A forward facing stroller is very common. They are a great way to show your baby the world around them, enriching their lives with new sights and sounds. They even have an added feature for showing the world how cute your baby is.

A recent study has shown that because your child is unable to see your face during your walks, this might give him emotional distress, increasing his stress levels and possibly delaying developmental milestones in life. The study was conducted by the Department of Psychology of Dundee University, Scotland. Using neuroscience, they used almost three thousand parent and infant pairs to study the difference between mothers who used forward facing and rear facing strollers. Their studies found that 25% of mothers with rear facing strollers conversed more often with their babies than mothers with forward facing strollers. The researchers found that babies in forward facing strollers had higher heart rates than those in rear facing ones. This makes the babies in rear facing strollers twice more likely to fall asleep.

According to the head of the study, Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk of Dundee University School of Psychology, “…life in a buggy is emotionally impoverished and possibly stressful”, she adds, “Stressed babies grow into anxious adults.” Doctor Zeedyk says that babies need to see their parents constantly to encourage growth, development and communication.

The study is limited to the area of Britain. So far no studies have been conducted in different countries and cultures.

The forward facing stroller is the most common and easily accessible. If you’re willing to shell out some extra cash for the rear-facing stroller, then there’s no harm in being able to appreciate your baby on a more face to face way. If anything, the importance of the study is to encourage mothers to talk more often with their babies.