You may be wondering how difficult or easy it is to skate with a pram or stroller. Perhaps you are now feeling ready to return to exercising following the birth of your baby. Skating with a pram or stroller is not as difficult or scary as you may think… we provide some tips below and answers to questions you may have, about how to skate with a pram or stroller.
Frequently asked questions about how to skate with a pram or stroller
First the boring bit! As the writer of this article I want to share my level of experience of skating with you. I skated as a child (born in the 80s!) and I got back into skating after my son was born. He is pictured above trying to touch the glittery wheels of the first pair of skates I bought after his birth.
Everything noted below, is from my own personal experience. You are not advised to do anything which you feel uncomfortable with, especially when a little person is involved. Even with my childhood experience, my path to returning to skating was very slow and gradual. Please bear this in mind when you read the points below.
1 – How do I stop or slow down with a pram or stroller?
A big consideration of how to skate with a pram or stroller is stopping. This may be easier than you think. Hills are not really ‘fun’ with a stroller. The aim is to get to the bottom steadily and safely! The best way to slow down with a pram or stroller is to use a handbrake when using a jogging stroller. This is one of the unique features to jogging prams/strollers. If this option is not available to you, we have provided some information below on how to slow down/stop. We have provided a review of 5 best jogging/skating prams/strollers – please see the review here: 5 best skating/jogging prams/strollers – terrific for exercising with your baby Sophia Blogs
Shallow hills or slowing on flat surfaces
On an incline, you can create ‘half moon’ shapes behind the pram with your skates each in turn of the other, while holding onto the handle firmly, to slow yourself and the pram down. You are basically ‘carving’ as you would without the pram, but in a very small space. Having the pram to hold onto can provide stability. This can slow you down to a ‘walking’ type of pace which is not very scary.
Another way to slow down is to use your legs to push outwards into the floor. Anyone who has skied will be familiar with the ‘snow plough’. This can be used on gentle inclines to slow down, or flat surfaces. It’s not advised for steeper hills.
Very steep hills should be avoided and even hills which are of a moderate incline, until you have become used to the ‘weight’ of the pram and you have practised stopping and feel in complete control.
Steeper, very short hills
For steeper, short hills (say, not more than three meters), you have the option of turning yourself and the pram around and walking backwards on toe stops, down to the bottom (roller skaters). It’s not advised that anyone tries this unless they are completely comfortable and completely in control, however.
Moderately steep, wide hills
If you are on a steeper wider hill and you are ready to skate with a pram at this level, another method is to ‘carve’ the hill (with the pram) making large half moon shapes from one side to the other. You can go very slowly down in this way. The writer has done this on quite a steep hill but it was in a pedestrianised area (no traffic) and it was not very busy. It would not be advised for a busy shopping area for example because you will be cutting across other people when you skate from one side to the other.
For any inclines you are not comfortable with
The final option is to remove skates if you feel intimidated. Inline skates can be quite quick to remove with no laces to tie or untie.
2 – How does skating feel with a pram compared to skating without one?
Skating with a pram adds extra weight. The effort and extent to which you need to dig the edges of your wheels into the ground to move or slow down, will depend upon the weight of yourself, the pram and the baby.
The pram can feel like it is a support to you (although it is not being suggested that you should lean on the pram). However, it is actually very difficult to fall over when skating with a pram. For many falls with skating, the skater falls forwards or backwards. While you hold the pram handle, this is unlikely to happen.
Another thing to note is that you will likely need to keep a little ‘box’ worth of space in front of you with your arms out stretched onto the pram, so that you have got room to skate without your skates hitting the pram wheels. This is for when you are picking up a little speed.
3 – What sort of pram or stroller should be used for skating – can I use a regular pram?
Three wheeled prams or strollers of the type shown below (pictured Phil and Ted’s double buggy), are made for skating or jogging because they do not topple over as easily as one with four wheels. Many of them have got air filled tyres on them.
Air filled tyres can be helpful when skating or jogging because when you reach the edge of a pavement and you are going at a speed which is slightly faster than walking, you don’t want to ‘bump’ the kerb and get stuck or bounce backwards at kerbs or other small obstacles. Having air filled tyres can definitely help you avoid this. Most of the time you can just ‘roll’ up lowered kerbs/bumps with the pram, with no issues and without stopping. This is not true for normal strollers.
The air filled tyres also provide a really comfortable ride for the baby.
It is not ‘impossible’ to skate with a regular pram, but extra care should be taken. It is definitely not advised to skate with a ‘light weight’ stroller or a stroller or pram which has got very small wheels. These are the types to topple easily, especially if you bump over something as you skate along. Heavier prams are better as they won’t topple so easily – but ‘jogging’ prams are best.
We will shortly be providing a review on the best prams to use for skating – so please watch out for this here:
4. What is the best place to skate with a pram or stroller?
For a beginner, the best place to skate with a pram would be a smooth surface with no traffic. We don’t all live next door to Hyde Park, but that is the type of place which would be perfect to get practice in and become comfortable. The writer does not skate on the road with the pram (and never would). There are many other places besides Hyde Park – here are a few suggestions:
- Along the edge of the Thames or other pedestrianised river pathway
- Along a canal pathway (not too close to the water for beginners!)
- At a local park with pathways
- Abbey Gardens for people who live in Suffolk
- Cycle pathways (where these are away from the road)
- Around a tennis court if it’s just for some exercise or practice, and you don’t mind the view
Will I lose weight, burn calories or tone up, skating with a pram or stroller?
In short, yes! Anyone who has had a baby will need to take things slowly as you recover. Skating with inline skates can feel like more of a workout than with roller skates, but either will be good. You can aim to cover lots of ground at a gentle pace and slowly increase this in time. Skating tones abs, legs and bums.
So there you have it. I hope this has answered any questions you may have had about how it’s possible to skate with a pram or stroller. If you have any other questions please let us know.
