Q&A:
Is it safe to go on a 6-mile jog with a 10-week-old?

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Answered by Linda Jonides R.N., C.P.N.P.

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"I have worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner (P.N.P.) for over 30 years," says Linda Jonides. "I continue to thoroughly enjoy forming new relationships with parents and newborns and working with them through infancy, childhood, and adolescence."

Linda Jonides is a pediatric nurse practitioner in a private pediatric practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She received her Diploma in Nursing and Certificate as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is a past recipient of the Michigan PNP of the Year Award. She has a B.S. in Nursing from Eastern Michigan University. She has published articles and lectured on childhood obesity, infant colic, role of the P.N.P., growth and development issues, and infectious diseases. She was an author of "Clinical Insights Column," published biannually in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care for nine years. Jonides is past president of NAPNAP. Currently, she is a steering group work member of NAPNAP's HEAT (healthy eating and activity together) project. One outcome of this group's work is the clinical practice guideline, "Identifying and Preventing Overweight in Childhood," that was published as a supplement to the March/April '06 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Health Care.

Ms. Jonides has been married to John, a university professor, since 1971.

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Question

I have a 10-week-old baby boy and my husband wants to take him on his six-mile routine run with a jogger. Please advise whether this is safe for my baby.

Answer

The Baby Jogger company believes that after 6 to 8 weeks of age, babies are safe in jogging strollers. You do want to provide support for his head with something like a car seat head roll, rolled towels, or diapers. Make sure he has proper weather protection, too. Try starting out with some shorter runs to see how both baby and dad do. Many babies enjoy the motion, but also remind dad to be cautious of the terrain and avoid very bumpy conditions, such as potholes. Too much rough bouncing and quick movements are hard on little heads.