baby jogging?

is there any advice the forum could offer to a prospective parent on the art of running with a pushchair?

Particular technique, type of pushchair?

perhaps it should be avoided all together? is it bad for the baby? or maybe not until it's a bit older?

hypothetically of course. any advice welcome, thanks

Babyjoggers are popular, quite expensive though.  Baby needs to be have good neck control so not recommended less than 5 or 6 months. 

Wasn't bad for my little one, he always fell asleep during out trips out.

Hypothetically of course  

Its good quality time and good fun

just take water bottle etc - as you'll burn up more calories etc pushing a buggy

enjoy it

contact me if you wish  

It's great. Not up to date with current models so can't advise. However, I managed to run successfully with a pretty rubbish buggy - it was just an all terrain general model, not running specific, and only had 12 inch wheels. A proper running one will probably be even better. Some snippets of experience I gained:

Don't go out with them until they have good neck control.

Do wrap the little 'un up well - they are just lying/sitting, not working like you. Do put the rain cover up if it is cold to keep the wind off them. Do put the raincover up if the road is wet/muddy or the spray will get them and you will get in trouble when you get home! Do be prepared to be flexible - if the baby is unhappy they are more important than your run. Do do laps/route that takes you near home if you are doing a longer run - running 5 miles home with a screaming baby is not fun for them or you.  

My sister regularly runs with her 1 year old and he's been in a running buggy since 6 months old. He absolutely loves it! It's not just a way to get him off to sleep but as YP and others have said - it's also about bounding etc.

there is actually an article on this in this months runners world.

Was just going to say that Marc! Some pretty comprehensive info there and running buggy recommendations, they also say babies over 6 months.

I noticed it especially because it seemed to be a brand new topic, not covered and rehashed endlessly in previous issues

This has been debated heaps over on our running mums thread ... perfectly doable.

Babyjoggers rock - they are expensive but I managed to pick up one cheap off ebay for using with my second child ... and wish I'd invested in one the first time around as it was a revelation (they are long though and don't always fit in cars without the wheels coming off). Prior to that I used our Mountain Buggy Terrain which did the job but was cumbersome in comparison. Height of handle is big consideration for the runner as this will dictate how your shoulders cope. Your running style will have to adapt a bit but it's great training, especially as the load increases in weight!!  Baby MUST have good neck control, avoid anything really bumpy - obviously. Make sure baby is dressed for the weather (bit like in baby carriers ... they are not moving around but you are).  Out-and-about Nipper is another I think although my info is now out of date as mine are 5 and 8 now!!

Happy running though.

Good point about the handle height - I'd forgotten that. I found our running buggy much easier to use than our normal buggy, howver my wife, who is about 5-6 inches shorter than me found it incredibly difficult. The handle was too high for her, and she just could not push down on it easily to lift the front wheel for tight cornering.

Hi everyone. some fantastic advice there, thank you!

It just goes to show how little I look at my RW magazine! i'll take a peek, thanks for the heads-up i'll also take a look at the mums thread too.

I wasn't expecting the feedback to be all so positive. It's not something i'm hypothetically intending to do every day but, hypothetically, it's good to have the option. We wouldnt have many hypothetical babysitters.

I am also glad to hear from some of you that it wasn't necessarily just a 'make do' arrangement and actually had a beneficial effect on the relationship between you and baby. i like the image of the wee one wittering away. and that the runner got a little extra calorie burn! albeit at a lower speed presumably?

The height of the handle *should* be ok. i'm neither a giant nor a leprechaun, but it is worth checking. I hadn't thought of that.

i'll take into account all the advice about the baby's neck. maybe talk to the doctor too. and make sure to keep him/her warm.

By eck, that was exactly why I sourced a babyjogger on ebay ... hubby away all the time so running windows were restricted to when older one at pre-school. Definitely stopped me climbing the walls and allowed me to run at a different time to 6am!!

Love that young pup! Unfortunately when my daughter got old enough to chat like that she also refused to remain in buggy!!  I have to say, the favourite bit for me was that baby would go to sleep and my brain was then my own for a wee while!! Did get plenty of looks along the lines of 'why on earth???' but then no different to the ones from running with a bump I guess.

young pup - very funny dismissive but encouraging! tough love. It all sounds rather fun.

im glad to hear all this. i am likely to be doing the bulk of the minding so i'm glad that i'll still be able to get my fix, more or less.

Ive seen one or two buggy users doing the parkrun, although i'm not sure if they both had a barcode