I was lucky enough to be the first reviewer of the newly launched Buggy Tug. (I must admit…being the first reviewer did make me feel very special! :- Thanks Di ) It is the first pram wrist strap to be launched in the UK. You wear one end of the neoprene strap around your wrist and you thread the other end of the strap around the handle of your pram or pushchair. It is designed for safety reasons so that the pushchair remains in your control in the case of brake failure or you momentarily letting go of the handle and the pushchair starting to roll away. I must say I do love the strapline (excuse the pun!)…Don’t let your pram go without you.
The strap is designed to be used on all prams and pushchairs with a single bar handle. I however used it on a 2 handled stroller and found it still did the trick. I’m sure the only reason it isn’t recommended on 2 handled strollers is in case it comes loose and rides up over the handle…but personally I didn’t feel there was much risk of this happening on my pushchair.
I have to be honest and say that I had never actually thought about the eventuality of my pushchair brakes failing so I’d never thought of looking for a safety wrist strap to buy. When I was sent the Buggy Tug wrist strap I did at first think that it wasn’t really something I needed. However, after reading through the Buggy Tug site and seeing the two videos she links to that show 2 separate occasions where prams with children in have fell in front of trains in Australia…………..needless to say I’ve changed my mind and decided that everyone needs a Buggy Tug wrist strap! Luckily those children survived but it is now compulsory in Australia for pram straps to be used on pushchairs after the two incidents mentioned and two incidents of children dying after their pushchairs rolled into lakes. Just watching the videos made me feel ill, so to even imagine how I would feel if that happened to my child doesn’t bear thinking about.
The Buggy Tug is really affordable at under £6 and it is worth that just for peace of mind. You can currently buy it from the
Buggy Tug website and from the specialist maternity and baby website
JoJo Maman Bebe I would highly recommend the product as it is comfortable to wear, easy to fit and won’t break the bank either. It did seem a little bit of a hassle at first having to take my hand in and out of the strap if i needed to do something with two hands but ultimately my daughter’s safety is worth the hassle. I can think of many times when this is particularly useful. Such as when you are pushing your child in busy areas like shopping malls and you like the added reassurance that you cannot be separated from your pushchair and also for when it is icy and you worry you may fall over and accidentally let go of the pushchair. I’m not sure what would happen if you fell over in the ice and you were wearing the Buggy Tug…most likely the pram will end up on top of you..but even that is better than the alternative of it rolling into the road. I also think parents who have one child using a pushchair and one walking would find this helpful as you then know you are still attached to the pushchair if you have to take both hands off the pushchair to deal with the child who is walking.
I think this would make a great ‘Maternity Leave’ or ‘New Baby’ Gift as it is unusual and not something people are used to seeing on the high street. But the best part about it is that it could help protect their new bundle of joy! Hopefully one day everyone in the UK will be using these and it will be compulsory here too!
To visit the Buggy Tug website please click
here.
