MUDr. Věra Kleplová - Czech Republic

Abstract of the presentation

How Progress Is Destroying Our Children

Co-authors: Dobromila Pilná

Health Knows No Borders

We love our children, and it is time to look for what unites us—the well-being of the next generation. True progress requires cooperation across disciplines for the benefit of children. This presentation compares traditional “deep” strollers with modern narrow types.

Retro strollers provided a wide, deep space that allowed the child to freely spread its arms, thereby stimulating the shoulder girdle. In the exploratory stage, they enabled lifting of the head and partially the trunk. By pulling on the sides of the stroller, the child strengthened the abdominal muscles and the muscles of the shoulder girdle, practiced grasping, and pulling into a sitting position. These strollers supported the engagement of the whole body in sitting, as well as training stabilization in both straight and cross directions. Safety straps not only allowed the child to roll onto its stomach but also to stand while holding onto the edge of the canopy. The straps provided controlled freedom of movement while stabilizing the pelvis and training the vestibular system. The “little seat” supported straightening in the lumbar region during sitting. In kneeling, it promoted stabilization of the hips and pelvis, as well as upright trunk posture with alternating activation of the shoulder and lumbar girdles.

The entire arrangement naturally facilitated visual and verbal contact between mother and child. In contrast, modern strollers are narrow, and the child is constantly fixed with safety belts, which significantly restricts not only movement but also contact with the mother.

Please note that some of the texts also include machine-generated translations.