Child safety – New safety standards for prams and strollers

A new mandatory standard for the manufacture of prams and strollers came into effect on July 1st 2008. This came about after many babies and young children were injured or killed in tragic accidents when their strollers or prams rolled away from their parents.

All prams and strollers made after this date in New Zealand must comply with the new regulations. These regulations cover product construction, performance and labelling. The regulations require that:

• A tether strap to help consumers maintain control over the pram or stroller
• A parking brake (red in colour) to restrict the pram or strollers movement
• A warning to promote the safe use of the product
• A restraint harness for strollers to prevent falls from the product

If you are shopping for a new pram or stroller make sure that the one you plan to buy has all these features.

Remember it’s not enough to simply buy a pram or stroller that has all the required safety features; you also need to use them.

Tips for safe use of a pram or stroller

When you are using your pram or stroller you should always:

• Use the 5 point harness available every time your baby is in the pram or stroller. It’s tempting to skip this at times especially when you are in a hurry and will only have them it is for a few minutes but it is there for a reason.
• Use the tether strap whenever the parking brake is not engaged.
• Use the parking brake whenever the pram or stroller is not in motion.
• Don’t leave your child sleeping unsupervised in a pram or stroller, especially if they are not restrained by the harness.
• As tempting as it is, do not hang or tie shopping bags on the handles of the pram. It can change the balance or overload the pram with weight and cause it to tip over.

If you have any questions on the new standards or would like some more detailed information on updates to product safety and mandatory standards, further details can be obtained from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs website

(Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 2088:2000)

For more information see Child safety or Parenting