Preliminary assessment of vibrations received by children in gondola strollers.

Purpose: In this study, the authors attempted to determine whether and to what extent the vibrations generated while driving a baby stroller could pose a potential hazard to an infant. For this purpose, the measurement of whole body vibrations inside a baby stroller was carried out, using a dummy infant weighing 5 kg.

Methods

The study was conducted using four baby strollers of similar overall weight and design. Based on the results, it was concluded that the vibrations occurring in the baby stroller exceed the comfort limit defined by ISO 2631 and could be potentially dangerous to children.

Results

The comfort limit for the vertical axis is exceeded in the frequency range that corresponds to the resonant frequencies of the head (6-8 Hz), torso (6-17 Hz) or pelvis (6-17 Hz). For this type of study, the ISO 2631 standard can only be considered as a guideline in analyzing the results since the standard is intended for adults. There is no norm in the literature that defines the limit of vibrations acting on children.

Conclusions

It seems necessary to develop a standard specifically for children. Based on the results obtained, the effect of speed and the way of driving a baby carriage on the magnitude of vibration received is evident.