Buggy pollution in East Dulwich

[macroban]

Just a little puzzle.

The new mums in East Dulwich seem to be affluent enough to buy designer buggies.

If affluent, why buy a buggy which places the child at the level of nasty motor vehicle exhaust fumes, rather than a pram which would lessen the pollution the child breathes in?

Status symbol more important than child health?

[ratty]

Ever pushed one? They are a dream of manouverability! As for affluent - my mum bought ours!

Hope this answers your question.

[Mellors]

Plus kids only stay lying flat in their prams until they are about 6 - 9 months old. You then still have another couple of years or so of slogging them about in the buggy.

Maybe we should stop them breathing in the pollution by driving them about in 4x4s from shop door to shop door thus not exposing them to street level?

Or get those ginormous Silver Cross prams like in the old days?

[spooniferous]

I think I would have problems pushing a pram through the streets of East Dulwich. There just is no room. Perhaps we could solve more problems by narrowing the roads and therefore widening the pavements. Then there would be no room for the 4x4s to drive on the roads.

[lozzyloz]

Macroban are you confusing us with the second hand, 2005 buggy models in Brockley?. In ED 90% of exhaust fumes are from electric hybrids and yummy mummies pedaling to SMBS on their bikes. You'll find the heavy metal tinged CO2 more prevalent in West Dulwich.

[kford]

True. Son't see many 4x4s in ED. The noisiest, most fume-ridden vehicles on LL are the (empty in the day) buses.

[macroban]

The last time I push-chaired the streets of East Dulwich was in the 1950s. I've never attempted a 21st century designer buggy. Then there were very few motor vehicles, and exhaust fumes in the baby's face was not a consideration.

I'm just surprised that none of the mums with buggies are concerned now.

[ratty]

They've taken the lead out of petrol ya know old timer! ;)

[macroban]

What are the nasty black exhaust fumes that come out of buses and trucks at baby-face-level?

[KalamityKel]

Wot ever happened to walking a toddler to the shops instead of push chairs AND buses?

[jim_the_chin]

modern life kalamitykel, it takes 5 minutes to get from the swing to the slide, so walking to the shops would take most of the day I'm afraid.

there was a buggy that was designed to keep kids high up out of way of fumes. it looked most odd and ungainly and they didn't seem to have any evidence that the air quality 3 foot up is any better that that found at about 1.5 feet high.

[mightyroar]

macroban- when you say 'designer'

what do you mean?

are you saying that 1950s prams were not 'designed'

did they just fall out of the sky complete?

or perhaps you all made your own back then, with no template, drawing or 'design'?

[blinder999]

As I'm in the market for one of these devices, I was having a look round Mothercare at the weekend.

I'm guessing Macroban is referring to the things that cost about ?250, as opposed to the ones that cost around ?70.

[ratty]

?250? I wish! ?550 for a bugaboo old bean and then another one'r for the car seat!

[blinder999]

ratty Wrote:

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> ?250? I wish! ?550 for a bugaboo old bean and then

> another one'r for the car seat!

haha how the other half lives! my baby's going to have to suffer the seventy quid job - the shame!

[Keef]

?550 for a pram/buggy is just an absolute joke!

I'm petrified about the cost of starting a family!

[blinder999]

Keef Wrote:

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> ?550 for a pram/buggy is just an absolute joke!

>

> I'm petrified about the cost of starting a family!

ignore all that b*llSh!t, babies don't need much.

[mightyroar]

blinder is right, they dont need much, but IMHO they do need a buggy. worth spending a few (maybe not ?550) quid if you work out how long you'll be using it for. you dont want one that gets knackered after repeated folding.

3 years? every day? how many miles a day? then maybe another child?

some things that babies really dont need:

shoes. tricky one this.....they cant walk.

their own channel on satellite tv devoted to bright shiny colours

video monitor so you can watch them sleep from another room.....um, just go into the room and look at them

special rocking chair to be fed in. unless maybe you dont have any chairs already

[blinder999]

we got a cheapo one last time round - it gave us sterling service for the necessary length of time - though we do need a new one for the new baby.

I'd rather not join in with some repulsive snobbery contest.

[KalamityKel]

Kids... tis all too scary to think about!

[Ultraconsultancy]

keef you're a civil servant aren't you - i'd recommend postcard on the work/office social noticeboard [or whatever the e-quivalent is] to fill most of your child equipment needs.

many of your colleagues will have boxes of blankets, rattles, bouncers and prams they will be very happy to pass on. lowers the cost and you get to see how haggard real parents are.

we got rid of all our baby gear on freecycle, but it seems to have less baby stuff for offer these days.

Ultraconsultancy

[Mellors]

Or stick a wanted notice on here - I bet half of East Dulwich have a loft full of baby clobber they are dying to get rid of but are too lazy to Ebay.

I got a load of reuseable nappies and a travel cot from here from lovely people :)

[ratty]

The thing is, buying new, especially for the first child is just so much damn fun! God knows how much money we have wasted in the 12 weeks since our first was born and I have loved every penny of it!

So what if we can no longer afford the mortgage or food?

[macroban]

A tip from the 1940s.

A large carboard box is better than a cot.

[blinder999]

> A large carboard box is better than a cot.

Cardboard box? LUXURY :)