Buggies bad for baby

An Auckland osteopath and mother says parents who put their newborn babies into trendy strollers with sloping backs may be putting their child's health at risk.

Julia Griffiths said the fashionable three-wheel, all-terrain buggies did not provide a flat surface and often put the baby in a scooped position.

She said research suggested there was a range of possible health effects from babies not lying flat including obstructing breathing, digestion problems and affecting vertebrae shape. Her concerns are backed by a study which included National Women's Hospital consultant paediatrician Simon Rowley that showed babies had more difficulty breathing in car seats.

They compared x-rays of babies' airwaves and found breathing was inhibited in the scooped position.