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How Important is a Hand Brake on a Jogging Stroller?

How important is a hand brake on a jogging stroller? Very. Especially when jogging on terrain that may have any hills or valleys where a runner could lose control of the stroller.

Jogging is a fitness activity that many people like to do, and doing this after having a child is still possible, but you would need to be certain you are safe when you do it. You need the right clothes, shoes, and stroller to be certain your jogging is safe for you and your child. The right stroller would need a hand brake, which you can use to stop the stroller better if there is an urgent need to slow it down. 

If the stroller did not have a hand brake, stopping it when you stop your body and hold it would possibly not work if there were a hill you were going down or some person or object that comes close to colliding with you and the stroller. A hand brake would help you stop the stroller faster and focus on thinking about yourself and your child and not your body holding the stroller and stopping it. 

How Important is a Hand Brake on a Jogging Stroller?

A handbrake on a jogging stroller is very important due to the nature of the activity. You may need to quickly slow the stroller or safety concerns or when running downhill to keep control of the stroller and baby. A hand brake allows the user to control the speed in all scenarios making it a safe option.

While jogging strollers are similar to one another, there are parts of them that make them different from one another. The front wheel can be fixed or not move for some of them. It could have a hand brake or not have one. It is important to look for one with the hand brake to have the safest one for you and your child.

The route you take when you jog is usually safe, however, your jogging stroller moves faster than a regular one and you could have a problem with a person or pet or even a car or some other item coming too close to you unexpectedly. This may not happen, but you would need to have the ability to react quickly. A good way to stop the stroller is, also, important because you want your child to feel comfortable when you stop when using it.

Things to Consider When Thinking of Getting a Jogging Stroller with a Hand Brake

There are many things to consider when looking at a jogging stroller. A hand brake is an important feature for the active parent who regularly runs outside with their child. The brakes ability to help control descents, as well as stop quicker in an emergency, make it a critical part of any quality stroller.

The heavier the stroller, say a double stroller for twins, the more important it becomes. Here are a few things that are important to think through when jogging with your child and how a hand brake can assist:

  • Possible collisions on your jog with your child
  • The comfort of you and your child 
  • The speed of the jogging stroller 
  • Any hills that you would be going down on your jog

Possible Collisions on Your Jog

When you go on your jog, you may not expect to have any problems, if you have never had one. Noticing your surroundings is easy but not when they are coming toward you fast and you have to make a quick stop. You may be OK with just stopping your body and the stroller, however, the extra usefulness of a hand brake can really help you in an emergency.

If you have a fixed front wheel, the stroller can certainly turn, but it may take a bit more effort to do so which makes stopping quickly even more important.

The Comfort of You and Your Child

It may be comfortable to jog with the jogging stroller usually. If you need to slow it down, using a hand brake would make the brake smoother and easier for your child to feel comfortable. You would need to wait until they are at least six months old to jog with them and they would be in a five-point safety harness in the jogging stroller.

You, also, could use the hand brake to make their stop normal without any problems. It’s already hard enough to jog with a stroller, let’s not make it any harder.

The Speed of The Jogging Stroller

Another consideration is how heavy the jogging stroller is and how quickly it moves when you push it on your jog. If you did not have it in your hands because of a problem that you could not anticipate, it would continue to move quickly. You could prevent this problem with a little pressure on a hand brake that could stop it right away. 

Any Hills that You Would be Going Down on Your Jog

You may have a special jogging route that has hills. When you go down the hills with the jogging stroller, it could help to have a quick way to slow your speed.

Conclusion

So how important is a hand brake on a stroller? It’s important. To wrap it up, here is the information about getting a stroller with a hand brake in a list.

  1. If you jog with your child in a jogging stroller, use one with a hand brake for your safety.
  2. Use your jogging stroller with the hand brake for any hills or jogs with possible problems, like a route near a road or other joggers and their pets.
  3. Use the hand brake to slow your movement and give both of you a comfortable ride.

There are important differences between regular strollers and jogging strollers, as well as different types of jogging strollers and the hand brake is an important feature when you get one. It gives you the peace of mind to jog with safety and comfort. This article gave you the information you need to make this choice. Enjoy your jog with your family!

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About the author

Jasper loves to write about fitness, running, and anything else that gets him moving outdoors. He's an avid hiker, backpacker, and climber who loves to stay fit so he can make sure he's healthy enough to enjoy his favorite hobbies. He also spends time writing about his true passions in life.