Minimum Age and Weight for a Jogging Stroller
I often hear a question: How old my kid should be to ride in a jogging stroller?
Never start rollerblading or running with a jogging stroller unless your baby is at least 6 months old. To be more precise, your baby must be between 6 to 9 months old to start participating in your running and rollerblading sessions.
A minimum weight is always indicated around 5 pounds for most of the jogging strollers. However, it doesn’t mean such a tiny child is recommended for riding. Jogging strollers are designed for kids who can already sit – that’s the first and the most important benchmark.
I love this saying: Hurry slowly! Running and rollerblading with a newly born in the jogging stroller is not advisable until your child is 6 to 9 months old.
Able to sit without support
Why not a jogging stroller for 1-6 moths old: Head Support and Thermoregulation
Head Support: The head and neck of a newborn is too weak to experience any kind of bumps or rough surfaces. Bumping and shaking is dangerous for the head and spine. No head and neck support of a jogging stroller can guarantee that they are fixed and supported well enoough. The baby’s body is fragile and cannot undergo any shakes and flopping.
Thermoregulation: this is all about body’s temperature regulation. Newborns get hot or cold faster and more easily than the older babies and it affects them more seriously. It’s very easy to get hot or cold during a ride. The smaller the child the quicker it might happen.
Jogging strollers for newborns
There isn’t such!
Jogging strollers are designed for bigger kids not for newborns. Using an infant carseat with a jogging stroller doesn’t help either. Yes, there is certain temptation to use a jogging stroller under 6 months, but we should follow the only one safe benchmark: you child must be able to sit without support and hold his/her head unassisted.
Parents, who are eager to exercise with their babies under 6 months, can get a jogging stroller with a compatible newborn carrycot/bassinet. You still can’t jog or rollerblade with it, but you can certainly do weight loss walking and strollnetics exercises.
Newborn carrycot compatible with the jogging strollers
Before your child reaches 6 months – you can use a carrycot, that switches to a regular sitting canopy. Please note that all of them have a swivel wheel. It makes them suitable for mid tempo jogging or weight loss walking. No running or rollerblading – you need a fixed wheel stroller and sitting canopy for that.
Mountain Buggy Terrain Jogging Stroller with Carrycot
Bumbleride Indie Stroller with Carrycot
Jogging Strollers by Age
All best jogging strollers are made for toddlers and hold up to 75 lbs. There are some specific details about them, so I try to keep my list of top 5 jogging strollers by infant’s age:
Jogging Stroller for a 9 months old to 1 year old:
Pay special attention to good shock absorbers and a deep reclining seat – to prevent your child from sliding out from the chair.
Jogging Stroller for 2 years old:
Basically, shock absorbers are still recommended, however, they are less important, as a child is already big to feel so much of bouncing. A reclining seat and generous sunshade are very important.
You might have a stroller with no shocks but start to look for a longer legs rest and a high roomy seat.
The inner pockets are good stuff for this age.
Jogging Stroller for 4 years old and older:
Less models are suitable, as a seat gets short for 4-5 y.o.kids. Look for a highly curved roof, as for Baby Jogger FIT or a long leg drop as in Joovy Zoom ATS – these strollers are good for tall kids.
Jogging Strollers for older or bigger kids
Jogging stroller age limit: When kids grow out of a jogging stroller?
Moms enjoy greatness of rollerblading or running with a stroller till the moment when their kids reach 3-4 years. Older kids are usually not willing to sit in a stroller for 1 hour and usually don’t sleep there anymore. However, most of the kids even at the age of 4-5 years just love if they can have a quick rest in such a little rolling house. Just think of yourself: wouldn’t you feel good to be able to seat and enjoy being riden after a long play on a playground? Or have a shelter in a hot sunny day – even if you’re not going to sleep there. I used the jogging stroller when my son was 4 – he slept there during hot summer days on the beach.
Jogging strollers up to 75 lbs
All best jogging strollers can hold such weight, but the devil is in details: make sure the seat height is high enough. Otherwise an impressive weight capacity doesn’t make any sense at all. A longer leg’s drop allows bigger kids extending their legs for a comfy ride. Models such as Joovy Zoom ATS (long leg’s drop), Baby Jogger FIT (high curved roof) are particularly good for bigger kids. There is another model similar Kool Stride Single Stroller – and it’s very big.
Saying “good bye” to a jogging stroller
Do not detach your stroller just one day simply because your child turned 4 and you no longer want it. You might need it from time to time for longer walks to have a place for your child to rest. To keep up with sports after you’ll say good bye to your jogging stroller is possible – I’d recommend to teach a toddler to ride a bike or scooter to accompany a rollerblading or powerwalking mom. It’s great fun for both parties! It’s time for you to learn how to skate without the stroller again! Believe me, it might be a kind of challenge: rollerblading with a jogging stroller was more difficult and slower. Now full speed again!:-)
The middle path is the safe path. Do not hurry with rollerblading or running with your child under 6-9 months old in the jogging stroller. Can’t wait to start exercising? – slow motion and smooth activities, such as Weight Loss Walking and Strollnetics for Moms, can be performed with a traditional baby pram or a basket for your jogging stroller.
Sheeba Prem says
Hi Elena,
My daughter is 4 yrs old and my son is 2. Im looking for a jogging stroller which is not very expensive. i want to use the stroller for 2 to 3 yrs, ie till my daughter turns 6. Which one do you recommend.
Thanks
Sheeba
Lena says
Hi Sheeba,
That’s quite difficult.
I can’t imagine anything except Chariot Cougar2. unfortunately, it’s not quite cheap but really good one. A used one would be a good deal, too.
check it here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZPT8ZW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006ZPT8ZW&linkCode=as2&tag=walkingmama0e-20“>Chariot Deluxe Cougar 2 CTS Adventure Carrier (Chassis Only) – Red/Silver/Grey
I must admit I’m not an expert in a double strollers, since I’ve never ride one. But from my experience with the single stroller it’s quite challenging to run with the bigger kid. Imagine you have two and one is as twice as heavy as another. Any stroller in that case would start veering on the higher speeds. So for a decent run you need something better than an ordinary double jogging stroller (taking into account that your daughter will be 6 y.o., which is quite a big child already to fit into ordinary double stroller)
Another option would be – getting a single stroller for your youngest and a big wheeled scooter/bike for your eldest daughter?
Have you considered such an option? In case you need a stroller for running on the streets/parks, that would work for you.
Just drop me a line what do you think and I try to explain about the stroller/scooter option
best,
Lena
Sheeba Prem says
Hi Lena, I was thinking about buying a Baby jogger summit XC, cos i heard it fits taller kids, but its not in the market now. How about a BOB revolution duallie 2011? Its around $500.00.
Im still hunting!!
Sheeba
SAM says
My son is 4 years old, 40lbs pretty tall boy. I used to have a lots of fun time to run with him since he was a baby.
Now he did not like the cover on top of his head because his head will touch the cover. I had to quit to use this stroller. In Texas, the UV is way too strong, a cover is a must.
I cannot image that a 70lbs boy like my son to sit in the stroller.
Lilly says
hi lena,
i`m looking for a jogging stroller with cambered rear wheels like you use (red/Black). which is brand/model is this?
thanks in advance
Lena Pettay says
Hello,just found this article. My name is lena pettay, iv got a 4yr old soon to be 5 . Iv started training for my first marathon and have to take my daughter with. Im a spartan and mudder,time to try a marathon. But i need the right stroller. Can you help.
Marika says
Thule Urban Glide 2 has fixable front wheel provided – you can use it wither swivel or fixed mode. Would it be reasonable to start jogging before child reaches to 6mo with carry cot? Car might as-well meet some bumps on the road, therefore I can´´t understand the reason why not. From the baby-shop they told that newborn wouldn´t feel very good sitting in, but rides to our country-home are more than 2h, so baby probably will get use to it? I need to run to keep myself sane… I need to…