardon my ignorance

What is a "travel system"???

[grasswire]

20. a stroller that will hold a matching car seat that...

...link together.

[NMMNG]

21. Nice concept if you want convenience

But hardly an absolute necessity.

[kath]

24. Fear, fear, fear, ooga-booga. Be afraid!! Run and hide!

FEAR - it's the Murkan Way.