8 Stroller Habits That Will Make Everyone Around Hate You

Strollers are a necessary evil, especially if you have more than one rug-rat to haul around. While strollers are excellent child containment units, they are large, heavy and annoying to everyone else besides the person pushing them. We all have those spacey moments when someone has to say “excuse me” to jog you out of your sleep deprivation induced fog and get you to move. It happens to the best of us. But some parents go beyond having a momentary lapse of judgment here or there. These repeat offenders think of the stroller as a person, with feelings to insult and rights to defend. Don’t be this person. Avoid these stroller habits so the people around don’t hate you.

1. Not closing your stroller in a crowded restaurant

Sorry to burst your bubble, but your baby isn’t too good for a highchair. If this place doesn’t have them, maybe it’s not the right venue for a meal with a baby. Not only are you making it difficult for servers to navigate around you, your stroller may actually be a fire hazard. Don’t get all bent out of shape if a tray full of cola mares your custom cream colored fabric, seat snob.

2. Hitting people in the back of the ankles

Unless the injured party insulted you or your offspring, this is painfully bad manners.

3. Blocking the view at the zoo for other kids

There’s no such thing as VIP seating at the monkey exhibit. If you’re at a crowded public place like the zoo or aquarium, either take your kid out of the stroller and hold them like the rest of us common folk or pull your stroller back so smaller kids can step up to the glass. Repeat after me- it’s a stroller, not a chariot.

4. Refusing to fold it on a crowded bus

I know, it’s hard to fold a stroller while juggling the baby and the diaper bag and Mr. Bear. Everyone watches you struggle and no one offers to help. Those people suck. Still, be the bigger person. Fold the stroller.

5. Using your stroller as a walker

You know who you are, draped over the handles like a damp T-shirt and moving so slowly that an inchworm just passed you. Your stroller is not that heavy, so spare me the dramatics and move over before I accidentally on purpose hit you in the back of the ankles with my own monster double jogger.

6. Knocking store displays over

The holiday season draws near, meaning there will soon be even more displays to navigate around in Target. On behalf of retail workers everywhere I beg you- if it looks like a tight squeeze, don’t try it.

7. Taking up the entire sidewalk

Your conversation with Jill about why you and Kate don’t talk anymore ever since you joined the PTA is not important enough to justify holding up other people. And I know darn well you can hear me sighing. Get over yourself and recognize that you’re in the wrong.

8. Using your stroller as a glorified shopping cart

Strollers are for babies. Or sometimes for cats. They are not for pushing around your mall swag or holding your huge mom purse. If Junior wants to get out for a bit and roam free, fine, but if you’ve got your real baby in an Ergo and a phantom baby under those grocery bags, I’m giving you the side eye.

(Image: Shutterstock.com)