My first winter in New York, I noticed something that seemed alarming. Babies being pushed around in strollers shrouded in plastic sheets. How awful, I thought, those poor kids- can they breathe in there??!! Then I came to realize very quickly that not only are the stroller covers quite safe, but they are also almost a necessity for city living. When you have to walk from point A to B rather than just hopping in a car, and you live in a place subject to weather, keeping your baby safe from the elements- be it rain, snow, or biting wind- is difficult to do with out one of these devices.
So when our little one came along, we of course purchased the plastic cover for her chariot. And while it's been a godsend on cold, wet winter days, some of those initial fears of mine about these things come creeping back every time a I put it on. After all, while it began to make sense to me that these a perfectly safe for other children, this is now my little girl we're talking about. So of course I'm afraid she'll suffocate in there-- to say nothing of the twelve layers of clothing she has on. If we have a walk of any sustained length or time, I find myself constantly checking to see if she's still breathing. Sometimes it steams up which may make it hard to see her clearly, but at least that's a tell-tale sign there is breathing happening. Then when there's no steam, I have to bat at the plastic to defect the glare so I can see inside that she's all good under the hood. Her making noise while under the sheet help calm the nerves a little, until the point I start thinking- Is she making noise because she's getting carbon dioxide poisoning? Sigh.
If these plastic stroller covers weren't safe, they probably wouldn't be so prevalent- right? There's no need to worry. There's ventilation... she's fine in there... and she'd be cold and wet otherwise. And it's just another reason to pray for warmer weather.
2 comments:
As someone with no children who worries about everything... I think this is one you can sit out. Because like, the screens are really far from the chariot, right? I wish I could walk around town with a plastic bubble around me--except that it would call undo attention and look weird.
Yes. There is plenty of room between the sheet and the chariot (thank you for using my jargon!). I guess we are so ingrained that plastic bags (and the like) coupled with children is just bad news all around, that even sanctioned use of plastic can still rattle the nerves!
Sign me up for one of your plastic bubbles. It seems to work for Lady Gaga, right?
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