# Spin Off: Cultures that don't use strollers.



## North_Of_60 (May 30, 2006)

It was mentioned in the thread about 4 year olds in strollers that some cultures don't use strollers at all. I'd love to hear more about these cultures/countries. I know a lot of baby carriers stem from this mindset, and other then knowing where the basic carriers are "from", that is about all I know.

To be honest, I wouldn't even know how to begin researching this on my own. Google "strollerless cultures"?









Anywho.. I'd love to hear about your culture or custom that involves carrying children or encouraging them to walk, and why you don't use, or rarely see strollers (lay out of the city, cultural beliefs, etc).


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## yamilee21 (Nov 1, 2004)

I guess my post makes more sense in your spin-off thread, so I'll copy here and specify the country, and maybe elaborate a bit.









In my country of origin, Haiti, strollers are not used at all. They are generally not sold in stores or markets and are not practical anyway because there are few sidewalks and terrible road conditions. One might be able to find a stroller for sale somewhere, but it would not be easy. Very rarely, someone visting from the U.S. or Canada will travel back home with one, just to use in the airport they left from. Babywearing is not practiced either (from what I have seen myself and what others have told me). Babies are carried in arms until they can walk. Once they can walk steadily, they walk everywhere. Occasionally, a very tired toddler might be carried briefly by someone else. It is not unusual to see 2 and 3 year old children walking several miles with others, and often they are carrying things.

My brother used to walk, as a one to two year old, a few miles from my parents' home to my grandmother's with my father when the car was not available, before they emigrated. In the U.S., my grandmother used to care for my cousin and me during the day; from 2 1/2 and 3 we walked everywhere with her - to my brother's school, to the store, etc. None of the grandmothers in our family, who cared for children while the parents worked, ever pushed strollers. My mother's generation, who are now the grandmothers, just don't understand stroller usage after 2-3 years old, even though many of them have lived in the U.S. or Canada for a long time, because it just isn't ingrained in their thinking. Even among those of us who are raised here, our parents didn't tend to use strollers very long (if at all, depending on when they arrived). As a result, even among the younger generation, strollers don't seem to be used very long either - I can only think of one cousin who regularly uses a stroller with her almost 3 year old.


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## cupofjojo (Mar 29, 2007)

We have been to Indonesia and Nepal where no strollers were used. Kids where carried and often by other siblings on backs, in slings, etc.

In South Africa we did not see strollers in the outskirts but did see some in Johannesburg.

In Beijing strollers were used a lot with little ones but not usually over age 3. Young children did ride a lot on bikes with parents though.

We saw strollers being used all over in Singapore.

Of course we saw a ton in Ireland and London and and I don't think we saw a single sling/carrier in Ireland or London.


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## Starr (Mar 16, 2005)

In Guatemala they are very few strollers. In Antigua there are none because the streets are the old 1700 cobblestone and the sidewalk is maybe 2' wide- if your lucky. We saw a lot of women with babies and toddlers in slings. One woman had a sleeping toddler strapped to her back and an infant in the front breast feeding and she was carrying wood on her head







: Now thats multi tasking! I think strollers really aren't used because they work alot with their hands so its nice to not have to push a stroller around and the roads are in poor conditions.


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## Kino (Jun 18, 2006)

Well I used to live in Japan and saw those little umbrella strollers a few times. It's just way too crowded for strollers. I don't recall seeing slings, just babes in arms, though I wasn't paying attention back in those days. Tots would walk alongside their mother or hold her hand even in really crowded situations. I guess they're used to it. Once on a trip to an island my relative (she's native Japanese) carried her infant in front and then bent down for her tired tot to climb on her back. He hung on by her neck. She insisted she was fine!

My husband is from Bangkok, Thailand and doesn't get strollers at all. This is coming from a man who did not even know what a crib was







He says people just carry babies or use those fancy American slings - by this I think he means Bjorns(?) He says people in Bangkok wouldn't be caught dead with a traditional sling. Everyone here calls him "country" whenever they see him and dd with the mei tai. Once they're a toddler they walk for themselves and the parents either stop for a break or carry them when they're tired. It's probably a mix of traditional parenting and the city being way too crowded. My Chinese friend said it's the same in Beijing. No one wants to come off as "country" so they buy American baby gadgets when they can.


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## marsmom (May 25, 2005)

From a mix of living abroad and travelling, I can't remember seeing any strollers in China (although that was over 15 yrs ago), Indonesia, Thailand, Morocco, Peru, or Mexico. I saw lots of slings/carriers (mostly on the back once not a little baby) up to say 2 yrs, then the children were walking or on the front/back of bicycles if the parent was riding, or donkeys. I think some places that are a bit more "Westernized" like Argentina, you see them in the big cities more, but not outside.


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## boatbaby (Aug 30, 2004)

We never used a stroller... started off because we live on a boat, but now that we are at almost age 3 and never needed one I just don't see the point (especially if you only have one kid)

Here is a great article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004May17.html


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

This was interesting (from the article):

Quote:

The stroller has sparked debate among African pediatricians who think the device -- first crafted as a labor-saving tool for the European middle class -- may damage the relationship between a mother and a child.

"The pram is the ultimate in pushing the baby away from you," said Frank Njenga, a child psychiatrist in Nairobi, Kenya's bustling capital. "The baby on the back is actually following the mother in warmth and comfort. The baby feels safer, and safer people are happier people."


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## boatbaby (Aug 30, 2004)

Here's another great quote from the article --

Quote:

"But carrying on your back, well, that is just a wonderful custom that keeps the baby emotionally stable and lets the mother feel bonded. We can't stop being African women just because we are suddenly thrust into the modern world. What next? They will tell us to stop breast feeding in public? No way."

Quote:

"For the child, the love will not be there if the child is cooped up in such an antisocial device."
These are from Kenyan moms who were talking about the strollers coming to the local store.


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## theretohere (Nov 4, 2005)

I loved the line about being told to stop breastfeeding in public.








I know what the reminds me of!


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## littlemizflava (Oct 8, 2006)

in Egypt it was baby in arms and no strollers
in Jamaica it was baby in arms and no strollers the one and only one i seen i went up to him and asked him where he got it and he said it was sent to him from family in the usa there was no sidewalk and 2 cars could barley pass side by side on the road


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## amberchan (Nov 3, 2006)

I lived in rural Japan and the only people I saw with strollers were old ladies using prams for their shopping. Many mothers there still used the traditional ombu style of baby carrying, which I guess is similar to a mei tai. You probably wouldn't see that in Tokyo though, because of the "country" aspect.

ETA: My first post! Woo!


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## Liquesce (Nov 4, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *littlemizflava* 
in Egypt it was baby in arms and no strollers

The only strollers I've ever seen in Egypt were the ones in the maternity stores -- evidently someone buys them, but just not enough people to even be noticeable. Though it's not really a cultural thing so much as a practicality thing. Between dodging traffic and the state of the roads (just try walking through Alexandria or Cairo with wheeled luggage sometime and see how that goes







), strollers aren't realistic. I've seen a handful of carriers, but not many -- again not ideological; carriers are a little more common among people with a little more disposable income. The cultural thing is frugality, heavily by necessity -- wet clothes go on lines, babies go in arms, etc.


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## Mama Poot (Jun 12, 2006)

I think its wonderful that some cultures are "stroller-free", I also think that unless the child has a disability that 3 and 4+ year old children should be walking and not in a stroller. My concern here is people who suffer from chronic back pain like I do and are not able to constantly carry a baby around. I doubt there are many chiropractors in Kenya. What on earth do these people do if they are physically unable to carry their children 24/7?


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## cappuccinosmom (Dec 28, 2003)

Dh is from Ethiopia and I didn't see one stroller while I was there. Often by the time they're 4, kids are in training to herd cows and sheep, which means they're running behind their older siblings pretty much all day. I saw quite a few small children (maybe 6-8 yo) with babies on *their* backs.







:

That definately encouraged me to let my boys walk as soon as they wanted too, even if it is a little slower going.


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## poetesss (Mar 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mama Poot* 
My concern here is people who suffer from chronic back pain like I do and are not able to constantly carry a baby around. I doubt there are many chiropractors in Kenya. What on earth do these people do if they are physically unable to carry their children 24/7?

Well, in Kenya you are more likely to have a large network of friends and family who can help with childcare, so you are not carrying your child 24/7. In fact I highly doubt that there are many cultures out there where the mom alone actually carries the child 24/7.

Re: the OP, in Jordan I never saw babies in strollers, let alone toddlers. Too impractical with narrow, uneven streets and frequent rides in cabs and public transport.


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## LeftField (Aug 2, 2002)

Someone mentioned lots of strollers in England. My dh is British and so we go there a lot, but we're usually in one particular geographic area. At any rate, while people do use strollers there, there never seem to be nearly as many as in the U.S. And they are much smaller. The streets are very narrow, there's a lot of cobblestone in my dh's city and people use public transportation a lot (it's hard to lift a stroller up on a bus!). So, I don't see nearly as many. And I see more umbrella strollers rather than those massive "travel systems" that dominate the U.S.

Actually, when my oldest was born, my ILs wanted to buy a stroller to keep over there for our visits. But at the time (6 yrs ago), the cost of a modern stroller (travel system) was SO ridiculously expensive that it was almost cost-prohibitive. So we ended up buying a tiny umbrella stroller.

We recently went on vacation to Washington D.C. and we spent a lot of time at the Smithsonian. And those massive stroller travel systems were a huge PITA and a hindrance to everyone there. They are so huge that they make the crowds much worse and it makes it hard to maneuver and get close to exhibits. I think they should be banned inside museums like that. I really do.

We had a travel system at home (the U.S.) but neither of my babies liked strollers. They would scream and I'd end up carrying them while my dh pushed the empty stroller. The stroller was a PITA to take anywhere anyway. At some point, I discovered slings. I probably would have used the stroller a lot more if my kids tolerated it. We seemed to periodically use a small travel/umbrella stroller when they were about 12 months to 18 months old. Neither of my kids sat in the stroller past 18 or 24 months.

I'm not judging other people, but it just seemed like a babyish thing to do, when they were perfectly capable of walking. Granted, we ended up carrying them a lot during ages 2 and 3. But at least with carrying, we periodically put them down. There's a lot of up and down in this set-up. I get tired so toddler has to walk for a while before I pick him up again. As they got bigger, the walking periods would increase and the carrying periods would decrease. In a stroller, there doesn't seem to be any incentive for the child to get out to walk and gradually increase his physical tolerance. I expect my 2 year olds/3 year olds/4 year olds to walk. I will carry but only for periods of time.


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