Strollerbabes
Just look for the stroller convoy

By Lesley Simpson
The Hamilton Spectator

Photo here:
Gary Yokoyama, the Hamilton Spectator

On a summer morning at Dundas Driving Park there is the gurgle and spray of 
water from the fountain in the wading pool. Lifeguards sit by either end of the 
pool, their feet in the water. They are watching children fill pails with water 
and talk among themselves, mesmerized by play possibilities.

At the north end of the park, people play tennis. At the west end, a family is 
unloading food for a picnic under the shade of the trees. Two men are mowing the 
grass into a pristine flat for the lawn bowling club. The Canadian flag is 
fluttering in the breeze. The sun is shining.

The scene is reminiscent of painter William Kurelek's colourful landscapes. And 
around the circle of the park, there are joggers, walkers, and on this Thursday 
morning, a small invasion of 15 moms pushing strollers, known officially as 
"Strollerbabes."

Officially Strollerbabes meet at 10 a.m. Thursday morning and begin walking 
around 10:15 at the Dundas Driving Park. But babies have their own evolving 
schedules, with radar to turn upside the most organized parent.

And so the group's hallmark for this route is flexibility: If you arrive 25 
minutes late, you can join any time. That, of course, is the strategic advantage 
in a walking route that is a circle. Just look for the stroller convoy.

You can walk a lot or a little. And despite the name, the group is open to 
fathers, caregivers and grandparents looking for conversation and a walk. On 
this particular day there is a variety of activities and as time passes the 
number of moms swells to 30.

"I was used to being outside,'' said Elaine Zelenyt, a 44-year-old graphic 
artist who has brought her seven-month-old baby Emily. Zelenyt is a hiker. Her 
stepson Bradley, 10, has already hiked 350 kilometres of the Bruce Trail. He 
pushes Emily in the stroller around the park.

"Most of these moms are new moms. And I am, too, but most of my friends had 
their kids 20 years ago. It's good to meet people and get out of the house 
instead of being cooped up."

Strollerbabes is the brainchild of Nadine Faragher, who found herself at home 
with an active baby living in a community with no programs for children that age 
in the afternoon. The winter was cold. She took her son Rory, who is 14 months 
old, to the park. They went tobogganing. But Faragher needed more. Rory does not 
nap in the afternoon.

"We joke that we don't need Weight Watchers. We have Rory Watchers,'' said 
Faragher, 32. "He is like a kitten with an on and off switch."

It was while she was walking through Dundas during the winter that she thought 
it would be much more fun to walk with company.

She called agencies because she didn't want to reinvent the wheel. What she was 
looking for was a walking club for parents. A friend told her about a company in 
Toronto that brought moms together. But she wasn't interested in turning the 
idea into a business.

"I didn't have $2,500 for a franchise ... and I didn't think anyone should have 
to pay to go for a walk."

And so Faragher created Strollerbabes. She contacted midwives, the public health 
department, resource centres and all the new parents she met through Parentlink, 
the city's new parent program. She didn't even have a printer. She kept e-mail 
addresses on file and sent out updates.

The criteria for the routes are free parking, washroom access, a playground and 
a trail accessible for strollers.

The response was overwhelming.

More than a hundred people signed up. The number is growing. How many people 
show up to walk depends on the day, time, location and of course, the wild card: 
the baby.

Faragher is looking for volunteers to help run the walks. She is hoping local 
businesses might be interested in sponsoring the group so she can publish a 
brochure.

For the summer, to avoid the heat, walks are in the morning. Most walks are 
around five kilometres but people are free to walk more or less. Volunteers meet 
and greet the walkers at the beginning of the route and have everyone sign an 
attendance form so the group can keep track of how many people are coming out 
and can welcome new members.

One mom helped to design a Web site (http://home.cogeco.ca/~jydickso/) 
<http://home.cogeco.ca/~jydickso/> and that is where updates are posted. The 
schedule is subject to change, depending how the group grows.

"My plan is to eventually have the program available across the city in 
different parks and trails (Gage Park, Bayfront Park, Lakefront Trail, Rail 
Trail) and run a couple of times a week.

"I am also hoping to expand Strollerbabes to include hiking, biking and 
blading,'' said Faragher.

On this Thursday, Faragher has planned a celebration to commemorate the 30th 
walk for the group which took its first steps in blustery March. There is the 
walk, a pot-luck picnic lunch (complete with a cake designed like a stroller 
from cupcakes that Faragher has crafted, with licorice for the handlebars) and 
then a dip in the wading pool.

As a special feature, Faragher has invited Christa Costas-Bradstreet, a physical 
activity specialist from the city's public health department to talk about 
post-partum exercise and how to squeeze in active living when you're 
sleep-deprived and stressed.

The group is sitting on the grass, copying the stretches Costas-Bradstreet is 
demonstrating. Costas-Bradstreet gives them information about active living. The 
babies sleep, cry, watch, gurgle, feed, and drink water from juice cups. Rory 
Faragher has busted out of his stroller and is racing through the park with a 
plastic ball, his mom running behind him. Is there any doubt where he got his 
energy?

lsimpson@thespec.com <mailto:lsimpson@thespec.com> or 905-526-3207.

NEED TO KNOW

Strollerbabes meets three times a week and is open to anyone.

Monday, the group meets in Ancaster behind St. John's Anglican Church, 
Wednesday, the group meets at the rail trail behind The Barn at University Plaza 
in Dundas and Thursday the group meets at Dundas Driving Park at the top of 
Cross Street in Dundas.

Strollerbabes is also planning "combo outings" Friday mornings that may offer 
combined activities, including blading, biking, running or walking.

For more information contact 905-522-9922 ext. 157. (The YWCA has provided the 
group with a telephone extension).