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Sure, Your 7-Year-Old Can Walk, But Why Not Carry Him?
Filed under: Opinions, Expert Advice: Just For You
If you thought carrying your baby for the first year or two was tough, I've got some bad news for you. It's the Piggyback Rider -- a newfangled, $80 child carrier that promises it can handle kids up to 60 pounds ... and 7 years old.
Yep. Now you can schlep your little second grader around, on your back, just like you did when she was 1. Or 2. Or maybe a petite 3. Suddenly, the idea that we should be carrying our kids around for another four or five years is supposed to sound normal. Even fun. Even good for parents and kids. When actually, it's ridiculous for both.
"Children (2½ - 7 years) love the height advantage, rest and, most of all, the quality time with their parents," boasts the Piggyback Rider website.
Ack! Kids love the "rest" they get? Aren't kids supposed to be running around? Aren't they getting fat enough already? Aren't we -- the grown-ups! -- the ones who always need a rest? I know I sure do! And if I was staggering under the weight of a whiny grammar school student grabbing my hair, I'd need three days in a mud bath before I could get up again.
As for "quality time" with parents, how does this qualify? The kid is strapped in. He's talking to a ponytail. He has as much free will as a mounted moosehead. Is it really quality time when you're Mommy's backpack?
The whole idea of carrying one's children usually has to do with their inability to get around on their own. Once a kid is capable of walking, why stop them? Would you stop a kid from chewing? "Wait, honey! Let me chew that first!" Or wiping himself? "Bend over!" So why stop a kid -- and we're not talking about children with special needs here -- from literally standing on his own?
In the video about the device, the creator crows that it is great for "adventures" like "applepicking." But the joy of applepicking is freely frolicking -- a joy denied to kiddie cling-ons.
Under the guise of easing a parent's burden and helping kids, this product does just the opposite. It burdens parents far longer than anyone ever dreamed, and it stunts kids by making them dependent on their parents.
That said, I bet it'll sell. Anytime you can convince parents that they should be doing more, for longer, for their perfectly capable kids, you can usually make a buck. Or $80.
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Yep. Now you can schlep your little second grader around, on your back, just like you did when she was 1. Or 2. Or maybe a petite 3. Suddenly, the idea that we should be carrying our kids around for another four or five years is supposed to sound normal. Even fun. Even good for parents and kids. When actually, it's ridiculous for both.
"Children (2½ - 7 years) love the height advantage, rest and, most of all, the quality time with their parents," boasts the Piggyback Rider website.
Ack! Kids love the "rest" they get? Aren't kids supposed to be running around? Aren't they getting fat enough already? Aren't we -- the grown-ups! -- the ones who always need a rest? I know I sure do! And if I was staggering under the weight of a whiny grammar school student grabbing my hair, I'd need three days in a mud bath before I could get up again.
As for "quality time" with parents, how does this qualify? The kid is strapped in. He's talking to a ponytail. He has as much free will as a mounted moosehead. Is it really quality time when you're Mommy's backpack?
The whole idea of carrying one's children usually has to do with their inability to get around on their own. Once a kid is capable of walking, why stop them? Would you stop a kid from chewing? "Wait, honey! Let me chew that first!" Or wiping himself? "Bend over!" So why stop a kid -- and we're not talking about children with special needs here -- from literally standing on his own?
In the video about the device, the creator crows that it is great for "adventures" like "applepicking." But the joy of applepicking is freely frolicking -- a joy denied to kiddie cling-ons.
Under the guise of easing a parent's burden and helping kids, this product does just the opposite. It burdens parents far longer than anyone ever dreamed, and it stunts kids by making them dependent on their parents.
That said, I bet it'll sell. Anytime you can convince parents that they should be doing more, for longer, for their perfectly capable kids, you can usually make a buck. Or $80.
Want to get the latest ParentDish news and advice? Sign up for our newsletter!
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-22-2011 @ 11:27AM
Marissa said...piggyback rides are supposed to be fun and spontaneous and special. and by special i mean rare. this contraption makes them an ordeal. you have to say hold on kiddo, let me figure out how to put this thing on, and if its like any baby carrier i've ever used it will take at least 5 minutes. i'm not going to say its stupid because that's rude but i would definitely not ever bother to buy such a thing.
Reply
3-22-2011 @ 1:08PM
Alicia said...Three words come to mind: "back problems" and "codependency."
Between idiotic ideas like this and The Geometric Simplification Act where some bloody moron from Alabama wants to take that state's April Fool's joke a step further and actually make Pi equal 3, today's third graders are tomorrow's nation of village idiots.
Reply
3-22-2011 @ 7:22PM
tko said...You obviously don't walk very far with your child. My baby was walking a mile and a half by 23 months! every day! sometimes he needs a rest and so I would carry for about a minute at the most. this simple backpack like carrying device could be used for the type of long hikes I do. When used he would only be resting for a few minutes, it would be easier to carry him than sit and rest..especially when I have to cover some distance and get back home within 70 minutes. I don't think one parent should judge another. I do a ton of hiking with my still toddler, it gives him a lot of exercise and I get to show him so much about the love of the outdoors. I would like the freedom of using something like this without feeling judged by people like you. God bless:)
Reply
3-22-2011 @ 10:48PM
Alicia said...No one's judging you for using this with a toddler when you're hiking, but a seven year old? No, a seven year old can walk and if he can't do the hikes you're doing, then maybe you should take it easy until he's older or leave him behind for the more difficult ones.
3-23-2011 @ 9:38PM
Jen B. said...To be fair, while I don't think this is a great product for my family. I have (and still do) give my daughter piggyback rides. She's EIGHTEEN years old now, but due to a heart condition she is very small (80-ish pounds) and sometimes needs a lift and would rather take a piggy back ride instead of using a wheelchair. I wouldn't judge anyone using this, but would like to point out that any child that is too tired to walk is probably too tired to stand...
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3-24-2011 @ 9:36PM
Heather said...If your 7 yr old is 60lbs do they really need to carried?
Reply
5-06-2011 @ 5:23PM
mindy.brocker said...Actually.. this could be really great in the autism community. I've had many a meltdown thwarted by the closeness of carrying my now-preschooler. It isn't an everyday thing.. but certain trips.. say... Disney, you can't just choose to stop walking because your autistic 4 year old decides he's completely overwhelmed.
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